Watch Billie Eilish and Hayley Williams duet Paramore's Misery Business at Coachella

News
By ( Louder ) last updated

Hayley Williams took to the stage with Billie Eilish to sing Misery Business live for the first time since 2018

Hayley Williams and Billie Eilish at Coachella
(Image credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Coachella)

Hayley Williams joined Billie Eilish at the second leg of Coachella this past weekend to perform an acoustic version of Paramore's signature emo rock anthem, Misery Business. The duet, which took place on Saturday April 23, saw the Paramore singer performing the hit for the first time since 2018. 

Introducing Williams to the stage, Eilish announces, "Everybody, can we please welcome my friend Hayley Williams,", before joining the audience in a hysterical, excited scream of fandom.

"This is my first Coachella. Woah! Thanks for sharing this with me — this is sick!" declares the Paramore vocalist, who appears to be donning her trademark fiery Riot!-era hair once again.

Williams had previously cut the 2007 single from Paramore's live sets due to concerns over it having "anti-feminist" lyrics. The song famously pits a teenaged Hayley against a 'rival' girl for a boy's affections, with the line 'Once a whore, you’re nothing more / I’m sorry, that will never change'  drawing some particularly negative criticism years later.  

“The problem with the lyrics is not that I had an issue with someone I went to school with," Hayley told Track 7 in 2017. "That’s just high school and friendships and breakups. It’s the way I tried to call her out using words that didn’t belong in the conversation. It’s the fact that the story was set up inside the context of a competition that didn’t exist over some fantasy romance.”

"I was a 17 year old kid when I wrote the lyrics, she also noted, "and if I can somehow exemplify what it means to grow up, get information, and become any shade of ‘woke’, then that’s a-okay with me," .

Back in 2020, Hayley additionally addressed the single's inclusion in Spotify's Women Of Rock playlist, which was added alongside her solo track Simmer.

"Simmer is on this playlist. thx Spotify,” Williams wrote on Instagram. “But so is Misery Business. I know it’s one of the band’s biggest songs but it shouldn’t be used to promote anything having to do with female empowerment or solidarity.” 

Following Williams' statement, Misery Business was soon removed from the playlist.

Check out fan-filmed footage of Hayley and Billie's performance below:

Liz Scarlett
Liz Scarlett
Content Editor

Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.