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Paramore singer Hayley Williams has opened up her battle with depression.
The singer, who is currently set to release her new album ‘Petals For Armor’ on May 8, said the record helped address her issues with anger and mental health.
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Read more: Paramore: their 10 best songs – ranked
“One of my biggest healing moments was realising that a lot of my depression was misplaced anger. I really forced it inward, on myself, and it made me feel shame all the time,” she told The Guardian.
But she said over time she was able to channel her anger and use it as a recognition of self-worth. “It helped me understand things that happened throughout my life that weren’t right.”
The singer also said her previous marriage and its breakdown to New Found Glory’s guitarist Chad Gilbert contributed to her problems.
“I was in a very unhealthy relationship, and I just kept thinking: ‘I can fix it this time,'” she said.
“He probably looks at me like the villain. Throwing around my version of someone else’s story doesn’t feel fair, which is funny because I don’t necessarily think it should be fair. Especially not after the shit I went through.”
Following her break-up, the singer lost weight and suffered from depression.
“What I hated was at the time it was still sort of new to see the word ‘depression’ – it became such a hot-button word, almost clickbait? And it scared me to become part of that conversation, especially if I wasn’t even sure what was actually going on with me,” she said.
Rather than regret her past, the singer said she hopes to highlight the power of female anger. “Women’s rage has changed many things in this world,” she said. “We’ve been able to effect progress in so many arenas. It doesn’t have to all be ignorance and hate speech and bullshit.”
Williams made headlines this week when she reaffirmed her stance on the controversial lyrics of Paramore‘s breakout hit, ‘Misery Business’, having previously announced that the track had been axed from her band’s live shows amid the ongoing debate over whether its message was “anti-feminist”.
Last night also saw Williams share the lyric video for new solo single ‘Sudden Desire‘.
She is due to perform at Brighton’s The Great Escape Festival on May 15 and a date at London’s Electric Brixton on May 16.
For help and advice on mental health:
- ‘Am I depressed?‘ – Help and advice on mental health and what to do next
- Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians
- Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues
- YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
- CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably for young men
- Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination
- The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day
The post Paramore’s Hayley Williams: “Anger doesn’t have to all be ignorance, hate speech and bullshit” appeared first on NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM.
