Paramore have come a long way since they burst onto the rock scene as teen starlets in 2005… With new third album Brand New Eyes a number a one smash, the American group have become one of the brightest names in music – something that’s possibly just as much down to their flame-haired front woman as hits.  Well, the boys in the band might not agree, but there’s no denying that 20-year-old Hayley Williams has a certain je ne sais quoi – just ask any of the male members of the audience on Paramore’s current US tour. Luckily for us, we were able to catch up with the girl herself… She might have had a bad throat, but we still found Hayley on fine form…

Playboy: First of all how’s your voice?

Hayley: Every time we set out for a tour I get sick – either on the day or the day before. At that point, my throat is screwed and I spend a lot of the tour trying to save what's left of my voice. I guess I have allergies or something. Pre-tour I have to take vitamins, warm up, and cut dairy from my diet.

Playboy: Brand New Eyes marks a huge change for the band, emotionally in particular. How do you feel about it and the whole period of making it?

Hayley:  We're so proud of the album. If it weren't for our fans and our faith then we wouldn't have had any reason to keep going. It wouldn't matter if all the fame or any of the rewards went away because we have a renewed sense of vision and are probably the strongest we've ever been. 
 
Playboy: Riot! really put Paramore on the map but Brand New Eyes has taken you up another level. Is mainstream success something you welcome?

Hayley: To me, Brand New Eyes, is less commercial than Riot! I pretend the mainstream success isn't there. I certainly don't mind doing well as an artist, but I act as if none of it is really happening. I like being approachable to fans but I don't surround myself with phoney company. As one of my favourite bands, Saves The Day, say: ‘I choose my company by the beating of their hearts not the swelling of their heads.’

Playboy: How do you think you have moved on between these albums?

Hayley: I’ve learned a lot about myself and become more outspoken which definitely made for a more personal record.

Playboy: How has the tour with No Doubt been? Do you like the comparisons with Gwen Stefani?

Hayley:  I’ve never met a woman more focused, more exciting, absolutely gorgeous, but so real. I could hang with her after shows and it never felt like some big deal... She was always encouraging. They’ve been through a lot over 20 years. If they can survive, we can.

Playboy: Is it true to say this album brought Paramore back together?

Hayley: This record saved our band! We’d had enough of each other after four years on the road and growing up in such a bubble. It is hard trying to figure out who you are when the whole world thinks they already know you.

Playboy: Which members in particular were arguing/struggling?

Hayley: Josh and I always butt heads the most. We are the closest in age and the primary songwriters of the band. Creatively, we are the most outspoken and with the two of us usually having contrasting ideas, there are more than a few opportunities for disagreements. It works though, in a very quirky sort of way.

Playboy: How did you regroup? What kept you inspired?

Hayley: Our fans keep us motivated. We are always excited to do something for our fans and when we give them all we've got, they give us back the same type of support. The worst part about ever having any type of bad blood in the band was wondering how much we'd let all those people down. But in reality, we're just humans. That's inspiring in itself.

Playboy: How will you prevent the same problems happening again?

Hayley: We're trying to learn to say ‘no’. The important thing to us is that people hear the album and then we are able to be there to back it up. So, we'll do what it takes to live up to that.

Playboy: How did your young age contribute to the pressure do you think?

Hayley: We're young and so I think it's easy for people to believe that we are up for anything and everything. Even we fool ourselves sometimes. But we are learning the benefits of restraint. I'd rather play for 300-500 kids for the rest of my life than to 12,000 for the next few months.

Playboy: How was making this record in Malibu compared to your hometown of Nashville?

Hayley: Home would've been pretty distracting. Malibu was the best thing for the process. Our producer Rob Cavallo knew when to sit back and let us work the songs out ourselves. He was never pushy but knew when to use his experience to steer us in the right direction.
I was always scared to work with producers of his calibre but it sounds the most unique to our band than anything we've ever done.

Playboy: There is a lot of anger in this album. Has it been therapeutic?

Hayley:  Yes. In fact, when I sing those songs now all I can think is how far we've come. I think our fans feel it to.

Playboy: Is it true you went to counselling?

Hayley: Yes we all went to a counsellor who happened to be someone we've known since our band started.  It wasn't some big dramatic Metallica/Some Kind Of Monster experience but I don't think we could've done it without him.

Playboy: Did you ever feel envious of Josh and Zac having each other as brothers to help each other through bad times?

Hayley: I never envy the brothers! Ha! I don't know how they put up with each other sometimes. They have this Marge Simpson/Mr Bean voice that they use to mock each other. It’s their secret weapon and we all crack up so there's no room for them to get angry with each other. They’re a great team.

Playboy: What’s next for Paramore? How far ahead do you look?

Hayley: We've exceeded all expectations we ever set up for ourselves. We couldn't be more stoked that we got this far. I'm still hungry for people to hear us and just as passionate as I was when we started.

Playboy: You have a UK winter tour coming up. What can your British fans expect?

Hayley: A lot of head-banging!

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