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Hayley Williams has discussed Paramore being “one of only two bands that include women” in ‘most-streamed rock acts’ chart, sharing that she hopes to see more diverse representation in the future.
The frontwoman shared the comments on her Instagram stories last night (August 6), after it was reported that Paramore had been listed as Number 20 on the Top 20 of most streamed rock acts of all time on Spotify.
In the list – which was topped by Queen, The Beatles, Arctic Monkeys and Red Hot Chili Peppers – only two of the 20 acts listed contained any female members. The other was Fleetwood Mac, who placed in the Number 10 spot.
Responding to the list, which was shared by a Paramore fan page with the X/Twitter handle @Pcharts, Williams shared a screenshot of the post and added her own comment on social media.
“Not the casual U2 diss lmao?!! Their Live At Red Rocks film still gives me such a buzz. Just a tight ass band with huge vocals,” she began, referencing how they beat out the Irish band to be placed at Number 20.
“We are one of only two bands that include women in the Top 20 of all time. Of course I’m beyond honoured, but in my lifetime I hope to see more women, more LGBTQ+, and black/brown talent on this list,” she added. “Also ‘rock’ is funny… are Paramore a rock band or just not quite 100 per cent pop? What tf are we?”
She also responded to a fan who asked if she ever got the chance to meet Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks – explaining that she had, and the vocalist was “everything you hope her to be”.
“There isn’t a world in which I come close to their magic, but she and Christine [McVie] make me feel proud to be considered a woman in rock.”
The two met earlier this year when she and Taylor Swift enjoyed a night out with Nicks in Dublin after Swift wrapped up her three-show run in the city.
This isn’t the first time that Williams has spoken openly about the lack of representation of women in the rock world. For example, back in 2016, she opened up about how she has seen more women being integrated into the genre than when she first started out in the industry.
“There are so many women doing well, making great art and getting recognition, which is fully deserved. I don’t like to think I’m responsible for anything other than the songs that Paramore has written, but if these people have drawn any inspiration or belief from what I’ve done then that’s awesome.
She continued: “When I was starting out in a band I had to take parts of my inspiration from males, because there weren’t enough women to really go around. I had to look at male musicians that I admired or looked up to and go, ‘I think I can do this just as well as they can,’ but I had to find my own way of relating to them.”
She reflected on the sexist comments she faced during a 2020 interview, looking back the time that Paramore went through a highly-publicised lineup change.
Brothers Josh and Zac Farro left the band in 2010, and comments soon began to emerge that she was to blame. “I find it interesting that bands we’ve loved who have been through lineup changes – even bands who haven’t – have been honest about how much they hate each other, and you never question their loyalty,” she explained. “You never think, ‘Oh, Thom Yorke must be the fucking Hitler of Radiohead.’ He can be an asshole.”
She discussed the prejudice facing women in rock more recently too, when she admitted that she doesn’t “dare” play guitar on stage due to sexist comments.
In other Paramore news, the band will once again be joining Taylor Swift as support when the pop star returns to Wembley Stadium for five dates between August 15 and 20. Joining them will be Sofia Isella on August 15, Holly Humberstone (16), Suki Waterhouse (17), Maisie Peters (19) and Raye (20).