| Hayley Williams | |
|---|---|
Hayley Williams in Bali |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Hayley Nichole Williams |
| Born | December 27, 1988 Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop punk, alternative rock, punk rock |
| Occupations | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, guitars, drums, piano |
| Years active | 2004—Present |
| Labels | Fueled by Ramen, Warner Bros., Atlantic Records |
| Associated acts | Paramore, B.o.B, The Chariot |
Hayley Nichole Williams[1][2] (born December 27, 1988)[3] is an American singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist of the band Paramore.[1][4]
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In 2002, at the age of 13, Williams moved from her hometown, Meridian, Mississippi, to Franklin, Tennessee.[5] She met band members Josh and Zac Farro in her new school.[4][6] While still in school, she tried out for a local funk cover band The Factory, in which she met Jeremy Davis.[6][7]
Williams is a Christian and has a tattoo of a cross on her right thigh.[8]
Williams was discovered in 2003 by managers Dave Steunebrink and Richard Williams who signed the 14-year-old to a production deal.[9] At the time she was writing pop songs with songwriters in Nashville.[9] Williams was introduced to Atlantic Records A&R Tom Storms through Richard Williams' attorneys Jim Zumwalt and Kent Marcus, and then signed to the label by Jason Flom. The label's original plan for their new artist was to make her a solo pop artist but Williams objected to this, saying that she wanted to be part of a band and play alternative rock music.
Atlantic decided to go along with her wishes, and she then formed Paramore with Josh Farro, Zac Farro, and Jeremy Davis.[9] The music of Paramore was originally supposed to come out on Atlantic Records, but the label's marketing department decided it would be better for the image of the band to not have them attached to a huge label. They instead released their music through a "cooler" niche label, Fueled by Ramen.[9] The debut album was released in 2005 when Hayley was only 16 years old.
In 2007, she appeared in the music video for "Kiss Me" by New Found Glory.[10]
In the 2007 Kerrang! Readers' Poll she finished second to Evanescence's Amy Lee in the "Sexiest Female" category,[11] going on to win the first place spot for "Sexiest Female" a year later in the 2008 poll,[12] and again in the 2009 poll. She also appears as a playable character in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.
Williams wrote and recorded the song "Teenagers", which was featured in the soundtrack for the feature film Jennifer's Body. After the release of "Teenagers", Williams stated that she had no plans to establish herself as a solo artist.[13] In 2010, she appeared on the tracks "Airplanes" and "Airplanes (Part II)" from alternative rapper B.o.B's debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray.[14] When it was released as a single, "Airplanes" peaked within the top ten in nineteen countries, including number one peak positions in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Paramore was created in Franklin, Tennessee in 2004 with Williams (lead vocals/keyboards), alongside Josh Farro (lead guitar/backing vocals), Jeremy Davis (bass guitar) and Zac Farro (drums). Prior to forming Paramore,[7] the other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been "edgy about the whole female thing" of having Williams as singer, but as they were good friends she began writing with them and eventually became a member.[15] The band has released three studio albums, All We Know Is Falling, Riot!, and Brand New Eyes as well as two live albums and three EPs. In June 2009, the band welcomed Taylor York (rhythm guitar) as an official member, although he had already been playing as a touring member with the band since 2007.
In 2006, Paramore started touring outside of the US for the first time, which included a headline tour of the UK and supporting post-hardcore rockband The Blackout on the Give It A Name Festival in Europe.
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Teenagers" | Jennifer's Body: Music from the Motion Picture |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | CAN | EU | GER | IRE | NL | NZ | SWI | UK | ||||
| 2010 | "Airplanes" (with B.o.B) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray | |
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Keep Dreaming Upside Down" (October Fall featuring Hayley Williams)[20] | A Season in Hell |
| 2007 | "Then Came To Kill" (The Chariot featuring Hayley Williams)[21] | The Fiancée |
| "The Church Channel" (Say Anything featuring Hayley Williams)[22] | In Defense of the Genre | |
| "Plea" (Say Anything featuring Hayley Williams and Kenny Vasoli)[22] | ||
| 2008 | "Fallen" (Death in the Park featuring Hayley Williams)[23] | Death in the Park EP |
| 2009 | "Tangled Up" (New Found Glory)[24] | Not Without A Fight |
| "The Few That Remain" (Set Your Goals featuring Hayley Williams)[25] | This Will Be the Death of Us | |
| 2010 | "Airplanes" (B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams) | B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray |
| "Airplanes (Part II)" (B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams & Eminem) | ||
| 2011 | "Rainbow Connection" (Weezer & Hayley Williams)[26] | Muppets: The Green Album |
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Kerrang Readers' Poll 2007 | Sexiest Female Front Singer | Herself | Nominated |
| 2008 | Kerrang Readers' Poll 2008 | Won | ||
| Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica | Premio Fashionista 2008 | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica | Premio Fashionista 2009 | Won | |
| Shockwaves NME Awards 2009 | Sexiest Female | Won | ||
| Kerrang Readers' Poll 2009 | Won | |||
| 2010 | ||||
| Kerrang Readers' Poll 2010 | Won | |||
| 2010 MTV Video Music Awards | Video of the Year | "Airplanes" – B.o.B. (featuring Hayley Williams) | Nominated | |
| Best Male Video | Nominated | |||
| Best Hip-Hop Video | Nominated | |||
| Best Collaboration | Nominated | |||
| 2011 | 37th People's Choice Awards | Favorite Song | Nominated | |
| BET Awards 2011 | Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Collaboration | Nominated | |||
| 53rd Annual Grammy Awards | Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals | "Airplanes, Part II" – B.o.B. (featuring Eminem & Hayley Williams) | Nominated |
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