Hayley Williams has revealed that Paramore were forced to turn down an opportunity to work on the Jennifer’s Body soundtrack because of former bandmate Josh Farro’s reservations about the film.
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Alongside tracks from artists like Panic! At The Disco, Cute Is What We Aim For, and Dashboard Confessional, her song ‘Teenagers‘ appeared on the soundtrack to the cult-classic horror comedy.
As Williams recently revealed, Paramore also could have contributed music to the Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried-starring film, but ultimately declined. In an interview with the New York Times, the frontwoman discussed her recently dropped surprise solo album and touched on turning down the opportunity.
“There were a lot of things that I even wanted to do that they weren’t supportive of,” she said. “And when I say ‘they,’ I mostly mean Zac’s brother, ’cause he was an ass.”
She was referring to Josh Farro, Paramore’s original lead guitarist, who left the band in 2010 because of his differing religious beliefs.
“I turned down the end credits of Jennifer’s Body for him. You know what I mean? There’s so much lore! There’s so much people don’t know.” She speculated that given he grew up “fundamental Christian”, he “didn’t agree” with the film’s content. While the initial reception to the film was critical, it has steadily gained a cult following after a reappraisal from fans and a queer-friendly reading of the two leads’ relationship.
When Popcast co-host Joe Coscarelli joked that Jennifer’s Body was a “demonic film,” Williams replied: “That’s the best kind.”
Elsewhere in the interview, she revealed the “racist country singer” from her song ‘Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party’ is Morgan Wallen.
NME reviewed ‘Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party’ before its official release, giving it five stars and writing: “As with almost every era of Hayley Williams’ career, this new release has come with questions about the future of Paramore. The determined lyrics on the tender ‘I Won’t Quit On You’ should be all the reassurance worried fans need, but if that’s not enough, there’s plenty in this brilliant, swaggering new chapter to be excited about.
“These songs might be about missed second chances, but Williams is certainly making the most of hers.”
Williams then officially released the album on August 28, marking her first release as an independent artist following her record deal with Warner/Atlantic ending.
She would later reveal that although Paramore aren’t broken up, they are on a break: “We always take huge breaks. In order for us to metabolise shit that we go through as people, it takes the amount of time it takes between albums.”
In other news, Hayley Williams has explained why Paramore’s music has reappeared in Israel after joining the ‘No Music For Genocide’ boycott