Hayley Nichole Williams is a celebrated pop-punk artist. She is the lead vocalist, composer and occasional keyboardist of the rock band Paramore. Her band Paramore has collaborated with artists such as October Fall, The Chariot, Set Your Goals and New Found Glory.
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Her claim to fame was when she featured on the single “Airplanes" by B.o.B which topped at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song won international acclaim and topped in New Zealand and the United Kingdom as well. A sequel to the song, "Airplanes, Part II", which featured iconic rapper Eminem earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The artist has also won a Grammy for Best Rock Song along with her band member.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Hayley was born on December 27th, 1988 in Meridian, Mississippi. Her parents are Joey and Cristi Williams, She has two younger half-sisters. After her parents’ divorce, she moved to Franklin, Tennessee. She met her present band members namely Josh and Zac Farro in her new school. Williams began taking vocal lessons and auditioned for a local funk cover band, The Factory. This is where she met Jeremy Davis.
Later on, she was discovered by two music scouts and went on to sign with Atlantic records. This paved the way for her to establish her band Paramore. From 2008 to 2014, she was dating New Found Glory's lead guitarist Chad Gilbert. They were briefly married in 2016 and separated soon afterwards. Besides her stupendous success in music, Hayley is also a known for being a fashion icon and a sex symbol.
She has collaborated with MAC cosmetics and has her own hair dye brand. She also collaborated with Hard Rock Café for PINKTOBER breast cancer awareness. She also has her online series focusing on beauty on music named Kissoff. She has won Kerrang’s “Sexiest female” poll, multiple times. The singer does not smoke, drink or use recreational drugs.
CAREER:
Williams was discovered in 2003 by managers, who signed the 14-year-old for a two-year production deal. At that time, the singer was still in school and used to write pop songs. However, this led Atlantic records to discover her. They were impressed by her potential and wanted to sign her as a solo artist. Hayley refused saying that she always wanted to be in pop funk band.
The production giant agreed to her wishes and formed Paramore with her former band mates from school- Josh Farro, Zac Farro, and Jeremy Davis. The band debuted in the professional circuit with their first album All We Know Is Falling, in 2005. The band subsequently released 4 more albums, Riot!, Brand New Eyes, Paramore and After Laughter .
In June 2009, Taylor York joined the band as the official guitarist. Williams composed and performed the song "Teenagers", for the thriller Jennifer's Body. In 2014, she won the "Trailblazer Award” for her groundbreaking approach to music. In 2015, the singer featured in Taylor Swift’s "Bad Blood", along with many other celebrities. She also won the Grammy for Best Rock Song for "Ain't It Fun” In 2015, Hayley also won the APMA for Best lead vocalist.
Last Modified: Mar 7, 2020
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