PATTON OSWALT • SHARON JONES • SWOON • AWKWARD BLACK GIRL’s issa rae FOR DE WOMEN C WITH THE /JAN 2014 SOMETHING SEXIEST TO GET CELEB FANFIC OFF THEIR p. 87 CHESTS GIRL ON 51 “It’s NO-FAIL A FIRE LL RI PARAMORE’s T E TO T GIFT R UCK Hayley IDEAS A LL NI Williams STarTinG AT ght!” UNDER $5! Rookie Mag’s Throw a TAVI Cookie GEVINSON Party! BUST.COM DEC/JAN 2014 - VOLUME 84 Cozy, Sexy, DISPLAY UNTIL JAN 27 HAVE THE BEST HOLIDAYS EVER Cool BUST.COM 38 . DEC/JAN 2014 . BUST Pretty IN Punk DRESS: NICOLE MILLER BODYSUIT: OYE Fierce and feminist, Hayley Williams—the frontwoman of the pop-punk band Paramore— is a rock star for an enlightened generation. Here, she opens up about band drama, selling sex, and her secret dreams BY MOLLY SIMMS PHOTOGRAPHED BY EMILY SHUR STYLED BY JAK MAKEUP BY GREGORY ARLT HAIR BY BRIAN O’CONNOR 39 Y SOME MEASURES, Hayley Williams, the lead singer of the pop-punk band Paramore, seems like a fairly regular 25-year-old. She crafts her ass off, shops at thrift stores, and loves to experiment with hair dye. In fact, despite her hordes of Twitter followers (around 3.5 million at last count), the numerous Web sites devoted to her opinions and outfits, and the way-too-obsessive media analy- sis of her comings-and-goings, Williams is shockingly normal. So normal that, while talking to her, you almost forget that while your average Tuesday-night plans revolve around watching House Hunters, hers might consist of playing a sold-out show at Lon- don’s Wembley Arena. (At press time, Paramore’s new single, “Still Into You,” was num- ber one on the U.K. rock charts.) Fact is, she’s kind of a big deal. All of her band’s four al- bums (All We Know Is Falling, Riot!, Brand New Eyes, and Paramore) have gone gold or platinum, and she was even the first playable female character in the massively popular Guitar Hero video game series. When performing, Williams is like a Around the same time, she befriended critical acclaim, getting glowing reviews bottle rocket, bouncing across the stage some boys from her church who were in everything from Entertainment Weekly in Converse sneakers while she thrashes putting together a fledgling rock group to The New York Times. her red-orange hair. It’s a persona as bold (though not playing specifically Chris- That band spat wasn’t the only indig- as her throaty voice, which she employs on tian rock). The label agreed to take on the nity Williams has suffered in the public her band’s up-tempo hard-rock anthems whole band, and in 2005, Paramore’s first eye. Later that same year, a topless photo and the occasional ballad. In a similar vein album was released; Williams was a mere of her leaked online and had every rock as No Doubt and Avril Lavigne, Paramore 16 years old at the time. That album, All ‘n’ roll fanboy panting and/or discussing plays what you might call “happy punk,” We Know Is Falling, was well-reviewed her boob size. But Williams weathered and as a result, the band (and Williams but only a minor success, sales-wise. But the storm with aplomb, joking about the herself) has been criticized by the rock everything changed in 2007 with their incident in the press and emerging with press for being nothing more than pop next release, Riot!—it went platinum and her rep intact. fluff. And since critics are typically harsh cemented Paramore as a pop-punk Bill- She may be the frontwoman of one on any band that’s got teenage girls as fans, board-chart staple. of the most successful rock acts around, there’s been plenty of indie snobbery di- Then in 2010, things took a dramatic but Williams still communicates openly rected at Paramore. But even if you aren’t turn in Paramore world; two of its found- with her fans on the Web; she’s more than a fan of her music, Williams deserves your ing members (one of whom was Williams’ willing to let them see behind the curtain attention because, unlike any female pop ex-boyfriend) left the group. An open let- of her stardom. Posting a pic to her Ins- idol in recent memory, she is leading her ter they posted to the Web soon afterward tagram account in which a magazine had young followers right into the mouth of was ultraspecific about the reasons for mocked one of her outfits, she joked, “Get- feminism. She’s spoken out about sexism the split: the departing members stated ting a fashion ‘don’t’ credit is like winning and misogyny in the music industry; sup- they’d left in part because the direction grand supreme to me. Thank you for ac- ports Love146, a charity that fights sex Paramore was headed in conflicted with knowledging my indifference to all your trafficking; and instructed her blog’s fol- their Christian beliefs and partly because expectations of me.” The ’gram got more lowers to read Girls to the Front, Sara Mar- they were sick of “riding on the coattails of than 55,000 “likes” from her followers. cus’ riot grrrl history book. And one more ‘Hayley’s dream.’” But while those former That, too, is an important aspect of Wil- thing: she actually says she’s a feminist. band members might not agree, let’s be liams’ place in pop culture: her fans don’t Williams started chasing her musical frank—Paramore owes more than a little just follow her, they idolize her. In count- dreams in 2002, when she moved from her of its success to Williams’ abilities. To less glowing posts on tribute Web sites, hometown in Mississippi to Franklin, TN, wit: when I ask a friend if she knows of the they call her “fierce and dynamic,” their and started taking voice lessons in nearby band, she responds immediately, “Is that hero, a goddess, their “biggest inspiration,” Nashville. She was signed to Atlantic Re- the one with the really awesome lady lead and, of course, their role model. cords in 2003, at a jaw-dropping age 14. singer?” The departure of the two mem- With so much attention directed at But instead of becoming the pop diva her bers certainly didn’t destroy the group; in Williams, we were flattered and surprised managers had imagined, she insisted that fact, its first album since they left, 2013’s that she was paying attention to BUST, she wanted to front an alternative band. self-titled release, received near-universal Tweeting at us a bunch of times in recent 40 . DEC/JAN 2014 . BUST DRESS: PHILIP ARMSTRONG; SHOES: GIANNICO; JEWELRY: VITA FEDE 41 42 . DEC/JAN 2014 . BUST DRESS: CATHERINE MALANDRINO; BODYSUIT: OYE months. And when she agreed to be on our how I feel on my strongest, best days, all Age.… It’s important for women to band cover, she was so psyched to chat about the time.” But yeah, I absolutely identify together, feel proud and strong, and work feminism and the mag that she specifi- with feminism, and I’m really proud that really hard to be heard. But I would say for cally requested to be interviewed by one of I’m coming up in a generation that is tak- me personally, when someone asks me, our staffers. Our extremely fun, pretense- ing the reins. I certainly wasn’t as smart or “Are you a feminist?” then I’m gonna say free conversation revealed that Williams as driven, nor was I as open and as educat- yes. You know why? ’Cause I’m a girl—why is just a laid-back tomboy who isn’t ca- ed as a lot of young girls that I see coming wouldn’t I be? pable of pretending to be anything she’s up right now; for instance, Rookie mag and not. Though she got, by her own account, the girls behind it, like Tavi [Gevinson]. I I Googled the hell out of you, and the “maybe 10 minutes of sleep” the night think about being her age, and how naïve I level to which people online are ob- before our interview, Williams was com- was to all of the things that she’s really on serving you, analyzing you, and talk- pletely charming throughout. This rock top of and wants to make a difference in. ing about your relationships is insane. star is refreshingly real. But damn, it’s so awesome to be a girl, and As far as teenage girls looking up to it’s so awesome to feel empowered. you, are there things that you want When we heard you liked BUST, we to impress upon them? Do you feel re- were all wondering, “How the hell sponsible for them? does she know about us?” I feel a certain sense of responsibility, First of all, I’m having the same thoughts, just because I know that I have this mi- oh my God. I don’t know how the hell you crophone, and I can say what I feel. I want know who I am, and I’m so excited—nerd- people to feel something that moves them ing out. My grandmother actually bought in our music. And I want, especially the me a subscription for Christmas last young girls who come to our shows, to feel year—we saw [the magazine] at Whole When that it could be them on stage.