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Hayley Williams Says Paramore Took Break to 'Find Our Identity' Before Triumphant Return

Paramore press photo
Paramore press photo

Zachary Gray

Paramore's Hayley Williams says the pandemic pause her band took over the last few years actually had an upside.

"We all really needed it to find our identity apart from Paramore and all the public projection we get in our life," the singer-songwriter, 33, told Radio 1's Future Sounds with Clara Amfo.

As Paramore returns to performing live for the first time in four years, with new music from an album set to be released in February, Williams said she looks back favorably on the unexpected time off, and told the outlet that it has collectively helped to shape the band's new vision.

"I don't think I would have slowed down, gotten time with my family," she said. "I was glad we were home because we were part of our own community in Nashville, and we got to be a part of it as citizens, as friends, a daughter, a sister and it wasn't really about Paramore."

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However, the "Ain't It Fun" singer did still think about her life as a performer during the "ridiculously tragic time," she said.

RELATED: Paramore's Hayley Williams and Taylor York Confirm They're Dating After Two Years of Romance Rumors

"I thought about the fans, the shows, the whole time we were writing the entire album," she said.

Taylor York and Hayley Williams of Paramore attend the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall
Taylor York and Hayley Williams of Paramore attend the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall

Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage Taylor York and Hayley Williams of Paramore

Also, during the downtime, Williams apparently got close with fellow bandmate Taylor York.

RELATED: Billie Eilish Teams Up with Hayley Williams at Coachella for Surprise 'Misery Business' Duet

In a recent interview with The Guardian to promote their new single "This Is Why" and forthcoming album of the same name, the vocalist and guitarist confirmed they're dating after more than two years of romance rumors.

Williams' 2020 solo album Petals for Armor, produced entirely by York, sparked buzz about the couple. At the time, she told Pitchfork that the track "Crystal Clear," which samples Rusty Williams' "Friends or Lovers," was about "falling in love."

"Falling in love. Emphasis on the falling—because despite my fear, my toughness, or any resistance to vulnerability, I couldn't help falling in love," she explained to the outlet.

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Paramore's sixth studio album, This Is Why, will be released Feb. 10, 2023 via Atlantic Records.