Linkin Park has revealed that it has reunited for a brand new tour and music, seven years after the loss of life of longtime frontman Chester Bennington, and has introduced in rocker Emily Armstrong as a co-vocalist.
Armstrong — together with rock producer Colin Brittain, the band’s new drummer — debuted with the band on Thursday throughout a dwell stream showcasing their new single, “The Vacancy Machine,” alongside returning members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, and Joe Hahn.
“It is a very big day for us,” Shinoda instructed the viewers, acknowledging their former bandmate, who died by suicide on the age of 41 in July 2017. “Within the function of Chester Bennington, this afternoon is every of you.
Linkin Park debuts new vocalist, Emily Armstrong. pic.twitter.com/m1AxM24abi
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 6, 2024
The California-based rock band invited Armstrong — additionally the lead singer of Lifeless Sara — to affix the enduring group round September 2023. Armstrong mentioned she consulted along with her Lifeless Sara bandmates, who inspired her to grab the chance earlier than accepting the function.
“I used to be panicking in the easiest way: ‘Is it actual?’ For 3 days no less than, I don’t ever bear in mind touching the bottom,” she instructed Billboard. “After which the whole lot was totally different once I got here again down — understanding my life was going to be totally different, in the easiest way. I got here again to a dreamland.”
As Linkin Park prepares to launch their new album, From Zero, in November 2024, they’re additionally gearing up for a worldwide tour with stops in main cities like Los Angeles, New York, London, and Seoul.
Listed here are 5 issues to learn about their new vocalist, who is about to play a pivotal function within the band’s new period.
Background
Armstrong — who has stored a lot of her private background comparatively personal — grew up in Los Angeles, California, the place she developed a ardour for music at an early age and determined to depart highschool to pursue a profession within the trade.
Earlier than becoming a member of Linkin Park, the 38-year-old was finest referred to as the frontwoman and guitarist for the Los Angeles-based rock band Lifeless Sara. The band, which she co-founded with guitarist Siouxsie Medley in 2005, has launched three studio albums, with their 2012 debut that includes the hit track “Weatherman.”
Musical Fashion and Influences
Armstrong is thought for her deep appreciation of varied musical influences, together with rock, folks, and blues artists from the Sixties and Seventies, which have formed her musical type. She has expressed admiration for artists like Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell, and Nirvana, suggesting that her preferences are as eclectic and wide-ranging as her skilled collaborations.
In an interview with Billboard, Armstrong recalled the affect that Linkin Park’s 2000 album Hybrid Principle had on her.
“I used to be in a band when it got here out,” she remembered. “‘One Step Nearer’ was the track for me, and I used to be similar to, ‘That’s what I wish to do. As a singer, I need to have the ability to scream.’”
“That album was the whole lot — I’ve listened to it a trillion instances. I might skate to it. I might mosh to it.”
Collaborations
Armstrong’s musical journey is marked by high-profile collaborations and notable songwriting credit.
She supplied background vocals for Courtney Love‘s solo album No person’s Daughter and co-wrote songs for Demi Lovato‘s album Holy Fvck.
Controversial Associations
Armstrong’s appointment has not been with out controversy. Some followers have raised issues over her ties to the Church of Scientology and her public help for Danny Masterson, a former Scientologist actor not too long ago convicted of rape.
Emily Armstrong in a Scientology celebration. Im already unhappy pic.twitter.com/iIolAjP8SM
— Dani ⋆⁺₊❅ (@marshmalloweeb) September 6, 2024
Her presence at Masterson’s trial in 2022 and pictures of her attending Scientology occasions have sparked backlash amongst some followers, who fear that this might have an effect on the band’s picture.
New Function in Linkin Park
Armstrong opened up about singing Linkin Park hits that featured Bennington.
“It’s by no means a thought the place it’s like I must make this track my very own,” she mentioned. “It’s like, ‘How do I make this track have the identical affect, as a lot as potential, with my voice?’”
Armstrong defined that she labored arduous to “stick with it the emotion” that the enduring bandmate delivered to the band.
“You must marry the technical half with the emotion. It’s Chester’s voice, and it’s mine, however I need it to nonetheless really feel the way in which I really feel once I take heed to the track, as a result of that’s what the followers love. There’s a ardour to it that I’m hoping I can fill,” Armstrong mentioned.
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