Linkin Park isn’t “Numb” to the backlash in opposition to new singer Emily Armstrong.
In a brand new interview with The Guardian, Mike Shinoda defined why he thinks a part of the the band’s fanbase was outraged over Armstrong, 39, becoming a member of the group seven years after lead singer Chester Bennington’s demise.
“There were people who lashed out at Emily, and it was really because she wasn’t a guy,” Shinoda, 48, said.
The guitarist claimed that critics had been “used to Linkin Park being six guys” with “the voice of a guy leading this song” and haven’t tailored to the band’s new iteration.
“They were just so uncomfortable with what it was that they chose a ton of things to complain about,” Shinoda defined. “They’re pointing in 10 different directions saying: ‘This is why I’m mad, this is why the band sucks.’”
Armstrong — additionally the lead singer of the rock band Lifeless Sara — joined Linkin Park final 12 months because the group reunited for the continued From Zero World Tour.
The singer acquired backlash partially because of her connection to Scientology and her help of actor and Scientologist Danny Masterson earlier than he was convicted of rape in 2023.
“Several years ago, I was asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance, and went to one early hearing as an observer,” she wrote in a social media assertion in Sept. 2024.
“Soon after, I realized I shouldn’t have,” Armstrong added. “I always try to see the good in people, and I misjudged him. I have never spoken with him since. Unimaginable details emerged, and he was later found guilty.”
Armstrong advised The Guardian that she wasn’t ready for the damaging public response to her becoming a member of Linkin Park.
“Not this. No, not this. I was a little bit naive about it, to be honest,” Armstrong stated, including that she used to keep away from social media “for mental-health purposes.”
“If there was something really, really pressing, I think our PR would talk to us about it,” she shared. “But I’m old enough to know the difference between real life and the internet.”
Amidst Linkin Park’s tour, Shinoda stated there are some songs that he’d “feel weird playing” together with “One More Light” from the band’s last album with Bennington.
Shinoda famous the tune was initially written “for a woman at the label that we worked with who passed away. Then after Chester passed, the world decided that it was about him. And so that’s just too sad to play.”
Bennington tragically died in 2017 by suicide. He was 41.
His 29-year-old son, Jaime Bennington, slammed Linkin Park for including Armstrong to its lineup final 12 months.
Jaime claimed Shinoda had “quietly erased my father’s life and legacy in real time … during international suicide prevention month.”
He additionally introduced up Armstrong’s Scientology connection and stated the band “failed to address the concerns of their diverse fan base.”
