Few people to have joined a major band have been put under as immediate and intense pressure as Emily Armstrong. Previously known as the frontwoman of LA alt rockers Dead Sara, her profile skyrocketed in 2024 when she became the new singer of Linkin Park, replacing the beloved and uniquely talented Chester Bennington following his tragic death seven years earlier.
Her introduction to Linkin Park fans was dramatic, making her debut at the band's first live show since 2017 in front of a few hundred spectators at a special show in LA. Arriving on stage to join Mike Shinoda to sing Linkin Park's new single The Emptiness Machine, she went on to crush fan favourites like Crawling, Numb and What I've Done, marking herself out as a brilliant choice to fill some particularly daunting shoes.
As it happens, it wasn't just her vocal skills that showed she was the right person for the job: Emily is also a longtime Linkin Park fan, and knows exactly what it means to be immersed in their ecosystem.
Speaking to Zach Sang in 2024, Emily discussed her love of Linkin Park's history making debut album Hybrid Theory. Released in October 2000, it didn't just announce Linkin Park to the world; it signalled a sea change in the metal scene as the nu metal movement took over.
Like many millennial rock fans, Emily was but a preteen mosher when Hybrid Theory dropped, and the album had a profound impact on her.
"One Step Closer was everything [to me]," she explained. "That scream - or not scream, but the 'Shut up when I'm talking to you!' That was like, 'Oh my god. I've found my motto, my angst.' I was maybe 12, and I was like, 'This is it. This is ****ing it.'
"And then of course, I was so obsessed with that album. I was starting a band at the time and I was like, 'This is what I wanna do. This is how I wanna sing.' If he could sing and scream, it was like, 'Yeah, cool!' I didn't realise until later that a lot of people can do that!"
Emily has barely paused for breath since joining Linkin Park; since the release of their comeback album From Zero in 2024, the band have been touring the world, hitting Australia this week before hopping over to New Zealand, and then Europe in the Summer, including a headline set at this year's Download in June.
