The singer and songwriter Hayley Williams was born in Mississippi in 1988. She signed her first music deal aged 14, shortly after moving to Tennessee, and went on to form the pop-punk band Paramore. The band have released five albums with Williams as lead vocalist and keyboard player, beginning in 2005 with All We Know Is Falling. In 2015, they won a Grammy for the song Ain’t It Fun. Williams, who now lives in Nashville, also performs solo and has released two albums since 2020. Paramore’s latest album, This Is Why, is released on 10 February; their UK tour begins in Cardiff on 15 April.
1. Music
There’s a lot of really great punk music coming out of the UK that’s youthful and vibrant. I’m particularly excited about Shame, who have a new album [Food for Worms] coming out this month. When you listen to them, you really enter into their world, their headspace, and I love that. Their last album, from 2021, was called Drunk Tank Pink – my favourite song on that record is Human, for a Minute. I’m so stoked to see what they do next. And I hope we get to play shows with them.
2. App/podcast
Astrology of the Week Ahead with Chani Nicholas
Having grown up in a religious community, I find myself as an adult trying to figure out what I believe in and looking for structure in more mystical and spiritual things. So I downloaded this app, which is based in astrology. It contains a weekly podcast where [Canadian astrologer] Chani Nicholas talks about planetary positions for the week, what those patterns have historically meant, and how you might view them in your own life. Listening to it has become a ritual for me: it’s thought-provoking, and I think Chani is brilliant and inspiring.
3. Film
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (dir Rian Johnson)
I love a murder mystery and this was such a fun film with an incredible cast. And it takes the piss out of the uber-rich, which is fun too. We toured a bit with Janelle Monáe back in 2009 and I was like, “Oh my God, this woman is a star,” but I never would have guessed that she would cross over into film. And she just stole the whole show, along with Daniel Craig as the detective. Every time I thought I was having an “aha” moment, the story would twist a little bit.
4. Style
Japanese hairdressers on Instagram
I’ve always enjoyed expressing myself through hair colour and styles – it gives me a creative release that I don’t get from music. I’m obsessed with Japanese hairdressers on Instagram, such as @Mitsuki_Jurk. You can guarantee that what they’re doing in Japan today will be a thing in America two years later. A natural colour within a layer of faded neon green. Or different colours that look watercoloured. I like when someone appears as though they fell into a bowl of hair dye and then just got up and walked away.
5. Drink
Seedlip
The non-alcoholic drinks industry seems to be bursting at the seams, as people become more aware of what we put into our bodies. Seedlip is my favourite. You can create amazing cocktails, or just drink it neat or over ice. A lot of my friends would rather drink something with CBD and nootropics in it, to take the edge off of your anxiety but not make you drunk. I’m not against drinking, I really enjoy a Guinness and a whisky – heavy, hard drinks. But I’m enjoying trying these drinks out.
6. Puzzles
Relax and Solve Word Search by Brain Games
I’m trying to spend more time off my phone, so recently I’ve been doing very nerdy word search books. My friend sent me this one for my birthday. It’s got interesting themes. One page is Los Angeles neighbourhoods, another is Radiohead songs and album titles, or it might be artists that have had No 1 hits. I’ve spent most nights these past three weeks finishing this one book and I really loved it.
