Paramore is an American
alternative rock band that formed in
Franklin, Tennessee in 2004 consisting of
Hayley Williams (
lead vocals/
keyboards),
Josh Farro (
lead guitar/
backing vocals),
Jeremy Davis (
bass guitar),
Zac Farro (
drums), and
Taylor York (
rhythm guitar). The group released their debut album
All We Know Is Falling in 2005, second album,
Riot! in 2007, which was certified
platinum in the US and gold in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand.
Brand New Eyes, Paramore's third album, was released on September 29, 2009.
Brand New Eyes is the band's best-selling album.
History
2002–2005: Formation and All We Know Is Falling
In 2002, at the age of 13, vocalist
Hayley Williams moved from her hometown
Meridian, Mississippi to
Franklin, Tennessee where she met brothers
Josh Farro and
Zac Farro while she was attending a private school.
Shortly after arriving, she began taking vocal lessons with
Brett Manning.
However, prior to forming Paramore,
Williams and bassist
Jeremy Davis, along with friend Kimee Read, took part in a
funk cover band called The Factory, while
Josh Farro and
Zac Farro had practiced together after school.
The other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been "edgy about the whole female thing" of having
Williams as vocalist, but, because they were really good friends, she started writing for them, and it eventually worked out.
The band was officially formed by
Josh Farro (
lead guitar/
backing vocals),
Zac Farro (
drums),
Jeremy Davis (
bass guitar) and
Hayley Williams (
lead vocals) in 2004,
with the later addition of
Williams' neighbor
Jason Bynum (
rhythm guitar). According to
Williams, the name "Paramore" came from the maiden name of the mother of one of their first bass players.
Once the group learned the meaning of the homophone
paramour ("secret lover"), they decided to adopt the name, using the
Paramore spelling.
The band's first song written together was "Conspiracy", which was later used on their debut album. Over the following years, Paramore performed at venues outside the greater Nashville area, including the concert festivals
Purple Door and
Warped Tour.
John Janick, CEO and co-founder of the music label
Fueled by Ramen, got a hold of Paramore's demos and went to a
Taste of Chaos performance in
Orlando, Florida to see the band perform live. After a smaller private performance at a warehouse, the band was signed to the label in April 2005.
Paramore traveled back to Orlando, Florida, but shortly after arriving,
Jeremy Davis left the band, citing personal reasons for doing so. The remaining four members of Paramore continued with the album, writing "
All We Know" about his departure, and later deciding to base
All We Know Is Falling around the concept. The album artwork also reflected Paramore's grief as
Williams explains, "The couch on the cover of
All We Know is Falling with no one there and the shadow walking away; it's all about Jeremy leaving us and us feeling like there's an empty space."
Recording had taken three weeks, and promotional material for the album had only featured the four remaining members. Before touring, the band added John Hembree (
bass guitar) to their line up to replace
Jeremy Davis.
During that summer, Paramore was featured on the Shira Girl stage of the 2005 Warped Tour.
After being asked by the band,
Jeremy Davis returned to Paramore after five months apart, replacing Hembree.
was released on July 24, 2005, and reached #30 on the Billboard's Heatseekers Chart. Paramore released "
Pressure" as its first single, with a video directed by
Shane Drake, but the song had failed to place on the charts. The video featured the band performing in a warehouse, eventually getting sprayed with water sprinklers as the storyline of a conflicted couple occurs. In July, "
Emergency" was released as the second single, the video again reuniting the band with director Shane Drake and featuring Hunter Lamb (
rhythm guitar), who replaced Jason Bynum.
The video for "Emergency" showcased Paramore in another performance, this time fixing the members bloody and in worn costumes. The third single, "All We Know", was released with limited airtime, with the video consisting of a collection of live performances and backstage footage.
