US rock band Paramore started out playing together as teenagers and late last year released their third album - Brand New Eyes - which went to number one in the UK. The band, which is made up of five members, are about to release their third single from the album, The Only Exception. Singer Hayley Williams discusses what it is like being the only girl in the band and how Brand New Eyes helped prevent them from splitting up.

Hayley, how would you describe Paramore's music? I never really know how to classify us because some people might want to call us a pop band, some would call us a rock or punk band. We don't really care what we're called. Some fans compare your music to the style of emo, would you agree with that? With me being a girl singing about the types of things I sing about, like relationships, a lot of people found it a bit angsty at times, so we were kind of pigeon holed. But we're on our third record now and I think you can't really call our music emo. Besides I don't think that people know what emo means anymore. To me what emo means is emotional punk music. I would never be ashamed of being caught up with something like that, but it seems like a bit of a fad now. I'm hoping with all my heart that we've broken out of that now. It doesn't really matter, as long as people enjoy the music for what it is. You're 21-years-old, how has it been growing up in the public eye? It can be hard, I started when I was 16 and I'm the only girl in the band. Sometimes it gets lonely on the road and sometimes you just don't care at all. But, looking back now, I would say whatever hard times we had, it's been made that much better and that much easier by the fact I get to play music every night. Are you one of the boys? Hayley Williams recalls her most embarrassing moment on stage At this point I'm somewhere in between. I've grown up being a bit of a tom boy and I never really had quite as many girlfriends as I did boys, it's just easier for me to be myself around a bunch of guys, especially our band we're all like family, they're like my brothers. We all respect each other and they do still treat me like a girl but I am just one of the guys too. It must be hard not to have girlfriends around you? I know when I need my alone time, and I guess it can go for everyone - even if you're not a girl - there are times when you just overwhelmed and you just want you own space. For me especially, I'm the sort of person who needs that anyway. No matter what time of day it is I just like having space to hear myself think. The album went to number one in the UK in October, how did it differ from your other records? This one is much darker and much more focused. The whole thing is about our band and our friendships. We've been through a lot of things together, it's normal life but the problems are intensified by the fact a million people are watching you go through all this. I needed to get a lot of things off my chest. So I think it wasn't for this album, I'm not really sure where we would be. Finally we've been able to piece ourselves together. So you think without the album, the band would have split? Most certainly yes. It was really just little trivial nonsense that happens on a daily basis that builds up and the next thing you know, you end up having a massive fight and you end up not talking to one another. The band were on the verge of splitting up Lack of communication is the killer in any relationship. For us as a band we needed that communication. When we were younger I dated one of the guys and that made things more complicated too. So are you going to wait for another bad spell to write the next album? No we're definitely moving on. For our band that's always been the case, we've never really struggled the way that we did over the last two years. And we've never really looked back, once we do something, we're just looking for the next thing. Do you still worry that it could end tomorrow? Yeah of course. Especially in the music business you're never promised anything. Just because your song is on the radio, it doesn't mean the DJ is going to remember you. Everything changes and moves so quickly and we realise that and we're not naive enough to think this will last for forever. We're just enjoying it whilst it lasts and of course we hope to still be going strong in a few years. But for us we never expect it, and the good thing is no matter what happens commercially to the band, that's not why we do it, our fans are why we do it. Has anything embarrassing happened to you on stage? I remember I was 16-years-old and we were on tour, and I'd been out in the sun all day and was hot and sweaty. I had this low-cut top on and I was on stage and I felt something hit my chest and stick. I looked down and it was a condom. I just thought 'are you kidding me?' Somehow I ended up being the butt of that joke and all my friends were laughing at me. Hayley Williams was talking to BBC News entertainment reporter Fiona Pryor. Paramore's The Only Exception is available to buy from 5 April.



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