Paramore’s Hayley Williams says she doesn’t “dare” play guitar on stage due to sexist comments

Paramore‘s Hayley Williams has discussed sexism in music with Wet Leg, saying she doesn’t “dare” play guitar on stage due to sexist comments.

• READ MORE: How Paramore became a vital band for the Black rock community

The artists were speaking to each other for a new podcast from The Face, when they discussed the higher bars set for female musicians in guitar-led spaces.

Wet Leg vocalist Rhian Teasdale said: “I think for us one of the hardest or most irritating things about being women is probably just the stupid comments on the internet like, ‘Oh she’s holding that guitar but she’s not actually playing it’.

She continued: “Like, for example, when I am just not using my guitar but then I need to play it in the chorus or something, there will always be a comment being like, ‘Girls shouldn’t play guitar, women shouldn’t play guitar,’ and it’s just like… it’s so dated but it’s still there! And I just hate it so much. It’s so frustrating.”

Williams added: “I know those people so well, and I don’t even play guitar on stage. I don’t even dare, because I love to play guitar but I don’t know if I could handle… man. I feel you so hard.

“I just hate that people even need to point it out,” she said. “I don’t even really think about my gender at all, when we play the music especially. It’s just not part of the picture. I’m trying to lean into femininity and empower that part of myself more in this era of my career, but do you ever get on stage and feel ‘other’? You feel like this alien thing that’s powerful and beautiful.”

Wet Leg’s Hester Chambers responded: “It’s a scary thing to be confronted with. When it’s just us being ourselves in a room, I’m not thinking about it at all. But as soon as you have a gig and an audience, you become a bit hyper-aware.”

Listen to the full podcast below.

Williams will release her new album with Paramore, ‘This Is Why’, in February. So far, it’s been previewed by its title track and new single ‘The News’.

After completing an intimate comeback tour of North America recently, the band have announced details of a huge 2023 North American tour with Bloc Party and Foals in support – see the dates below and buy tickets here.

After taking the album on a UK and Ireland headline tour (also with Bloc Party) in April, the band will return to the States and Canada from late May, with the new tour running through until early August. Alongside Bloc Party and Foals, support on select dates of the tour will come from Genesis Owusu and The Linda Lindas.

See their full touring schedule below.

APRIL 2023
13 – Dublin, 3Arena
15 – Cardiff, International Arena
17 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
18 – Manchester, AO Arena
20 – London, O2 Arena
22 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena 

MAY 2023
23 – Charlotte, NC, Spectrum Center (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)
25 – Atlanta, GA, State Farm Arena (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)
27 – Atlantic City, NJ, Adjacent Festival
30 – New York, NY, Madison Square Garden (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)

JUNE 2023
02 – Washington, DC, Capital One Arena (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)
04 – Cleveland, OH, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)
05 – Indianapolis, IN, Gainbridge Fieldhouse (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)
07 – Detroit, MI, Little Caesars Arena (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)
08 – Toronto, ON, Scotiabank Arena (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)
10 – Columbus, OH, Schottenstein Arena (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)
11 – Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paint Arena (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)
13 – Orlando, FL, Amway Center (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)
14 – Hollywood, FL, Hard Rock Live (with Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu)

JULY 2023
06 – New Orleans, LA, Smoothie King Center (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)
08 – Fort Worth, TX, Dickies Arena (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)
09 – Austin, TX, Moody Center (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)
11 – Houston, TX, Toyota Center (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)
13 – Denver, CO, Ball Arena (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)
16 – San Diego, CA, Viejas Arena (with Foals)
19 – Los Angeles, CA, Kia Forum (with Foals)
22 – San Francisco, CA, Chase Center (with Foals)
24 – Seattle, WA, Climate Pledge Arena (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)
25 – Portland, OR, Veterans Memorial Coliseum (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)
27 – Salt Lake City, UT, Vivint Arena (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)
29 – Tulsa, OK, BOK Center (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)
30 – St Louis, MO, Enterprise Center (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)

AUGUST 2023
02 – St. Paul, MN, Xcel Energy Center (with Foals and The Linda Lindas)

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