Paramore’s First Post-Split Interview

In mid-December Paramore announced that guitarist Josh Farro and drummer Zac Farro were no longer in the band. The Farro brothers helped found the pop punk band in 2004 along with lead singer Hayley Williams and bassist Jeremy Davis.

In a statement the band assured fans that had no plans to break up the band and said they supported the guitarist and drummer “finding happiness elsewhere.”

The Farro brothers quickly released a statement of their own that wasn’t so happy. The statement pointed a finger at Williams for getting more attention than the rest of the band, claiming that “what started as natural somehow morphed into a manufactured product of a major label, riding on the coattails of ‘Hayley’s dream.’”

MTV will air Paramore’s first interview since the split in a special called “Paramore: The Last Word.”

In a clip from the interview, Williams says that she was not happy to wake up to the news of the Farro brothers’ statement, noting that “it hurts.”

The singer explained that while she had known the brothers weren’t happy she was surprised to hear the reasons behind the musicians’ departure.

“I was very surprised. And just kind of felt led on almost. We’ve been doing this for six, seven years now. I don’t think any of this has been in vain for any of us. We’ve loved every second that we’ve spent on stage. All the meet and greets, the things that we’ve gotten to do with our fans. That’s the stuff that we’ve built and worked really hard for. And I don’t think anyone should discredit it.”

MTV promises the special will feature “in-depth analysis of the band’s future, real-time discussion with their biggest fans and exclusive footage of the band, past and present.”

“Paramore: The Last Word” airs Jan. 7 on MTV.com at 4 p.m. EST.

In a tweet late last week singer Hayley Williams confirmed that Justin York and Josh Freese would be joining the band on the road for its South American tour.
York, who formerly played with Christian rock band Tait, will take over on guitar. He is the brother of Paramore guitarist Taylor York. Freese will handle the drums.

Williams clarified that York and Freese are not permanent members.

The tour kicks off Feb. 16 at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil.

Click here for MTV’s website.