REACTION: Ego (?) – Hayley Williams
Added 2025-08-03 11:00:17 +0000 UTCHayley Williams surprise released an album (? we don't know what it is...) on her website, and then as 17 singles on Spotify. Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised. What did you guys think?!
Comments
the MOST underrated AOTY, imo ..........LOVE this album <3 you should think about reacting to Parachute....it came out later with the actual album release.
CaRo!iNe
2025-10-15 08:45:09 +0000 UTCI listen to Whim and could swear Taylor Swift secretly hopped on that track. 😂 If not, Hayley’s voice seriously reflects Taylor’s tone right there at “long after we’re dead”
Ellie Young
2025-09-28 19:06:49 +0000 UTCHayley is christian I’m pretty sure. I think what she is saying in true believer is that she hates these politicians hiding behind her religion and actively doing evil while twisting the religion to fit their own narrative or world view.
Marley Ortiz
2025-08-25 01:31:20 +0000 UTCHayley dated Josh Farro at some point in the beginning but then he turned out to be like a homophobic asshole or something (they come from religious backgrounds) and so Josh and Zac ended up leaving the band after Brand New Eyes and then Zac eventually came back for After Laughter. Since AL it’s been Zac, Taylor, and Hayley. They all grew up together so this is all 25+ year relationships. They’re all basically a really fucked up family. But Josh is def the bad guy in the paramore fandom.
Marley Ortiz
2025-08-25 00:52:13 +0000 UTCdm me if you want the context of True Believer deadass, as a tennessean no one is getting it like I DO.
Haylee Duncan
2025-08-15 18:29:10 +0000 UTC"does she have a religious background??" what non-americans need to understand is that we ARE ALL INDOCTRINATED ESP IN THE SOUTH EAST USA (NASHVILLE, TN) we don't have the privilege of escaping religion like other modernly industrialized countries
Haylee Duncan
2025-08-15 18:26:50 +0000 UTC“True Believer” is very Alanis Morissette coded in “Jagged Little Pill” or something you would hear on the “City of Angels” soundtrack (90’s)-“Uninvited”
Cassandra
2025-08-11 21:32:08 +0000 UTCIs “Discover Channel” a metaphor involving the Movie and game Jumanji “rolling the dice it’s your turn” describing the band breakup and devastation? Hmm
Cassandra
2025-08-11 21:21:05 +0000 UTCi love that you’re reading renee through the react.. as you should 🤣
amandasoul
2025-08-11 18:34:02 +0000 UTCthis is on repeat this week i loveeeee this album
amandasoul
2025-08-11 17:28:01 +0000 UTCBlood bros is so beautiful.. it's the album closer in my personal playlist.. it reminds me of "From the Dining Table" , the last song on Harry Styles debut album...
VK
2025-08-10 17:53:52 +0000 UTCResubbed just to listen to this reaction. Im back snake nationnnn
BrieAnna Older
2025-08-09 23:59:47 +0000 UTCI love this album. It’s so layered.
Christina Ingham
2025-08-07 13:00:05 +0000 UTCwell yes!! I just made my tracklist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3mi8S1zFLIyrMEs6q5133X?si=dd08aa4d95374a8b
Zachary Hourihane
2025-08-07 05:23:53 +0000 UTCBill Lee’s family too. It’s the ultimate “new Nashville” diss track. The official visualizer on YouTube is the Nashville skyline. The Muse was turned into a Domino’s. Drives home the Southern Gotham reference.
caroline
2025-08-06 22:20:11 +0000 UTCthis record is SOOOOOOO interesting!!! it’s in different areas
Natalia
2025-08-06 20:03:20 +0000 UTCthis album is life changing
Matthew Baker
2025-08-06 07:25:23 +0000 UTCYes, True Believer is definitely about the South (and MAGA really.) Gift shops in the lobby referencing the mega churches. Chainlink fences to block the homeless from sleeping under bridges. Republican Reps Massie and Boebert posted Christmas photos where their whole family had large guns around the Christmas tree. White Jesus. Strange Fruit reference from Billie Holiday. Pointing out the hypocrisy of “Christians” saying they aren’t True Believers. And I feel like the chorus is her saying they are dead to her but she still loves their ghosts and tries to change their actions.
Erin
2025-08-06 03:34:59 +0000 UTCDon’t like space music?? Down bad catching strays. And Lana!
LH
2025-08-06 00:55:39 +0000 UTCConsidering the whole point of the rollout is to let the fans order the album and its story— I’d love it if you come up with your track list in your review!
Ian Munoz
2025-08-05 18:01:01 +0000 UTCOh I hope this is true. I have been playing these singles to death and am praying for a physical release
JWJo
2025-08-05 17:39:12 +0000 UTCLMAO
Syd
2025-08-05 17:20:05 +0000 UTCI personally am HERE for the solo Hayley work.
Syd
2025-08-05 17:16:20 +0000 UTCI lovvvvveeeeee Paramore, but their last album was not hitting for me. Hearing this I was like DAMN SHE’S BACK.
Chelsea
2025-08-05 12:52:48 +0000 UTCThe ominous discovery channel is such a fascinating use of sample taking a silly song and making it fucked up. Awesome work Hayley, honestly your band may have been holding you back. I never was really even into paramore for the most part but this was great!
Lance
2025-08-05 07:10:05 +0000 UTCThis is like Hayley’s TTPD kinda
kt
2025-08-05 03:57:35 +0000 UTCshe's such an interesting artist she rocked me with this release
hayleywilliamsmademegay
2025-08-04 22:41:14 +0000 UTCthe twenty something years go we started playing a little game line is a refrence from the movie Jumanji also twenty years ago is when their debut album came out. could also be refrence the fact that band started over 20 years go
Jessica Naylor
2025-08-04 19:11:38 +0000 UTCHayley married Chad Gilbert from new found glory in 2016 they got divorced in 2017
Jessica Naylor
2025-08-04 18:28:46 +0000 UTCprobably a deep cut but would love to hear ur reaction to Indy's EP (lorde's little sister)
cami
2025-08-04 18:14:48 +0000 UTCLoving the reaction, but just to be very clear, Paramore is still a band. Hayley loves that band, it’s her favorite band ever. I highly doubt they’re going anywhere.
Brody Thrash
2025-08-04 13:07:58 +0000 UTCI’ve been obsessed with Kill Me since it was the first song I played on her website last week. The family trauma, oldest daughter responsibilities…
Jules
2025-08-04 07:59:46 +0000 UTCThis is just what I needed. So refreshingly beautiful and real.
Anastasia Riddle
2025-08-04 04:17:00 +0000 UTCI just wanna say, fuck all of these internet trolls who are hatting on you for an opinion and I hope you know that normal people who actually have jobs know that it is never that serious.
Fantasia
2025-08-04 03:57:06 +0000 UTCI could do a whole essay about true believer, especially having lived in the south my entire life. The “strange fruit” (a song that should really be taught in schools) reference to billie holiday’s song is a whole deep dive in of itself like this song goes CRAZY. Also Southern gotham being a play on Southern Gothic and how the south kinda is a bit like Gotham City from Batman is also crazy
AtleyLovust
2025-08-04 03:28:34 +0000 UTCPhoebe says “I have everything I wanted” at the end ‘garden song’ in a very sad way - which I think is what Zach was referring to : )
Bella
2025-08-04 02:45:35 +0000 UTCApparently she’s getting fans to make up a tracklist for a physical release by getting them to send her playlists (i made one based off how it was ordered on the website) I would be so interested to see your take on what the tracklist should be.
AtleyLovust
2025-08-04 02:34:28 +0000 UTCwell YESSSSS
Zachary Hourihane
2025-08-04 02:29:32 +0000 UTCI feel like this project and Halsey’s Great Impersonator are linked in some way. The lyricism on “discovery channel” kind of reminds me of songs like “Darwinism” and “dog years” I don’t know I feel like I’m on to something.
tea with GRIFFON
2025-08-04 01:15:14 +0000 UTCSame I was crying 🤣
Kaya Gibbs
2025-08-04 01:09:52 +0000 UTCHayley is the goat! These other girls better be happy that she doesn't want to be uber famous because if she wanted to she could rule the world. What an icon.
Kaya Gibbs
2025-08-04 00:08:42 +0000 UTCrip paramore but hayley casually dropping an aoty contender offsets that
rit
2025-08-03 23:56:27 +0000 UTC“is lana there” made me laugh so hard 😭
Ryan Johnson
2025-08-03 22:16:57 +0000 UTCAbsolute creative smash, I’m so here for this 🙌🏼
Shannon
2025-08-03 21:46:28 +0000 UTCAnyone familiar with Blondeshell? Sounds sooo similar
Shannon
2025-08-03 21:45:21 +0000 UTCQuoting Billie and calling it phoebe made me chuckle
Juliana McKenna
2025-08-03 21:37:35 +0000 UTCwow this was really needed after the last reaction😭
Ryan Johnson
2025-08-03 21:30:00 +0000 UTCI think this album is SOOO GOOOD apart from 1 or 2 songs I'm waiting to move me and I thought I would only like a few songs. I am happily shocked!!!
Riley FG
2025-08-03 17:27:32 +0000 UTCNot Hayley Williams taking the same antidepressants as me 💅🏻 ...Also, yes it makes you really hungry and really sleepy 😅
Emma Wells
2025-08-03 17:25:19 +0000 UTCI wish you liked Mirtazapine more!
COLBY DEPTULA
2025-08-03 17:15:47 +0000 UTCOh! The way you clocked Discovery Channel. Best reaction. This is why I sub 🫶🏻
Ally ❤️
2025-08-03 17:02:20 +0000 UTCI’d love to know what she wanted for a track list. When I found the singles on Spotify/Apple, they were just in alphabetical order. I would love your thoughts on a track list that makes sense, Zack.
Ally ❤️
2025-08-03 16:26:30 +0000 UTClol relationship lore rivals Fleetwood Mac 😂 https://www.google.com/search?q=hayley+williams+relationship+lore&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari
Ally ❤️
2025-08-03 16:15:28 +0000 UTCTaylor (her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend?) isn’t one of the brothers who were in the band, but he is one of the original members along with the brothers. One of the Farro brothers (Josh) left the band in 2009/2010 over a number of issues, including feeling like the guys were being treated like Hayley’s backing band and not equal members. The straw that broke the camel’s back seemed to be that Josh took issue with Hayley’s lyric in Careful “the truth never set me free so I did it myself” — he thought it was anti-Christian. Zac left the band then too in solidarity with his brother, but later returned in 2016 and the brothers have been distant ever since (not just over band-related stuff… Josh is openly homophobic). But the other tea is that Hayley and Josh Farro were high school sweethearts who broke up in 2007, but Hayley always kinda still held a torch for him. Supposedly “Speak Now” is about when Josh Farro was getting ready to marry his now wife in 2010 and everyone felt like she was this horrible girl because she was isolating him from his friends and family. Taylor supposedly asked Hayley if she would stand up at the wedding when the minister says “speak now or forever hold your peace” and that was the inspiration for the song.
Erin S
2025-08-03 16:12:18 +0000 UTCI really admired this release by Hayley - surprise drops are always so fun and she really made a splash! Love the music too.
Ally ❤️
2025-08-03 16:11:44 +0000 UTCthe this is why whackings is making my stomach hurtjejsjdksksj i need to know your paramore album ranking now pleaseeee 😂
Jomazel
2025-08-03 15:55:56 +0000 UTCi'm not even finished watching the reaction yet im seriously being #moved in ways music hasn't moved me in a while... we are so back... welcome back INTERESTING music!!!!!!!
jam
2025-08-03 15:16:29 +0000 UTCthe swiftie hivemind is so strong bc i also thought about joever during disappearing man and then you mentioned so long london LOL... the lyric "depth you would never share with me and i tried to make it to the bottom" etc reminded me of how taylor would write about joe....... "i had no choice but to surface and surrender" THESE DIVAS... FREE YOURSELVES!
jam
2025-08-03 15:15:05 +0000 UTCWe need Madeline’s reaction to this also!!
Klara Ipek
2025-08-03 14:39:50 +0000 UTCZach pleeeeease react to her album Flowers for Vases. The writing is next level 😭 I just know you’d gag
Abby
2025-08-03 14:14:53 +0000 UTCYAY!!!! been waiting for this i was super curious on how you’d swing with this :D also the new angle/camera quality is so good!!! you look great!!!
Jomazel
2025-08-03 14:00:11 +0000 UTCCRICKET
Zachary Hourihane
2025-08-03 13:58:43 +0000 UTC“I don’t like songs about space” he says with a UFO on his shirt and a history of saying Down Bad should’ve been the lead single 😂
Elle Kaye
2025-08-03 13:16:00 +0000 UTCWatching you healing from listening to Renee Rapp was beautiful
Aaron
2025-08-03 12:49:40 +0000 UTCThis is sooooooooo good
Jaki Cooks
2025-08-03 12:40:52 +0000 UTCThe tea on the Faro brothers is that Josh was a vile lil homophobe and got kicked out the band but he tried to say it was ✨creative differences that didn’t align with his Christian beliefs✨
Lucy ✨
2025-08-03 12:11:25 +0000 UTCOh no, not haley williams referencing the bloodhound gang 😅😅
maryna
2025-08-03 11:50:35 +0000 UTCThe musical arrangement in Love Me Different sounds like Bejeweled, but slower 😃
maryna
2025-08-03 11:33:56 +0000 UTCYES thank you!!!! I’m seatedddd
lisam
2025-08-03 11:33:45 +0000 UTCOmg that song „True Believer“ slaps so crazy
JJ
2025-08-03 11:26:30 +0000 UTCfirst song and i’m already like WOW
Evie Eleanor🐍
2025-08-03 11:10:39 +0000 UTCI did it for the Robert nation
Zachary Hourihane
2025-08-03 11:07:40 +0000 UTCImmediately seated
Robert O'Mahony
2025-08-03 11:02:25 +0000 UTC
