Paramore's Hayley Williams Explains Why She Doesn't Play Guitar on Stage Anymore

Hayley Williams is opening up about the misogynistic comments she has to deal with.

Ahead of the release of Paramore‘s upcoming sixth studio album This is Why, the 34-year-old lead singer explained why she doesn’t play guitar on stage anymore.

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While speaking on Spotify’s Face to Face podcast, Hayley said she stopped playing guitar during live performances because of all of the sexist and misogynistic comments trolls say about her.

“Like, ‘Oh she’s holding that guitar but she’s not actually playing it.’” Hayley shared. “When, for example, 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 like, ‘Girls shouldn’t play guitar, women shouldn’t play guitar,’ and it’s just — it’s so dated but it’s still there! And I just hate it so much and it’s so frustrating.”

“I know those people so well, and I don’t even play guitar onstage,” Hayley continued. “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 added. “I don’t really think about my gender at all, when we play 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?”

If you missed it, Hayley recently had to stop a Paramore concert during the middle of a performance. Here’s why.