Paramore’s Hayley Williams urges fans to vote

Hayley Williams, front woman for Paramore, has called for people to vote in November and in particularly has asked them not to vote for Donald Trump.

During the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Friday (September 20), Paramore delivered a important message to voters before launching into their song ‘Big Man, Little Integrity’, which felt pointed.

She said: “Project 2025 is Donald Trump’s playbook for the controlling and punishing of women, poor people, people of colour, and the LGBTQ+ community. It is time for all Americans to band together and to finally defeat the Trump agenda. And the only way to do that is by confronting him at the polls.”

“Do you want to live in a dictatorship? Well, show up and vote!”

Project 2025 refers to an initiative that outlines plans for conservative policies they want implemented should Trump win a second presidency – many of which are anti-LGBTQ+ policies. It was created by several Trump supporters and even former staff members under his first term but he has said he does not endorse the enterprise.

Williams’ comments come after her friend and fellow artist Taylor Swift, for whom Paramore opened for during The Eras Tour in Europe, endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris for presidency via Instagram.

This is not the first time Williams has been vocal about her politics, using her platform to advocate for anti-racism and the LGBTQ+ community. In 2023, she shared an Instagram post criticising two bills passed in Tennessee – her home state – that targeted drag artists and gender-affirming care.

She said: “Drag is not a crime. Gender-affirming health care for all, including our youth, is a necessity. Once again our state has passed two regressive and unfathomably harmful bills. We stand in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ family and local LGBTQIA+ orgs in this fight, not only for inclusion for our friends & family in the queer community, but for radical acceptance and empowerment for each of them.”

Williams also previously said “F*** Ron DeSantis” while on stage, referring to the Florida Governor who has implemented several policies that target the LGBTQ+ community and told fans that if they voted for DeSantis, they would be dead to her

In 2022, Williams payed tribute to the “young girls, queer kids, and anybody of colour” who helped changed the pop-punk scene since Paramore was formed in 2004, and in 2020, she passionately affirmed her support for the LGBTQ+ community and said that the band stands firmly against homophobia.

Williams suggested that the band’s stance might be a reason why previous members of Paramore left the group and condemned the “religiously/politically dogmatic beliefs which leave our LGBTQ+ friends, fans, and family feeling abandoned and hopeless”.

Her statement came after homophobic comments were made online by former Paramore guitarist Josh Farro, who left the band in 2010, where he referred to homosexuality as “a perversion” and equated it to paedophillia.

Farro’s brother Zac also left the band in 2010 but has since rejoined and remains a member of Paramore.