On Wednesday, Paramore nabbed their first-ever #1 album as their self-titled fourth record knocked Justin Timberlake out of the top spot on the Billboard Top 200.
It was something they had been cautiously optimistic about when we spoke to the band at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards, but now, it’s official: Paramore have the best-selling record in the country. And though she’s had hours to let it all sink in, Hayley Williams was still having a difficult time believing the news.
“This is one of those things that happens in the movies. I feel like we are living out some storyline that I have never imagined would be our own,” she wrote in an email to MTV News. “This is like when I watched the Temptations movie or ‘That Thing You Do’ a million times as a kid … And wished every time that I could be doing that. I never thought it would be us.”
And as if you couldn’t guess, the chart-topping success of Paramore is even sweeter considering everything Williams and Co. have gone through over the past two years … forced to reinvent themselves on the fly, they took plenty of risks on the album, poured their heart and soul into its creation, and now can bask in the satisfaction of knowing all the drama was worth it — and that their fans will truly stick with them through thick and thin.
“For the three of us, it means we did something right!” Williams wrote. “More than that, it means us and our fans gave grown up and we’ve done it together. Now only were weready for something different, but obviously they were ready for it too.
“[Our fans’ support] is truly the most humbling part of the whole deal. On release week, we got to hang with a lot of our long-time fans at Amoeba Records and at a couple different signings both in New York and LA. Some of those people were at some of our very first shows ever,” she continued. “I couldn’t believe how much we’d all grown up. We were reminiscing over old photos and old memories … It’s amazing they’ve stood by us. I know for a fact we wouldn’t have a number one album if it weren’t for how dedicated our fans are. They just made history for us.”
When Paramore officially announced their album late last year, they made no bones about the fact that it represent not only a new direction for the band, but a new “movement,” too. And now that movement has gone into overdrive with a #1 debut … so what are Paramore planning for an encore?
“The sky’s the limit now,” Williams wrote. “We’ll have to see!”
Send congratulations to Paramore in the comments below.
No Comments