Hayley Williams

Williams was married to New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert from 2016 until their divorce was finalized in 2017. Their relationship influenced her song "Dead Horse" from Petals for Armor. In September 2022, Williams confirmed that she was in a relationship with her Paramore bandmate Taylor York.

Williams has spoken publicly about depression and said that mental-health struggles led her to briefly leave Paramore in 2015. She revealed that she had been diagnosed with PTSD in 2018 and discussed generational trauma and therapy in later interviews.

After moving from Meridian, Mississippi, to Franklin, Tennessee, Williams met Josh Farro and Zac Farro at school and Jeremy Davis through a local funk cover band called The Factory. She began taking vocal lessons with Brett Manning and formed Paramore after rejecting a plan for her to become a solo pop singer. The band released All We Know Is Falling in 2005, when Williams was 16.

Paramore's subsequent albums included Riot! (2007), Brand New Eyes (2009), Paramore (2013), After Laughter (2017), and This Is Why (2023). Taylor York became an official member in 2009, while Zac Farro later returned to the group after leaving with Josh Farro in 2010. Williams is the only member to appear on all six of Paramore's studio albums.

The band's 2013 self-titled album marked a shift toward new wave, pop, and R&B influences. "Still Into You" and "Ain't It Fun" became major hits, with "Ain't It Fun" earning Williams and York the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. Paramore later won the 2024 Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Best Alternative Music Performance for This Is Why and its title track.

Williams wrote and recorded "Teenagers" for the soundtrack of Jennifer's Body in 2009. Her 2010 feature on B.o.B's "Airplanes" reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, while her collaboration with Zedd on "Stay the Night" reached No. 18. She also appeared on "Airplanes, Part II," which added a guest verse from Eminem and received a Grammy nomination.

Her solo career began with the extended plays Petals for Armor I and Petals for Armor II, followed by the album Petals for Armor in 2020. She released Flowers for Vases / Descansos in 2021 and Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party in 2025. The latter earned three Grammy nominations.

Williams has also collaborated with Weezer, CHVRCHES, American Football, Moses Sumney, Turnstile, David Byrne, and Taylor Swift. She featured on Swift's "Castles Crumbling" from Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and performed the song with Swift during a 2024 London date of the Eras Tour.

In 2016, Williams launched the hair-dye company Good Dye Young with her hair and makeup artist Brian O'Connor. The company developed vegan and cruelty-free dyes in colors including orange, pink, blue, yellow, red, purple, green, teal, and black. It later introduced the temporary Poser Paste line and the semi-permanent Lighter Daze pastel range.

Williams also hosted the online beauty and music series Kiss-Off in 2015 and the emo-history podcast Everything Is Emo in 2022. In 2014, she received the inaugural Trailblazer Award at Billboard's Women in Music event.