Mike Shinoda says criticism to Linkin Park vocalist Emily Armstrong was because “she wasn’t a guy”
Linkin Park‘s Mike Shinoda has claimed Emily Armstrong was criticised for joining the band because “she wasn’t a guy”.
The nu-metal icons have enjoyed a memorable summer so far, as they continue to ride the wave of their chart-topping comeback album From Zero. In addition to headlining a host of huge festivals and performing at the UEFA Champions League Final, Linkin Park also played the biggest show of their career at Wembley Stadium in London.
The last 12 months have again made Linkin Park one of the biggest bands in the world. However, when Armstrong was announced as their new vocalist, many criticised their decision to return with the former Dead Sara member.
The critics included the family of their former singer, Chester Bennington, who died in 2017. Bennington’s mother, Susan Eubanks, said she felt “betrayed” by the group, and his son, Jaime, claimed, “I don’t think I feel safe going to the show under general admission because I don’t know who I’m around” due to Armstrong’s alleged links to the Church of Scientology.
Now, in a new interview with The Guardian, Shinoda said: “There were people who lashed out at Emily and it was really because she wasn’t a guy.”
Elaborating on his comment, Shinoda claimed that fans are “used to Linkin Park being six guys and the voice of a guy leading this song. They were just so uncomfortable with what it was that they chose a ton of things to complain about. They’re pointing in 10 different directions saying: ‘This is why I’m mad, this is why the band sucks.”
In the same interview, Armstrong revealed that she was not prepared for the level of criticism that came in her direction, stating, “Not this. No, not this”. She added: “I was a little bit naive about it, to be honest.”
Armstrong was also criticised for her support of Danny Masterson, who has since been convicted of rape, who she publicly denounced in a statement last September, writing, “To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes.”
Linkin Park’s tour resumes at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on July 29th.
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