Paramore’s Hayley Williams dedicates ‘Happy Birthday’ to Flea at Austin City Limits
Paramore’s Hayley Williams paid tribute to Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea by dedicating ‘Happy Birthday’ to him at Austin City Limits.
The two bands played at the Texan festival on October 16th, and during Paramore’s set, Williams showed Flea her gratitude on his special day as he turned 60. During the set, the singer took time out to pay tribute to the Chili’s bassist, and explained he’s somebody she’s “loved… since I was 8 years old and it was really inappropriate”.
Later in the day, when the Chili’s took to the stage, Flea thanked Williams for performing ‘Happy Birthday’ in his honour. His bandmates Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith and John Frusciante then proceeded to perform another rendition of the song for Flea.
Meanwhile, Paramore recently released their first new song in five years, ‘This Is Why’, which appears on their forthcoming album of the same name. In a statement shared with fans, Williams explained the reason behind the prolonged hiatus: “The last few years at home were so crucial. We’re all in our 30’s now. Almost every single time the guys and I are together — and that’s a lot — we find ourselves reminiscing on the last two decades of friendship as if we’re ancient. It may sound silly, but none of us can actually believe that we’re still here and that somehow, people still seem to care. It’s a massive deal… something we don’t take lightly.”
She added: “We all really needed it to find our identity apart from Paramore and all the public projection we get in our life,” she said. “I learned how introverted I really am.”
Williams also thanked the pandemic for allowing her time to develop as a person, adding: “I don’t think I would have slowed down, gotten time with my family. I was glad we were home because we were part of our own community in Nashville, and we got to be a part of it as citizens, as friends, a daughter, a sister, and it wasn’t really about Paramore. None of us knew we were going to be forced all the way inside.”
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