Singer Hayley Williams said “all are welcome” at her concerts, before adding that she hopes fans who “harbor harmful ideologies” will feel unwelcome at her shows. “I think that’s a hard line for me now,” the “Misery Business” singer said.
“I’ve always said, all are welcome at our shows. But I don’t want racists around, and I don’t want sexist people around, and I don’t want people there who think that trans people are a burden,” Williams told Clash magazine.
“I think that’s a hard line for me now,” she continued. “I hope it naturally happens that people who do harbor those harmful ideologies aren’t going to feel welcome, because they’re going to walk in the door and realize that the gang’s all here, all banded together around something positive.”
“All are welcome if you believe all should be welcome — if you don’t believe that, you’re not welcome!” Williams, who is also known as the lead vocalist for the rock band Paramore, added.
After being asked about her new song, “True Believer,” which reportedly deals with Nashville, gentrification, and “the inherent flaws in Southern pride and the tortured legacy of a racist past,” Williams claimed that people with “Southern pride” have been “focusing on the wrong thing.”
“Look, it’s amazing to have Southern pride,” the “The Only Exception” singer conceded, adding, “It’s a beautiful area of, not only the country, but the world. It’s so rich in culture and meaning, but we’re focusing on the wrong thing.”
“I’ve just always felt very grateful that our band can be a part of that conversation,” she said. “It’s so important that people feel welcome to the party.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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