Linkin Park member Mike Shinoda has said fans were “uncomfortable” with the band’s new singer Emily Armstrong because “she wasn’t a guy”.
Armstrong, of rock group Dead Sara, joined the nu-metal band in 2024 alongside original members Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, and Joe Hahn following the death by suicide of their original frontman Chester Bennington in 2017.
Speaking to The Guardian, Shinoda said: “There were people who lashed out at Emily, and it was really because she wasn’t a guy,” adding that fans were “used to Linkin Parks being six guys”.
He continued: “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.’”
Armstrong’s debut did not go down well with fans, or with Bennington’s family. Bennington’s son Jaime expressed his unhappiness on social media, accusing Shinoda of erasing his father’s life and legacy in real time and “during international suicide prevention month”.
Meanwhile, Bennington’s mother Susan Eubanks told Rolling Stone that the band was “trying very hard to erase the past” and she felt “betrayed” that she wasn’t told about the group’s comeback.
“They told me if they were ever going to do something, they would let me know,” she said. “They didn’t let me know, and they probably knew that I wasn’t going to be very happy. I’m very upset about it.”
Armstrong’s connection to Scientology was also viewed negatively by fans, who criticised her for attending a hearing in support of actor and Scientologist Danny Masterson, who was later convicted for rape.
The singer shared a statement addressing the backlash, saying she was “asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance” and later “realised I shouldn’t have”.
“I always try to see the good in people and I misjudged him. I have never spoken with him since. Unimaginable details emerged and he was later found guilty,” she said.
“To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathise with the victims of these crimes.”
Linkin Park are now on a global tour for their 2024 album, From Zero. Shinoda told The Guardian that the goal of their shows is simply “really good vibes”, and they won’t be playing the title track “One More Light” from their final album with Bennington because it’s “just too sad”.
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