September 25th 2024.
Fans of Linkin Park have been on a rollercoaster of emotions since the band's return. From their surprise new album to the introduction of their new singer, Emily Armstrong, it has been quite a journey. The band's hiatus after the tragic death of frontman Chester Bennington in 2017 left fans devastated. And now, with Emily's debut, there has been some controversy surrounding her past support of Danny Masterson, which she has since addressed.
As the band embarked on their short tour, including a recent performance at London's O2, some fans have expressed anger and accused Emily of trying to replace Bennington. However, founding bandmate and co-vocalist Mike Shinoda has come to her defense. He reassured fans that this reunion is not meant to replace Bennington, but rather to keep the legacy alive and move forward.
During an interview on Radio 1's New Music Show, Mike explained that this is a new chapter for Linkin Park. He acknowledged that their old chapter was great and they loved it, but it had run its course. The challenge now was starting from scratch with a new voice. However, he clarified that they had no intention of starting the band up again. In fact, he had been writing music with Emily since 2019.
Things slowly fell into place with Emily and their new drummer, Colin, and the band decided to put her voice on some of the songs they had already written. They were pleasantly surprised with the result and decided to feature her on even more songs. This natural progression led to Emily officially joining the band for their new music.
There has been some backlash against Emily from Bennington's family, particularly from his mother Susan Eubanks. In a letter published by Rolling Stone, she expressed feeling betrayed and upset that the family was not informed of the reunion before it was publicly announced. She also revealed that Mike had once told Bennington that he thought their songs would sound better with a female vocalist, which had hurt the late singer.
Despite Susan's negative comments, fans seem to be impressed with Emily's addition to the band and there have been no major complaints about their recent tour. Linkin Park has not addressed Susan's comments directly, but they did release a statement from Emily addressing her previous support of Danny Masterson and condemning any form of abuse or violence against women.
The band has not ignored the absence of Bennington in their lineup, and during their live-streamed launch concert, they paid tribute to him. Mike emotionally addressed the crowd, saying, "My name is Mike, this is Emily, and in the role of Chester Bennington this afternoon is each of you. Are you ready to sing with us?"
The loss of Bennington is still deeply felt by fans, and it is clear that he will always hold a special place in the band's history and hearts. As they continue on with this new chapter, Linkin Park will undoubtedly honor his memory and continue to make music that resonates with their loyal fans.
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