Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix recently joined in for an interview with Zach Sang Show and talked about Linkin Park’s new singer Emily Armstrong.
Jacoby Shaddix opens up on Linkin Park
“He was such an iconic [voice]. He was another one that took his pain and turned it into purpose through his music. To lose him is tough. You see them coming back now and they’ve got a new singer and I got to tell you, a couple of them new songs f*cking rip, they’re great. But there’s part of me that just totally loves it and then part of me is just like it just hurts my heart like, ‘Damn.’ The new singer, she’s killing it, but it’s like, ‘God I just want to hear Chester sing that sh*t.’”
Former Dead Sara frontwoman Emily Armstrong was introduced as the new vocalist replacing Chester Bennington. However, her addition to the band drew mixed reactions from the fans and Mike Shinoda has also addressed the same. She received support from Chester’s widow, Talinda Bennington. She seemingly approved of the band’s choice to replace Chester. Now, Shaddix doesn’t support the backlash.
“People wanna hear this [music].’ And so it’s awesome that their music can be celebrated. I know people are very polarized about this, but I look at it like when Stone Temple Pilots lost [singer] Scott Weiland. Who stepped in? Chester. Chester stepped in to carry that flag for rock and roll,” Shaddix said. “So it makes sense why somebody would step in in his place and in his absence to carry that flag and to bring that message to the people, because it’s a hopeful message.”
In early September, Linkin Park announced their return with new vocalist Emily Armstrong. They performed and released their latest single, ‘The Emptiness Machine,’ from the album ‘From Zero.’ Some fans criticized Armstrong’s addition due to her ties to Scientology and support for Danny Masterson.
Other than Shaddix, other rockers shared their thoughts on the band’s move.
“I listened. I saw some videos. The new female singer, great! She fits the band. She sounds great and good luck to them,” Gene Simmons told Forbes.
Linkin Park’s new album will be released on November 15th, 2024. The band started a six-show arena tour on September 11th at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, set to end in Bogota, Colombia, on November 11th, 2024.
