Hayley Williams says Morgan Wallen is the ‘racist country singer’

Hayley Williams is happy to confirm that Morgan Wallen is the “racist country singer” she is referring to in her song “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party.” During a recent interview on the New York Times’ “Popcast” to discuss her latest solo album, the Paramore lead singer was asked whether she would like to “name names” to reveal who she means when she sings about being “the biggest star/ At this racist country singer’s bar” in the title track.

“It could be a couple but I’m always talking about Morgan Wallen,” Williams said. In 2021, Wallen was caught on video drunkenly using a racist slur. The Grammy-nominated country star’s This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen, named after one of his songs and paying homage to his upbringing, opened in Nashville last year.

(Video of Wallen’s 2024 arrest for reckless endangerment is making headlines again this week too. In police bodycam video obtained by the Associated Press, Wallen denies throwing a chair off a Nashville bar’s roof but apologises for “caus(ing) problems.” He took a plea deal after being charged in the case and was sentenced to seven days’ incarceration at a DUI Education Center, two years’ probation, a $350 fine and payment of court fees.)

Williams, who was born in Mississippi, met her future Paramore bandmates after moving to Tennessee as a child. She has been open about her political beliefs and having to navigate her own upbringing as a white Southern Christian. Some of her latest music addresses religious hypocrisy and the racial tensions and racist legacy of the South.

“I’m never not ready to scream at the top of my lungs about racial issues,” Williams said in her interview. “I don’t know why that became the thing that gets me the most angry.”

In addition to her years with Paramore and the inspiration behind her latest solo work, Williams spoke about how proud she is of the diversity of Paramore’s fan base and audience at shows.

“I’m very passionate in that we have a long way to go in making people feel like that they belong in the world,” she said. “The repercussions of people not feeling like they’re a part or they belong, we see it all the time in the news. I think music is not only the easiest but the beautiful way to tap into people’s hearts and their subconscious and change their minds.”

Williams was born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi. Her parents divorced when she was 13. She then moved with her mother to Franklin, Tennessee, where she later formed Paramore alongside Josh Farro, Zac Farro, and Jeremy Davis. Paramore has released six studio albums: All We Know Is Falling (2005), Riot! (2007), Brand New Eyes (2009), Paramore (2013), After Laughter (2017), and This Is Why (2023). It has featured a continuously changing line-up (currently consisting of Williams, Zac Farro, and Taylor York) with Williams being the only member to appear on all six albums. Along with York, Williams won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for the song “Ain’t It Fun”. Williams’ non-Paramore musical work includes the song “Teenagers” for the soundtrack of the film Jennifer’s Body (2009) and collaborations with The Chariot, October Fall, New Found Glory, Set Your Goals, Zedd, Moses Sumney, and Turnstile. In 2010, she was featured on the single “Airplanes” by B.o.B, which peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The sequel to the song, “Airplanes, Part II”, featured new verses from B.o.B. and a guest verse from Eminem with Williams’ vocals remaining. This gained a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

In 2023, she was featured on Taylor Swift’s re-recording of her 2010 album Speak Now on the track “Castles Crumbling”. She has also released the solo EPs Petals for Armor I (2020) and Petals for Armor II (2020), the subsequent full-length solo album Petals for Armor (2020), and her second solo album Flowers for Vases / Descansos (2021). In 2025, she released her third album Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party under her own independent label named Post Atlantic.

Agencies