Last week, Paramore leader Hayley Williams released Ego Death At The Bachelorette Party, a new solo album that started off as a bunch of disconnected singles. She still hasn't played any of her own shows behind that LP, though she's popped up onstage with plenty of other artists recently. Last night, however, Williams was the musical guest on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, and she performed the Ego Death track "True Believer," a song that's all about feeling disconnected from the places where she grew up in the South. It's a protest song, more or less, and we're in a time when you have to actually put something at stake to perform a protest song on late-night television.
Williams made it count, giving a very cool and thought-out performance. It started out with her in a spotlight, playing by herself at a piano, the words "Mississippi G-d Damn" taped to it. When the song kicked in, the lights came up, and you could see that she surrounded by other musicians -- not just a backing band but also a huge string section. She presented herself as part of a community, a cool way to handle things. Williams is known for whirling across stages with Paramore, but she didn't need to jump around to hold things together. Watch the performance below.
Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party is out now on Post Atlantic. Also, shout out to Hayley Williams for giving Stereogum gossip correspondent Rachel Brown their TMZ debut.
