Linkin Park has been riding high ever since reforming with new singer Emily Armstrong. The band released the critically and fan-acclaimed “From Zero” album and has been playing sold out shows ever since.
Armstrong has had the challenging task of replacing the late Chester Bennington who sadly passed away in 2017. In a new interview with The Guardian, Linkin Park co-founder Mike Shinoda shared why he thinks some people criticized Armstrong upon her arrival.
“There were people who lashed out at Emily and it was really because she wasn’t a guy,” Shinoda said. He added that fans were “used to Linkin Park being six guys and the voice of a guy leading this song. 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 added that she was startled by the reaction to her hiring. “I was a little bit naive about it, to be honest,” she said. Part of the backlash to Armstrong could also be attributed to her previous ties to Scientology and her past friendship with disgraced “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson, though she has apparently since distanced herself from both.
