The Musical Moodboard is a recurring EW feature where musicians run down the inspirations behind a new album.
Hayley Williamsnever intended to make an album on her own.
But to her surprise, the songs that came out didn’t necessarily sound like Paramore.
Credit: Illustration by Anne Latini for EW
The result isPetals for Armor,a moody, introspective LP that Williams released in three parts.
(The third and final piece, which completes the set, is out Friday.)
And as she explained to EW earlier this year, she found inspiration in some unlikely places.
Elly Dassas/Hulu
I was so inspired by rhythm and percussion, and I needed that reminder."
2 / Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.
The album’s title,Petals for Armor, is a reference to finding strength in femininity.
Elly Dassas/Hulu
“It was such a surprise to me,” she says.
“My life is mostly made up of dudes.
I’m working around guys all the time.
This was recommended to me by one of my girlfriends, and it just makes you feel less alone.
[But] actually, I think it’s more feminine.”
He doesn’t speak at all.
And I find that I get a lot out of expressing just with my body.
I do it on stage without thinking."
I love character arcs like that.
I love underdog moments.
I just love justice.
We did that on my birthday, when I turned 30.
I raised him, but I feel like he raised me," Williams says, laughing.
“I was 23 or 24 when I got him.
“I do talk to him!”
“I’m not being cute in the song.
He’s one of my therapists.”
It was “Cinnamon,” not “Simmer.”
The error has been updated here.
