Linkin Park’s return with new vocalist Emily Armstrong has sparked controversy, with Chester Bennington’s son, Jaime Bennington, accusing Mike Shinoda of “quietly erasing my father’s life and legacy in actual time.”
Jaime aired his grievances on social media following the band’s Sept. 5 livestream occasion, the place Armstrong, previously of Useless Sara, was launched because the band’s new co-lead vocalist.
The announcement adopted weeks of hypothesis as Linkin Park teased followers with a countdown earlier than revealing Armstrong as their new singer. Additionally they launched a brand new observe, “The Vacancy Machine,” from their upcoming album From Zero, which debuted at No. 24 on the Rock & Various Airplay listing.
Armstrong joins the band following the passing of Chester Bennington in 2017.
Whereas many followers welcomed the band’s new chapter, others expressed considerations in regards to the band’s new volcalist’s previous ties to Scientology and her earlier affiliation with convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
In response to the backlash, Armstrong issued an announcement on Sept. 6 through Instagram to deal with the controversy.
“A number of years in the past, I used to be requested to assist somebody I thought of a buddy at a court docket look and went to 1 early listening to as an observer. Quickly after, I noticed I shouldn’t have. I’ve by no means spoken with him since,” she wrote. “To say it as clearly as attainable: I don’t condone abuse or violence towards girls, and I empathize with the victims of those crimes.”
Regardless of Armstrong’s clarification, Jaime Bennington was deeply important of Shinoda’s choice to carry her into the band.
He stated through Instagram on Sept. 9, “You employed your buddy of a few years, Emily Armstrong, to switch Chester… figuring out Emily’s historical past within the church and her historical past as an ally to Danny Masterson.”
Jaime didn’t maintain again, accusing Shinoda of ignoring the impression this choice might need on the band’s fanbase, notably these affected by sexual violence.
“You quietly erase[d] my father’s life and legacy in actual time… throughout worldwide suicide prevention month and refuse to acknowledge the impression of hiring somebody like Emily, with out a lot as a clarifying assertion on the number of victims that make up your core fan base,” Jaime stated.
His criticisms didn’t cease there. He added, “You betrayed the belief loaned to you by many years of followers and supporting human beings together with myself. We trusted you to be the larger, higher individual. To be the change. Since you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re simply senile and tone deaf.”
On the time of writing, neither Shinoda nor the band has publicly responded to Jaime Bennington’s feedback.
Chester, who joined the band in 1999, turned an icon with the discharge of their debut album Hybrid Principle in 2000, adopted by the extremely profitable Meteora (2003). His sudden loss of life in 2017 left a deep void, each within the band and amongst followers.
In a current cowl interview with Billboard, Shinoda spoke in regards to the challenges of shifting ahead with out Chester.
“Emily was all the time going to have the ability to hit the notes and scream the elements,” Shinoda stated, however he additionally acknowledged that the change would take time for followers to simply accept. “It’ll be a query of, ‘How does it land with individuals?’ And I don’t know the way it will. However I do know that, after I hear it, I find it irresistible.”
Joe Hahn added of the band’s journey to creating their upcoming album, From Zero. “We didn’t understand how far we’d get in our efforts. This has been years of struggling to know what it might probably and must be.”
From Zero will mark the band’s first album One Extra Gentle, launched two months previous to Bennington’s loss of life. The set launched at No. 1 on Billboard’s Prime Rock & Various Albums chart in June 2017 and has earned 1 million equal album items so far.
Linkin Park’s first efficiency with Armstrong is scheduled for Sept. 11 in Los Angeles. As From Zero is about to be launched on Nov. 15.