FROM WARPED TOUR STAGES TO sold-out arenas, HAYLEY WILLIAMS HAS SPENT MORE THAN two decades PROVING THAT reinvention IS HER SUPERPOWER.
As the lead singer of Paramore, she helped define a generation of alternative music while building one of the most loyal fan communities in the industry. But Williams’ creativity now stretches far beyond the stage. Good Dye Young, the color-forward haircare brand she co-founded with her friend and hairstylist Brian O’Connor, blends self-expression and bold experimentation in one hair-healthy package.
Williams is currently making stops around the world for “The Hayley Williams Show”, but all the while, she’s creating a plan to build a meaningful community for young creatives. Whether she’s learning guitar solos that once scared her or dreaming up new ways to give back to Nashville’s music scene, she’s still guided by the same thing that first drew her to music: connection. Read more about Hayley Williams’s journey in the C&C 100 interview below.
Was music always something you knew you wanted to do, or was it a path that found you?
I always liked music, and I think I was drawn to the communal aspect of it. That’s probably what made me want to play in bands and stuff, to not have too insular of an experience of music. But once I started writing and understanding that you could make your own, that really solidified my relationship with it. Because then you have ownership over it, and it becomes a helpful tool.
When you were first starting out with Paramore, were there moments where you felt unseen or uncertain about your trajectory? What kept you going?
I’m a fan of the long game, always. I’ve never been afraid of putting in the work. I like investing my time and my energy into things that are going to pay off, even if the payoff is pretty far down the line.
I’m like a dog with a bone when it comes to music because I’m passionate about it in my own time as well as when I’m working at it. It doesn’t really matter if I’m getting paid to do it. It’s not more gratifying than just being able to do it.
That’s what’s nice about finding something you can be in flow with. Music was that for me, particularly writing and playing it with people. Six hours can go by pretty quickly. So if my life is made up of that flow, then I believe it’ll go the right way.
How have you learned to protect your private life as your visibility has grown?
I don’t share that much anymore. I grew up so online, and more so than the privacy aspect, I’m just really unimpressed with social media. It doesn’t feel innovative anymore. A lot of the magic of what we as millennials grew up knowing as the internet feels like an old, rusty playground.
I’d rather be in the real world. That doesn’t mean I don’t spend time looking at stuff. There are times when I feel like I’m soaking up information and learning, and that shows in my creative output. Other times, it just feels like it’s rotting holes in my brain. The sharing versus not sharing is kind of simple: I want to be known as a musician, so most of what I share involves music. I’d rather uplift other artists and people I want to support. The people who know my career know where to find me if they need to know what’s up.
“How can I make my career the biggest and best it’s ever been?” to “How can I be useful in music?”
How do you balance your obligations as a founder of Good Dye Young with your music schedule?
I’m super ADD, so I have to have a team in place to help. I need people who are better at staying on topic and staying on schedule. A lot of creative founders and co-founders seem to be that way, which makes me feel a little better.
There’s also a really nice synergy between music and the business because it’s all about culture and understanding what our spot in it is, what vantage point we’re speaking from, and how we’re speaking into it. Brian and I have always been passionate about the emotional side of beauty and hair. That’s the same thing that keeps me in music. There are such emotional ties to both. I can’t sit and talk about Excel sheets or Google Sheets all day. I’m not good at it and I wish I were. But when it comes to the conversation and what we want people to take away, there’s usually a heavy cultural reference point and a code of ethics that helps streamline how we work.
Have you thought about expanding Good Dye Young beyond hair color and maintenance products?
Brian has been talking for a while about extending our offerings and creating a new branch for professionals. The pro community has been super supportive of Good Dye Young, and we try to be supportive right back. Brian grew up wanting to do this, and he’s spent his 10,000 hours mastering that world. He speaks the language.
He’s talked about a few different directions for expanding the company and growing toward that community and I think that’s really smart. It’s kind of how I feel about Paramore, too. The right people will find the music and my solo music. We have our own communities within music and within hair and beauty. I like that Brian wants to strengthen that bond with professionals because they understand the emotional language of hair and make people feel better every day. I see him getting really passionate about focusing on innovation.I think hair health will always be a part of it. When Brian and I met, ingredients were a big deal to him, and he taught me so much about how to take care of my hair.
Is there anything you’ve had to unlearn in order to stay grounded in the music industry?
Everything.
This year and last year have been big deconstruction years for my post-major label career. It feels no different than deconstructing a born-and-raised evangelical faith and the power structures we live in. It’s kind of like waking up one day and realizing everything was upside down most of the time. I’m trying to slow my brain down and take advantage of those lessons when it comes to music. Good Dye Young has gone through that too. There’s a before Ashley and an after Ashley for me and Brian. We had to deconstruct our own roles and rebuild, and understand what a real team looks and acts like, and how we make each other better..
It’s been the year of realizing things.
How do you unwind during busy stretches like touring?
On this tour, it’s just been taking a bath. If I’m lucky enough to have a tub in my hotel, that’s what I’m doing before bed. Lately, I’ve also had more social capacity and a stronger social battery.
This tour has had a lot of healing moments. We’re playing places I grew up playing, and I’m having the chance to reclaim a lot of memories for myself and make them better. That alone has been really good for my nervous system.
What’s a dream that’s still on your vision board?
I’d always like to make things, but in the second act of life and music, I’d like the light to shine on other people. I want to be smart about using resources to achieve that goal. I think about Nashville a lot and what it means to give back to your community.
I think about kids who are like Brian and me when we were younger, and how alone we felt in our own communities. I don’t know if I have a crystal-clear vision yet, but it definitely has something to do with safe community, politically minded DIY spaces, and making music accessible while also teaching young people new ways to support it. My mind has shifted from, “How can I make my career the biggest and best it’s ever been?” to “How can I be useful in music?”
What’s a recent moment you’re especially proud of?
Every couple of weeks for the last month, we’ve gotten really exciting news about how the brand is growing. Because of what we hope to do with innovation, I’ve gotten really emotional a couple of times when Ashley sent reports. I’ve always known the brand was special and that there’s something important about the work we do that goes beyond color itself.
I’m really proud of us for not giving up on it. There were several times when it felt like the signs were pointing to, “This isn’t worth our peace.” Brian and I thought we might have to shut the business down. We were really sad, trying to laugh it off, and somehow we found a way to keep going. It’s really hard to have an idea and bring it to life. It’s really hard to birth anything, and keeping it alive is also a lot. I’m proud of that, and I’m proud that it’s coinciding with a time in my musical career where everything feels aligned.
Who do you rely on when you don’t know what to do next?
Brian. Brian and I have a nice way of mirroring the good parts of each other and building up the parts we each feel are weaknesses. The business has been an excuse to learn more about each other and work better together all the time. It’s helped us become better friends to each other. I can’t recommend to everyone that they work with their friends and assume it’ll be fine, but it works for us. We share a bit of a hive mind with Ashley, and there’s really good synergy. Brian’s gut is better than mine, and I have a pretty good gut. But he listens to his the first time.
Rapid fire POP QUIZ:
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is:
You don’t want to know. I scroll on my phone. I’m getting the worst news we’ve ever thought of within the first 10 seconds of opening my eyes every day. I’m laughing about it, but it is ridiculous that I keep going back like a moth to a flame.
If I had one more hour in the day, I would:
Do all the self-care that I talk about doing but let slide.
A song that describes the era I’m in right now is:
“Bonny” by Bonny by Prefab Sprout.
My current obsession is:
Playing live music with my friends and learning how to play guitar solos I’ve always been too afraid to try. The bigger thing is doing things that scare me.
Three words to describe the legacy I want to leave behind…
Joy. Community. Sharing. I want people to feel the same joy I see at shows, where they forget about the world and sing together. I want to share that feeling and be part of it too.