After giving fans a bit of a scare last year when they wiped their social media and said that their future had “a level of uncertainty,” Paramore are back with a new announcement: they’re going to “continue to have a long career in the music industry” as independent artists.
Making the announcement via social media on Saturday, Paramore confirmed that now that their contract with Atlantic Records is up, they’re going to continue forging forward sans label representation. The statement also announced that the band will be official Record Store Day ambassadors for 2024, which lands on Saturday, April 20th.
“After a long career in the music industry we have decided to announce that… we are going to continue to have a long career in the music industry (sorry for any inconvenience),” the statement reads. “Our first order of business as a freshly independent Paramore is to shine a light on independent record stores — a vital part of our journey from music-obsessed school friends to professional music makers.”
Continuing, the band noted how appropriate it felt for them to be embracing independent record stores during this time. “The timing feels kismet,” they said, expressing their admiration for the “tangible, tactile experience of music discovery” that record stores provide.
Concluding, the band signed-off “Independently yours, Paramore.” Read the full statement below.
The announcement follows a busy start to 2024 for the band. Last month, they shared their cover of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” from the upcoming A24 Music compilation, Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense.
Earlier this month, the band won in two categories at the 2024 Grammy Awards, taking home prizes for Best Alternative Music Performance and Best Rock Album, thanks to their 2023 release This Is Why. The wins made a bit of history, too, as it marked the first time the Best Rock Album award was taken home by a female-fronted band. “Ridiculous yet true!” the band said in a statement regarding the achievement. “It’s an honor for Paramore to be a small but constant reminder for people to keep pushing these rock and alternative spaces to be more inclusive.”
Meanwhile, up next, Paramore will perform at Lollapalooza Brasil, and then meet up with Taylor Swift to open a European leg of the “Eras Tour.” Grab tickets here, and be sure to check out Hayley Williams’ interview with Dolly Parton, which was Consequence’s November cover story.