Linkin Park have spoken about their comeback and working with new members in a new Billboard feature – see what they had to say below.
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Today, the band announced their comeback through a livestream event, where they debuted a new singer, Emily Armstrong formerly of Dead Sara, and new drummer Colin Brittain. They performed a new song, ‘The Emptiness Machine’, and a few Linkin Park classics and announced a new album ‘From Zero’ and a short supporting world tour with six shows across the globe.
In a press release, Mike Shinoda said of working with Armstrong and Brittain: “The more we worked with Emily and Colin, the more we enjoyed their world-class talents, their company, and the things we created. We feel really empowered with this new line-up and the vibrant and energized new music we’ve made together. We’re weaving together the sonic touchpoints we’ve been known for and still exploring new ones.”
Linkin Park with new members Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain. Credit: James Minchin III
He added of their upcoming album ‘From Zero’ and their new era: “Before Linkin Park, our first band name was Xero. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we’re currently undertaking. Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future—embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans. We are proud of what Linkin Park has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead.”
In a new cover feature with Billboard, the band expanded on their comeback. Shinoda revealed that the current line-up was years-in-the-making: “[The band] met Emily around 2019 — she came in, we worked together at my old studio”
At the time, however, they weren’t coming together as Linkin Park – they were just writing music and seeing how they felt about getting back together after Chester Bennington’s death in 2017: “Getting back into the group — at first it was Dave and Joe, and then Brad came in too at some point, and we were starting to do sessions with other people, some of [whom] I had written with in the year or two before that, including Colin.”
Shinoda continued: “And then we brought Emily in, but we did sessions with a lot of different people, and as we worked, things just came into focus, naturally. Even with Emily and Colin, we didn’t say, ‘Hey, come in, we’re doing Linkin Park sessions.’ We just said, ‘We’re going to write songs.’”
“I was really clear about not knowing, not calling it anything. That’s what me and Dave [Farrell] and Joe [Hahn] agreed we would say. We were telling ourselves, ‘We’re not calling this Linkin Park,’ because, who knows?,” he added.
Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. CREDIT: Jason Squires/WireImage
Bassist Dave Farrell – also known as Phoenix – noted that he wasn’t open to the idea of making music following Bennington’s death: “For a long time, I was like, ‘I don’t want to do any music. That hurts. I want to avoid that.’ It took a while to get to a stage where I started feeling like this is actually energizing. And that was the shift for me, where it went from like, ‘Is it Linkin Park? Is it something else?’ Emily feels like Linkin Park, Colin feels like Linkin Park. The six of us working together, figuring stuff out — that’s energizing, and I want to keep doing it. It was like filling a battery instead of draining it.”
Linkin Park have announced six shows around the world beginning this month and ending in November, including a show at the O2 in London on September 24.
Linkin Park’s LP Underground fan club pre-sales begin today September 6 and general tickets go live on September 7 via the official Linkin Park website.
Linkin Park’s ‘From Zero’ 2024 tour dates are:
SEPTEMBER
11 – Kia Forum – Los Angeles, California
16 – Barclays Center – New York, New York
22 – Barclays Arena – Hamburg, Germany
24 – The O2 – London, UK
28 – INSPIRE Arena – Seoul, South Korea
NOVEMBER
11 – Coliseo Medplus – Bogota, Colombia
Their new album ‘From Zero’ is due to arrive on November 15, and is available for pre-order now. The album is previewed by one single, ‘The Emptiness Machine’, which is on streaming platforms now.
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