mike: " she isn't trying to replace chester. she's just herself and that's why it works"
Mike Shinoda has returned to talk about the Linkin Park reunion and the future of the band with new singer Emily Armstrong , with whom: “ I started writing songs in 2019 ”. After the first dates with the new lineup and the release of the single The Emptiness Machine (and the controversy following the decision to continue the band's history without Chester Bennington ), Mike Shinoda said: “ The previous chapter was great, but it's over. We were faced with a challenge, starting from scratch with a new voice. But my intention was never to reform the band ”.
Linkin Park 's new songs , which will be released on November 15th in the album From Zero , are according to Shinoda the result of a spontaneous creative process : " When we started playing with Emily and our new drummer Colin, everything fell into place. We used her voice on songs that I had already written, sung by me. The result was great and we said: let's do it with other songs. We've never rehearsed as intensely as we did this time to prepare for the tour ."
Mike Shinoda declined to comment on statements by Chester Bennington's mother, Susan Eubanks , who said she felt " betrayed " by the band's decision to replace her son ("They always told me they would keep me posted on everything related to the band. They didn't because they knew I wouldn't be happy ") but wanted to speak only of Emily Armstrong : "There's a lot of passion behind her voice. She's not trying to be Chester, or anyone else. She's just herself, and that's why it works ."