Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn recently reacted to fans calling the hiring of the band’s new female singer, Emily Armstrong, a “feminist” agenda, addressing the decision in an interview with NME.
Hahn discussed the band’s choice to bring Armstrong on board to replace the late Chester Bennington for their comeback album, From Zero, and explained whether they have faced any issues or stigmas since her introduction.
When asked if they have had to deal with any misconceptions or stigmas since introducing a female singer that they might not have noticed before, Hahn dismissed the idea of any underlying agenda.
“No. I’m sure it’s out there,” Hahn said. “Maybe it has come and I’ve just ignored it. There is a lot of noise out there, and me just being older and a little bit wiser, I try to simplify my life, or at least what’s going on in my head.”
He went on to explain how the band handles external opinions and why they made the decision.
“All that kind of stuff just goes in one ear and out the other because I know that we’re doing something pretty cool,” he continued. “We’re not doing it to please people. We just know that it’s the right thing to do for us, and in turn it’s going to be the right thing for so many others out there.”
Hahn also clarified that the band did not have any political or social motivations behind the hiring.
“There’s no agenda from us as far as, ‘Oh, we want to be a feminist this and that’,” he added. “We just see people as human beings that deserve to walk in wherever they feel like everyone else is going.”
This comment comes as Linkin Park prepares for their highly anticipated comeback.
Hahn’s remarks arrive as the band continues to move forward with a lineup that looks very different from the one that defined its earliest days. The transition began with Armstrong’s arrival and the release of From Zero, a record that has reshaped how fans view Linkin Park’s next chapter.
From Zero is Linkin Park’s eighth studio album and the first to feature Armstrong alongside drummer Colin Brittain. It was released on November 15, 2024, through Warner Records and Machine Shop, and it stands as the band’s first studio album since One More Light in 2017.
The album also marked Linkin Park’s first full project following Bennington’s death in 2017. It is “the band’s first album in seven years and first with singer Emily Armstrong.”
The title itself carries a specific meaning for the group. From Zero references both the band’s original name, Xero, and the idea of starting over with a new lineup.
The reaction to Armstrong’s addition was not entirely positive. Bennington’s mother said she felt “betrayed” by Mike Shinoda’s decision to reform the band without consulting her, while Bennington’s son expressed dismay over Armstrong’s links to Scientology and her attendance at a hearing in support of actor Danny Masterson.
Armstrong later addressed that criticism directly. “I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathise with the victims of these crimes,” she said.
Despite the skepticism, the band has continued to push ahead with the new lineup. Adding Armstrong as co-lead vocalist and Brittain on drums “crystallized” From Zero and served as the latest iteration of a legacy built on reinvention.
