Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams shared a message thanking fans for their support just prior to the release of ‘This Is Why’, the trio’s first single in half a decade.

Late on Tuesday night (September 27), shortly before ‘This Is Why’ arrived on streaming platforms, Williams shared a letter via the band’s Discord channel, expressing gratitude for those who have supported the group throughout their absence in recent years.

“The last few years at home were so crucial. We’re all in our 30’s now. Almost every single time the guys and I are together – and that’s a lot – we find ourselves reminiscing on the last 2 decades of friendship as if we’re ancient,” Williams writes in the message.

“It may sound silly but none of us can actually believe that we’re still here and that somehow, people still seem to care. It’s a massive deal… something we don’t take lightly,” she continued.

Williams goes on to emphasise the importance that the band’s retreat from the spotlight has played in her life. “From late 2018 until today, and for the first time in my adult life, I’ve been able to spend consecutive days, months, years, etc., at home,” she says, adding that she’s “kept weekly appointments”, “cooked many meals” and “saw family (in person) any chance I could.”

“The lessons here have been endless and they’ve been so different than any of the lessons I learned from living on the road, doing Paramore 24/7/365. This was a real break from whatever living I’d done before. Looking at our calendar for the next couple of years, I know that I would not be ready to give myself back to the band and the music and the life that I love so much had we not voluntarily given it up for a season.”

“For all of that, on behalf of us all, I want to say thank you for being so loving and supportive of us as humans first. The music industry is not a human-first industry. It’s not even a music-first industry. Look, we don’t even live in a human-first society,” Williams goes on to say. “So choosing to choosing walk away for a spell simply for our own sanity was not an ill-considered concept.”

Williams then says that it feels like “the perfect time to take advantage of every opportunity we are given to leverage our platform and all of that for good causes”. She adds that what she’s looking forward to the most about the band’s return is “showing ourselves and each other that music is still a good place to be”, and that “a show can still be gathering and not simply a crowd”.

“For so many reasons I don’t even have words for, I think we are about to experience our happiest, most fulfilling moments as Paramore,” Williams concludes the note. “And when I say, ‘WE’, I do hope by now you know what I mean.” See the full note below:

A note from Hayley on @paramore’s Discord. ? pic.twitter.com/bc4nKHxG4k

— ParamoreFans.com (@paramorefans) September 28, 2022

Paramore released ‘This Is Why’ on Wednesday (September 28) alongside a video directed by Turnstile frontman Brendan Yates, and the news that their new album of the same name will be arriving early next year. The follow-up to 2017’s ‘After Laughter’ was produced in Los Angeles by Carlos de la Garza, will feature ten tracks, and will be released on February 10, 2023 via Atlantic.

Reviewing the band’s new single, NME wrote: “Across five albums, Paramore have dabbled in everything from snarling post-rock and impassioned emo to shiny pop and ukulele-led ditties. Through it all, a sense of togetherness has raged and while ‘This Is Why’ sees the band continuing to break new ground, its unifying energy gives it a familiar freedom.”

Paramore will return to the stage this weekend, kicking off a tour of intimate North American shows. See dates and details here.