On September 5, Linkin Park announced their comeback through a live stream event where they introduced their new vocalist Emily Armstrong.
Emily Armstrong and Billie Joe Armstrong are not related
Fans started to raise a common question of whether Emily Armstrong of the band Dead Sara is related to Billie Joe Armstrong, the iconic frontman of Green Day. The answer is no, they are not related. Though they share the same last name, Emily and Billie Joe have no familial connection.
While the connection would certainly be great, Emily Armstrong has carved out her own identity in the music world. Known for her powerful and gritty vocals, she brings a punk rock energy that could easily be compared to the rebellious spirit of Green Day. Her performances in Dead Sara are full of intensity, with punky vocals that have drawn comparisons to legends like Billie Joe and she is now bringing all that energy to Linkin Park.
Fresh from the unveiling of their 2024 line-up, Linkin Park’s new co-vocalist Emily Armstrong revealed that she was in “dreamland” when she was asked to join Linkin Park. During an interview with Billboard, Mike Shinoda detailed how “this time last year” the band decided to “get a serious temperature check” while in the studio with the Dead Sara singer to see if she was up for fully committing (of course, all of that has since resulted in upcoming eighth record From Zero, and an impending tour).
“They’re like, ‘Hey, um, just a couple questions,’” Emily recalled.
“And we were recording at the time. ‘Hey, so, you know, we got some shows coming up, and some big festival stuff. And, you know, it’s a year out, and we think that you’d be great. We think you could sing all the old songs, and we love what you do and what’s happening with this whole process…’ I’m just like, ‘Cool, coo coo coo cool!’ I had already talked to the people around me, and Dead Sara, who were like, ‘Absolutely. If they ask, it’s a no-brainer.’ I’d already put my feelers out just to make sure, and they were putting their feelers out on me. It was like Melissa McCarthy in The Heat: ‘That’s why you don’t feed stray cats!’ I had just kept showing up; I was the stray cat. But that was the moment.”
Emily continues: “So then imagine hearing that, and then you have to nonchalantly waltz back into the studio, and they’re like, ‘Okay, Emily, let’s think of another line, we’re working on the verse!’ I can’t f***ing think of anything else, and I have to pretend that I’m not [freaking out]. I’m there for another few hours, and I’m just trying to play it cool, because they played it so cool. But there’s f***ing no way you can process it. I remember we were there late that night, and afterward I was panicking in the best way: ‘Is it real?’ For three days at least, I don’t ever remember touching the ground. And then everything was different when I came back down – knowing my life was going to be different, in the best way. I came back to a dreamland.”
Linkin Park have also announced a new album ‘From Zero’, shared a new single ‘The Emptiness Machine’ and announced a short world tour beginning this month. It marks their first new music since the death of Chester Bennington in 2017.
Linkin Park have also announced a short world tour which will see six arena shows across the world between September and November this year. The tour will kick off at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on September 11. Other stops include New York, Germany, London, South Korea and Colombia. Linkin Park’s LP Underground fan club pre-sales begin on September 6 and general tickets go live on September 7.
