Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda recently spoke to Kerrang! Radio and opened up on how fans are reacting to the band’s new era. He also talked about how the fanbase could change following the band’s change in the lineup.
He said that while there may be some fans turned off by the band’s new era with Emily Armstrong, they are gaining new fans. He also said when he sees criticism of new songs, he then looks at the high streaming numbers which run contrary to the narrative of people who criticize the band.
Linkin Park has also recently earned their fourth UK number 1 album with ‘From Zero.’ In an interview with Official Charts, Armstrong shared her excitement.
“Number 1 in the UK, that’s so insane. Thank you so much. Is there anything above Number 1? This is it,” the singer shared.
“‘From Zero’ to Number 1! Thank you so f*cking much, this is so surreal. It’s my first Number 1, so I’m freaking out! I’ll say it a thousand times, and it feels like it’s not enough to say ‘thank you,’ I can only say so many times how grateful I am.”
Mike Shinoda added: “This is very cool. It’s such a big deal to all of us!”
Linkin Park’s eighth studio album has outperformed its closest competitor, Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short N’ Sweet.’ The band has previously secured the number one spot in the UK with their albums ‘Meteora,’ ‘Minutes to Midnight,’ and ‘Living Things.’
Although their debut album, ‘Hybrid Theory,’ released in 2000, remains their best-selling album in the UK, with over 1.8 million copies sold, it only reached number four on the album chart.
Additionally, ‘From Zero’ has also topped this week’s Official Vinyl Albums Chart, while the track ‘Papercuts’ is ranked at number 17.
‘From Zero’ includes the lead single ‘The Emptiness Machine.’ It’s Linkin Park’s first album since the death of lead singer Chester Bennington in 2017. The band ended their seven-year break in September, announcing their return with Armstrong as the new vocalist.
Earlier in the month, Linkin Park announced a massive world tour across North America, Europe, Asia and South America. The trek will launch in January with three dates in Mexico before heading to Japan and a one-off show in Jakarta, Indonesia. Next spring and summer, the band will hit a number of cities the United States and end in November with a run throughout South America.
