UPDATE
Sep 10, 2024 11:39 AM CDT
Count Jaime Bennington among the people who aren't happy with Linkin Park's new co-vocalist Emily Armstrong. In an Instagram story, the 28-year-old son of late frontman Chester Bennington accused band founder Mike Shinoda of "quietly [erasing] my father's life and legacy in real time," per the BBC. (TMZ has screenshots.) He said fans were "having a hard time wrapping their heads" around tapping Armstrong, who was slammed for her Scientology ties and past support of actor Danny Masterson. Per Billboard, Armstrong hasn't addressed the Scientology part, but as for Masterson, she said in an IG story she realized she "shouldn't have" supported her friend at the time, and that "I have never spoken with him since. Unimaginable details emerged."
Sep 6, 2024 10:03 AM CDT
It's been more than seven years since Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington was found dead of suicide at his California home, at the age of 41. Now, the alternative rock band "is embarking on a new chapter," complete with a new co-vocalist and some accompanying controversy. "This could work," Emily Armstrong, who co-founded alt-rock band Dead Sara, says in a video on the band's Instagram page of her latest job, news accompanied by an announcement that Linkin Park will also be embarking Wednesday on a small world tour through November, hitting Los Angeles, New York, and London, as well as Hamburg, Germany; Seoul, South Korea; and Bogota, Colombia, per USA Today.
Armstrong will share singing duties with returning band member Mike Shinoda, per the AP. Other returning Linkin Park members include bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, and DJ Joe Hahn. Guitarist Brad Delson won't play with the band on their tour, but will continue to work "behind the scenes"; Alex Feder will take his place for the live shows, per the BBC. Meanwhile, songwriter and producer Colin Brittain has been tapped to be the band's new drummer. The band's latest album, From Zero, featuring the single "The Emptiness Machine," is set to drop on Nov. 15.
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Not all fans are so sure this new arrangement will work, however, citing the 38-year-old Armstrong's apparent ties to Scientology—she was reportedly spotted attending a major Church of Scientology event in Los Angeles in 2013—and her alleged support of That '70s Show actor Danny Masterson during his rape trial, per the Mirror. "Chester wouldn't have wanted this, I know that," one commenter insisted on X. However, Shinoda says in a statement, per USA Today: "We feel really empowered with this new lineup and the vibrant and energized new music we've made together." (More Linkin Park stories.)
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