The evolution of Linkin Park has been a closely watched journey for fans worldwide, particularly in the wake of the irreplaceable Chester Bennington. In a recent interview with Justin Scott and Spiegel on 98 Rock radio, bassist Dave “Phoenix” Farrell and the band’s new vocalist, Emily Armstrong, shed light on this new chapter, their musical direction, and the dynamic that has organically formed within the group.
While Emily detailed her somewhat serendipitous path to joining Linkin Park, starting with writing sessions with Mike Shinoda back in 2019 and culminating in her feeling like she “just kept showing up,” it was Farrell‘s description of Armstrong that truly resonated.
When asked about the process of finding a new vocalist, Farrell explained the band’s intentional approach: “From our side, Mike, Joe and I got together and were just kind of saying, ‘Let’s be intentional about spending some time together. Let’s talk. Let’s see if we write anything we like, but let’s not put any labels on what it is or what we’re doing. Then also let’s just start getting together with other people, whether it be other songwriters, other vocalists, other instrumentalists, and let’s just see what happens.'”
This open approach eventually led them to Armstrong. “Very early on it was, like, ‘Let’s get Emily in the room. She’s an awesome vocalist. Let’s see what that’s like,'” Farrell revealed.
And what was that like? According to Farrell, Emily is nothing short of phenomenal. “I was telling people very early on — they’d ask me about Emily. My inner circle or family would know obviously what I’m doing and what we’re looking at and my description of Emily was that she is the absolute destroyer vocally. She can do all the things and can just do them in a way that seems so effortless and awesome.”
Beyond her impressive vocal capabilities, Farrell emphasized the crucial chemistry she brought to the band. “But even more importantly, Emily just fits with us. It felt like we had known each other forever when we first started getting together, and it was just easy and fluid, relationally, in that sense. So for us, that was one of the biggest things.”
Farrell also touched upon his personal motivation for continuing with Linkin Park, stating, “I didn’t want to keep doing music if it didn’t still feel exciting and have an energy and a joy to it that I love about the band. If it didn’t feel right, then — I don’t know… It’d make more sense to be doing something else. But in the process of this, for me, I think where we all kind of came together on it was, like, ‘This is the right feel.'”
The official unveiling of the new Linkin Park lineup, featuring Armstrong and new drummer Colin Brittain, occurred during a global livestream in September 2024. Farrell‘s enthusiastic words about Armstrong offer a powerful glimpse into the band’s renewed energy and the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.
