‘Unified’ Paramore heads to Grammys

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

The members of Paramore are hoping to close out what’s been a particularly challenging chapter in the band’s history on a high note — as Grammy winners.

They are nominated for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals for the hit “The Only Exception.” The nomination comes after two of Paramore’s founding members quit the band late last year.

Lead singer Hayley Williams said the rest of the Tennessee-based band is staying positive.

“Losing members is not a fun thing to go through, but I think that now we really feel unified,” she told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “We feel strong, and we’re going to be stoked to represent Nashville and represent our band and our fans at the Grammys,” which will air Sunday on CBS.

The split was less than amicable. The band’s official statement said that brothers Josh and Zac Farro had been planning to leave for a couple months and had seemed unhappy with the band for the past year. But ultimately, it wished them well and expressed hope that they would find happiness elsewhere. The brothers responded to the statement with a scathing blog post, largely blaming Williams for dividing the band.

Despite the downsizing, Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis and guitarist Taylor York have big plans for the band’s future. They’re touring South America starting Feb. 16 in Brazil.

“We’ve only been one other time, but it was crazy,” said Davis. “The venues are growing, and it’s pretty exciting.”

After that, they have cleared their schedules and will concentrating on making new music.

“We just want to take the chance to do anything we’ve ever wanted to do that we’ve never had time to do,” said Williams. “We’ve always wanted to do an EP.”