Hayley Williams ‘Headbanged the Curvature Out of My Neck’

Paramore might not be the first band you think of when it comes to headbanging, but anyone who’s seen their shows can attest to the physical workout that Hayley Williams gets during her performances. One of Williams’ frequent stage moves has been to headbang along to songs, and the singer reveals that during the band’s hiatus, the years of doing so finally caught up to her physically.

While appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (as seen below), Williams revealed her headbanging injury to the host. “For the first ten years of our career, we were always the youngest band out and the older dudes were always like, ‘Oh you’re going to regret headbanging like that.’ And we were like, ‘Nah, you’re just really old.’ And so obviously I continued to headbang and give myself whiplash for a very long time.”

The singer says that during the band’s break, she woke up one morning to discover she wasn’t able to look to her left. “I thought, it’s time to pay the piper,” says Williams, adding, “I know a lot about neck bones at this point. My cervical vertebrae, C5 and 6, were like eroding and I had what’s called military neck. I had headbanged the curvature out of my neck. So it just became a huge part of my life.”

Williams says that she’s had serious physical therapy as a result, and that she continues to work out so that she can “continue to handle the headbang.”

The headbanging discussion came up as Williams brought Fallon a popular piece of Paramore merch from their tours. “This shirt was really popular on the tour,” revealed the singer as Fallon displayed the black T-shirt. “These are two X-rays from the chiropractor,” revealed Williams, before explaining the muse for the shirt.

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While Williams’ neck pain is something she will continue to live with, she’s now sharing a less painful reminder of that experience with fans. The Paramore shirt featuring Williams’ neck X-rays is currently available through the band’s webstore. It retails for $40 and comes in a variety of sizes.

After a performance tonight (Oct. 6) at the New Yorker Festival in New York City, Williams and her neck will catch a bit of a break. Paramore’s next show isn’t until Nov. 8 in Auckland, New Zealand when they kick off a tour of New Zealand and Australia to finish out the year. More dates will follow in 2024. Get Paramore ticketing info here.

Meanwhile, Paramore have just issued, RE: This Is Why, a new album where they allowed multiple artists and musical friends to reinterpret the songs from their 2023 This Is Why album. It just arrived today (Oct. 6) and can be heard and purchased here.

Paramore’s Hayley Williams Guests on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon