Mike Shinoda , co-vocalist and leader of Linkin Park , said in an interview with a Californian radio station that he didn't want Linkin Park's return to sound like a cover band.
The announcement that Linkin Park was introducing Emily Armstrong generated negative repercussions because of her association with Danny Masterson and Scientology.
Some fans of the band were unhappy and upset by the decision to replace the late former vocalist, Chester Bennington .
Even Bennington's mother, Susan Eubanks , said she felt betrayed by the band returning with a new vocalist without being informed.
In an interview with Los Angeles radio station Alt 98.7 , Mike Shinoda once again defended Emily Armstrong and his choice of the vocalist for Linkin Park's return ( via Consequence ):
“We want Emily to be Emily. The songs are the songs and Emily is Emily. There was a time, in early 2019 or 2020, when I remember watching videos of a cover band and then a Linkin Park cover band popped up on my feed. The fans were loving it. They were saying, ‘Oh my God, this person is so good. They sound so much like Chester.’”
Shinoda continues: “When I was watching this YouTube video, or Instagram video, of this cover band, I was like, ‘Wow, this is really cool, but it’s also creepy that it sounds so much like Chester.’ I don’t like it. It feels strange to me. I knew immediately that wasn’t the way to go for us. I like it for cover bands, and those bands do a great job, but I wouldn’t put it in our band.”
Along with the world premiere of their new album From Zero , Linkin Park played two historic shows in São Paulo on November 15th and 16th, with tickets sold out on both dates.
The band will be in Brazil in November 2025 with shows scheduled for Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasília, and Porto Alegre .
READ ALSO : Linkin Park's 'From Zero' reaches the milestone of 500 million plays on Spotify