Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda Breaks Silence On Emily Armstrong Backlash: It Was Because She Wasn’t A Guy

Linkin Park’s bold comeback with Emily Armstrong as lead vocalist sparks mixed reactions. While fans debate the band’s new era post-Chester Bennington, their 2024 album From Zero and tour aim to win hearts. Mike Shinoda opens up on backlash and setlist changes.

Published by Ashish Kumar Singh
Published: July 21, 2025 14:52:42 IST

Linkin Park announced last year that Emily Armstrong will be the band's singer, after Chester Bennington's death in 2017

Linkin Park’s latest chapter isn’t exactly sailing smoothly, but the band’s sticking to their guns. After years of silence in the wake of Chester Bennington’s death in 2017, they made a gutsy comeback last year—bringing in Emily Armstrong as their new lead and hinting at a fresh album.

Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda Breaks Silence

Sure, plenty of fans were hyped. Others? Not so much. Emily, especially, caught a lot of heat.

So yeah, the announcement that Emily was stepping in as vocalist didn’t land gently everywhere. Some folks just couldn’t get past the idea of a woman fronting Linkin Park.

Mike Shinoda talked about it with The Guardian, saying, “There were people who lashed out at Emily, and it was really because she wasn’t a guy.”

“This is why I’m mad”

He spelt it out—fans got used to seeing “six guys” and hearing that “guy’s voice” leading the songs. Now, suddenly, people felt uncomfortable and started grasping for reasons to complain: “This is why I’m mad, this is why the band sucks.” Pick a reason, any reason.

The reaction wasn’t a simple split, though. Some fans welcomed Emily, others came out swinging. Even Chester’s family weighed in—his mom felt “betrayed” that the band moved forward without asking her, and his son took issue with Emily’s involvement in Scientology.

Emily herself didn’t exactly expect the wave of backlash. “I was a little bit naive about it, to be honest,” she admitted. She’d already stayed away from social media for her own peace of mind, even before linking up with the band.

Now? She’s not bothered. “If there was something really, really pressing, I think our PR would talk to us about it. But I’m old enough to know the difference between real life and the internet.”

Now the band’s out on tour for their 2024 album, From Zero. Mike says they’ve crafted the shows to leave people feeling upbeat. “I want you walking away feeling like, ‘This was such a wonderful, special, fun night.’” Still, some tracks hit too close to home. Talking about “One More Light,” Mike admitted, “That’s just too sad to play.” So, it’s off the setlist—for now.

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