Paramore's Hayley Williams Explains HowTRLWorked, Jokes, 'Sounds Like I'm Talking About the 1950s'

Mar. 15, 2025

Damien Fahey and Rihanna interviewing Paramore on TRL in 2007.Photo:Theo Wargo/WireImage

Theo Wargo/WireImage

Millennials all remember racing home after school in time to sit down and catchTRL.

“Total Request Livewas a countdown show that relied on votes to decide what was the No. 1 music video in the country,“Paramore’sHayley Williamsshares.

“Gosh now talking about it literally sounds like I’m talking about the 1950s,” she adds, laughing.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Carson Daly and Britney Spears on TRL in the 2000s.KMazur/WireImage

KMazur/WireImage

By people around the country casting their votes, the results became an eclectic countdown that had hip-hop hits playing between bubblegum pop, alternative rock tunes and country anthems.

“There was a time that I probably wouldn’t have admitted to listening to*NSYNC,” Williams says.

“But let’s be real — I wouldn’t have learned five-part harmony or how to structure a vocal arrangement if I hadn’t grown up on pop music that had complex vocal arrangements,” she continues. “To this day, I look back on those memories and think, ‘That’s why I’m here.’ ”

Carson Daly interviewing Destiny’s Child on TRL in 2001.Getty Images

Getty Images

“I remember MySpace days vividly. We tour all over the world now and I know that that would not happen had we not built this sort of community that we built online,” Williams says of Paramore’s success.

“We would post our photos and change our profile photos often. We would change our Top 8 to reflect what bands we were listening to or touring with at the time and we answered every MySpace message that we could.”

source: people.com