Wed Sep 25 01:59:00 UTC 2024: ## Linkin Park’s New Chapter: Mike Shinoda Emphasizes Emily Armstrong is Not Replacing Chester Bennington

**LOS ANGELES** – Linkin Park has returned after a seven-year hiatus, releasing new music with a new singer, Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara. While some have criticized the band’s decision, frontman Mike Shinoda has stressed that Armstrong is not intended to replace the late Chester Bennington, who tragically took his own life in 2017.

“This is intended to be a new chapter of Linkin Park,” Shinoda told BBC Radio 1’s New Music Show. “The old chapter was a great chapter and we loved that chapter. It ran its course and now we were faced with a challenge of: ‘Well okay, if you start from scratch with another voice, what do you do?'”

Shinoda explained that he and Armstrong had been writing music together since 2019 and initially had no plans to revive Linkin Park. However, after incorporating Armstrong’s vocals into existing tracks, they realized the potential of a new direction.

“We were just slowly coming together and then eventually things just started to fall into place with Emily and with Colin (Brittain) our new drummer,” Shinoda said.

The decision has drawn criticism from Bennington’s family, with his mother Susan Eubanks expressing feelings of betrayal in a Rolling Stone essay. Despite the criticism, Linkin Park remains committed to moving forward, releasing their new album “From Zero” on November 15th.

Read More