Hayley Nichole Williams (born December 27, 1988) is an American singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the rock band Paramore and has released several solo albums. In 2023, Billboard ranked her as the 13th greatest rock lead singer of all time; that same year, Alternative Press readers voted her as the second greatest pop-punk vocalist of all time. Born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi, Williams and her mother moved to Franklin, Tennessee, following her parents' divorce, there forming Paramore with Josh Farro, Zac Farro, and Jeremy Davis. Since, the band has released six studio albums: All We Know Is Falling (2005), Riot! (2007), Brand New Eyes (2009), Paramore (2013), After Laughter (2017), and This Is Why (2023). The group has continuously changed its lineup (currently consisting of Williams, Zac Farro, and Taylor York), with Williams being the only member to appear on all six albums. Along with York, Williams won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for Paramore's song "Ain't It Fun". Williams' work outside Paramore includes the song "Teenagers" for the soundtrack of the film Jennifer's Body (2009) and collaborations with New Found Glory, Zedd, American Football, Moses Sumney, Turnstile, and David Byrne. In 2010, she was featured on the single "Airplanes" by B.o.B, which peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song's sequel, "Airplanes, Part II", still featuring Williams and adding a guest verse by Eminem, gained a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. In 2023, she featured on "Castles Crumbling", a song on Taylor Swift's re-recorded album Speak Now (Taylor's Version). As a solo artist, Williams released the extended plays Petals for Armor I and Petals for Armor II (both 2020), the subsequent full-length album Petals for Armor (2020), and her second album Flowers for Vases / Descansos (2021). In 2025, she released her third album Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party under her own independent label named Post Atlantic; the album earned her three Grammy Award nominations. In 2026, she began the musical project Power Snatch with producer Daniel James. Her other ventures include the online series Kiss-Off (2015) and the hair dye company Good Dye Young.