In a new interview with 100.3 The X Rocks, Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale talked about Linkin Park’s return and admitted that her cover of ‘Crawling’ was just released to play with fans’ heads.
“This all ended up as kind of like a funny just afternoon, right?,” the singer started explaining. “So I started getting calls from my management, my booking agent in Europe, and a bunch of other people in the industry saying, ‘Why didn’t you tell us anything? I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ They’re like, ‘Well they all think it’s you, that you’re the next singer for Linkin Park. I said, ‘Well, honestly, you guys would know more than that probably before I did.’”
“So I thought it was really funny but at the same time, it was a little of both,” Hale continued. “It was a little ‘let me do this cover that I’ve been wanting to do forever as a tribute to them but also say nothing’ because the internet and it’s fun.”
“So I have not gotten a call from the Linkin Park boys to be the new lead singer but let this be my official audition tape and if you need me boys you know I’m there. I love the songs and I know them,” she finally added.
Before the new singer was officially announced, there were lots of rumors that Lzzy Hale might be the one. Her post right after the Linkin Park countdown ended has only added to the rumors. Many fans thought the two things were related, as some wrote, “This timing makes me think something’s up…”
“Linkin Park’s new singer?” another user added. “Lzzy, do you have something you want to share with us?” a third fan wrote.
Among the rumored names was also Deryck Whibley from Sum 41. He had to clear things up after dropping hints around the same time as the Linkin Park countdown. “I need to clear up some rumors. It seems people think I might be joining a reuniting band, but just to set the record straight—I’m not joining Oasis, Linkin Park, or any other band,” he wrote in a social media statement.
The new singer has later been announced as Emily Armstrong from the band Dead Sara.