Paramore: Bassist Jeremy Davis’ Departure Has Been ‘Really Painful’

Following the departure of bassist Jeremy Davis, Paramore has released a statement declaring the split a “really painful” experience. The announcement came Monday night that Davis, who had co-founded Paramore, was no longer a member of the band.

Paramore issues a statement regarding the departure of co-founder Jeremy Davis

The statement issued by Paramore indicates that the struggle to separate from their co-founder was difficult enough, but just as troubling was finding the right words to express that decision. A statement that had been written and rewritten many times finally stated Jeremy’s split from Paramore in the simplest possible terms.

“In moving forward, there is growth, pain, and change… and sometimes the change is not at all what you hoped for. To be honest, this has been really painful,” reads the statement issued on Paramore’s Facebook page. “After taking time to consider how to move forward, we ultimately found that we really do believe Paramore can and should continue on. And so we will.”

Paramore still sought to leave fans with a positive vibe by the end of their statement. In closing, the band implied that Davis was moving onto something new, possibly a solo project, and that fans should keep an eye out for Jeremy’s future works. The final words also gave Paramore’s own outlook a bright spin with reminders of their upcoming concert cruise, Parahoy, and new music in the coming year.

Paramore has a long, troubled history

Over the past five years, Paramore has gone through more than a few line-up changes. 2010 saw the departure of both lead guitarist Josh Farro and drummer Zac Farro, following a very public and very bitter feud with singer Hayley Williams. A statement released about that divide among Paramore members cited personal, musical, romantic, and religious differences.

Earlier, in 2004, Jeremy Davis resigned from Paramore for the first time, citing personal reasons. Six months later, Davis rejoined the band and remained with Paramore, until this latest announcement.

In an interview following his reunion with Paramore, Davis describes that period of his life as one of great financial struggle. Finding himself in debt, Jeremy says he took a job delivering pizza for Dominos, but, as it turned out, he was so bad at it that the job only lasted three days. It was then that Davis returned to Paramore.

Apparently, there will be no such reunions this time, however. Jeremy seems to have definite plans for the future with a focus on his music career. Looking forward to change can have a way of inspiring artists, so Davis may already have looked beyond his Paramore days and into a bright, new future.

“The Self-Titled era was one that we knew would be important for us but also one we’d eventually have to move on from,” Paramore added to their statement.

This seems to imply that Jeremy’s resignation was imminent, or, at the very least, that there was discontent among band members. Whatever the reason, it seems changes to the line-up were coming and that the band as a whole had to come to terms with that. As they acknowledged, change, while never easy, is sometimes necessary.

Paramore’s most recent album was self-titled and it was their fourth studio album, but also the first one to feature the then new line up. Recorded after the departure of Zac and Josh, the album was said to be a reinvention of the band.

Paramore debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 with 106,000 copies sold during the first week. Four singles have been released from that album: “Now,” “Still Into You,” “Daydreaming,” and “Ain’t It Fun”.

[Featured image by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]