Rumours have been swirling about who will replace Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington (Picture: Getty)
The lead singer of Evanescence, Amy Lee, has denied rumours that she’ll be taking over as the lead singer for Linkin Park – though she admitted she wasn’t opposed to joining the band ‘part time.’
Speculation about Lee’s involvement with the iconic band first ignited earlier this month, sparked by comments from Orgy frontman Jay Gordon.
In an interview, Gordon hinted at the possibility of a female singer joining Linkin Park, fueling rumors of an impending lineup change following the tragic 2017 death of frontman Chester Bennington, who took his own life.
During an appearance on the Wired in the Empire radio show Gordon said of Linkin Park’s future: ‘It’s going to be tough without Chester Bennington, but we’ll see. I hear they got a girl singer now. That’s what I heard.’
‘Don’t quote me on that. I’m not sure who the singer is going to be, but I heard it was gonna be female. They might just try to move on like that. That ought to be interesting,’ Gordon remarked during the interview, stirring curiosity among fans.
However, following the ensuing buzz, Gordon clarified his statements with a Facebook post, emphasizing that he had no concrete information about Linkin Park’s plans.
Gordon retracted his statement on Facebook (Picture: Facebook)
‘With regards to this Linkin Park singer thing, I know nothing about any of that. People sure do love to take my words out of context. I love those guys and wish them the best,’ Gordon stated.
Despite Gordon’s backtrack, rumors persisted, with suggestions that Amy Lee could potentially fill the void left by the late Bennington.
Amy Lee has been the lead singer of Evanescence since 1994 (Picture: KMazur/WireImage)
But in a recent interview with Canada’s iHeart Radio, Lee swiftly dispelled the rumours, stating that she has not been approached by Linkin Park.
‘That is an incredible compliment. I have not heard that. No, I have not been contacted or anything like that. But [I’m a] huge fan; feel like our worlds, our fanbases are a lot of the same people,’ Lee said.
While the singer denied any involvement with Linkin Park’s lineup, she left the door slightly ajar for future collaborations, expressing openness to the idea of a ‘part-time’ stint with the band if the opportunity arose.
She continued: ‘That’s really sweet…I don’t know if (Evanescence and Linkin Park) were on a festival together or whatever. We met. We were in the studio at the same time. When we were making “Fallen,” I just briefly got to have a conversation or two with Chester. He was really sweet.’
The original lineup of Linkin Park was Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, Dave Farrell, Brad Delson, and Chester Bennington (Picture: Mick Hutson/Redferns)Rob Bourdon,
Continuing to address the rumours, she said: ‘But no, it’s not true. But that’s awesome. They should ask me about that. I don’t have a ton of free time, but I might do it part time.’
The group recently released a career-spanning greatest hits album titled ‘Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000-2023),’ featuring classics such as ‘In The End,’ ‘Burn It Down,’ and ‘Numb,’ along with the previously unreleased track ‘Friendly Fire,’ featuring Bennington.
For now, the future of Linkin Park remains uncertain without Chester Bennington.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.