Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Episode: Hayley Williams (Dec 2, 2025, The Ringer)

Episode Overview

This lively and heartfelt episode features Amy Poehler in conversation with Hayley Williams—iconic lead singer of Paramore and acclaimed solo artist—on the heels of Hayley’s third solo album, "Ego Death at the Bachelorette Party." With the familiar warmth and sharp humor Amy brings to each episode, the conversation delves into Hayley's musical roots, her relationship with her voice (and anxiety), the joys and strains of being a woman in the music industry, female friendship, touring stories, and even the mundane but very real struggles of being short. Before Hayley joins, Amy warms up the show with Hayley’s vocal coach, Doug Peck, who provides both hilarious and insightful glimpses into Hayley’s vocal regimen and career.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Musical Community & Warm-ups With Doug Peck

[02:48–14:23]

• Doug Peck (Hayley’s vocal coach & music director) opens by sharing how mutual friendships (Kathryn Hahn & Rashida Jones) brought him and Amy together for a charity choir.
• Amy gets a glimpse of Hayley's vocal warm-up routine, including playful exercises (“hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey”). Doug describes the indispensable bond and mutual eagerness for learning:

  “Hailey is … an open student and a student of life and just everything I’ve ever said to her, I feel like she just sponges it in and she remembers something I said three years ago and will make a great sound…and she’s such a Capricorn. She’s always ready to climb that next mountain.” —Doug Peck [06:03]

• Doug explains practical vocal health tips, like singing into a straw in water for cooldown (“It’s like a little massage for the vocal cords after heavy use, you know?” [10:18]), and shares the process of getting high, challenging notes (“That’s right. And sometimes when they record, they’ve…never done it live all the way through.” [07:08]).
• Doug’s thoughtful questions for Hayley: (1) "What would your Bat-signal be?" (2) "What’s the last song you’d want to hear before you die?" [11:35–12:06]

2. Hayley Williams: Voice, Anxiety, and Somatic Wisdom

[15:41–23:10]

• Hayley and Amy exchange “glazes” (fawning compliments) and bond over being nervous to meet each other (“I'm just gonna glaze you.” “Glaze me, baby. Glaze me.” [16:21–16:24]).
• Hayley reflects on her addiction to the internet, generational differences in internet use, and growing up with a mother who was a public school teacher—bonding with Amy over shared experiences [16:53–18:03].
• On forming a relationship with her own voice:

  “I started singing more to the hymns at church…my stomach ache would go away…It grounded me and it slowed me down.” —Hayley Williams [21:21] “The voice can tone the vagus nerve…which controls so much of this anxiety stuff and how we regulate. It makes perfect sense.” [21:45]

• Amy and Hayley discuss somatic techniques, the therapeutic effects of singing and sighing as forms of self-soothing [22:17–22:46].

3. Performance, Longevity, and Owning the Stage

[23:24–33:40]

• Hayley opens up about the challenge (and anxiety) of performing songs she wrote as a teen, especially high notes from "All I Wanted":

  “The journey of...so you've got this note and you're driving to it and you want to sing it on tour...” —Amy Poehler [26:07] “A lot of warming up and warming down after shows.” —Hayley Williams [26:32]

• The reality of aging as a performer—changes in vocal comfort zones, regrets about quitting music theory, and the “tender” process of band formation and musical taste-trading as a teen in Tennessee [27:12–31:14].

4. Womanhood, Safety, and Femininity in Rock

[33:40–38:14]

• The conversation pivots to the struggle and evolution of identity as “the only girl in a gang” for years on tour:

  “I really shirked any aspect of me that was remotely feminine…I did it to myself. No one asked me to do that.” —Hayley Williams [36:57]

• Amy and Hayley honestly discuss the “deprogramming” of internalized bias and learning to re-embrace femininity with curiosity and less judgment.

5. Role Models, Female Mentors, and Community

[38:35–41:35]

• Hayley shares the importance of role models like Joan Jett and Kathleen Hanna, and how intergenerational mentorship was rare but precious:

  “It’s so validating, by the way, to read books like your book and Kathleen’s book, and read about women…outside of my family to really soak up wisdom from other women.” [40:12]

• The validation and healing of finally collaborating with women, from Joan Jett to the matriarchal dynamic of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour [41:04].

6. Tour Life, Routine, and Recovery

[41:35–47:41]

• Hayley details her more introverted post-show routine: Gogglebox, room service, and downtime (“England is full of angels. According to Gogglebox.” [43:59]).
• The fun of watching heavy, meaningful TV and the pleasures of not going out every night in your 30s.

7. The Physicality (and Perils) of Performance

[47:49–50:30]

• From the stress of not losing your voice to the body’s “flight or fight” response, Hayley and Amy commiserate about performance anxiety, the possibility of onstage bodily mishaps (“How have I not shit my pants?…Women, most of the time, don’t shit their pants. That’s like a guy thing, actually.” [48:32–49:10]).
• The unique, connected feeling of recognizing front-row fans and the communal catharsis of songs that change meaning in the crowd’s hands:

  “It’s almost like I intuit what the song means to them. I’m not thinking about what it means to me anymore. It’s so healing.” —Hayley Williams [49:42]

8. Transcendence, Joy, and Meaning Through Music

[50:40–54:00]

• The song "Last Hope" takes on a new, redemptive life because of fans:

  “Having that at a paramore show…and feeling like everyone in the room has survived so many different things and we’re all here…It really does something to those types of songs where I wrote them in such isolation.” —Hayley Williams [51:06]

• Hayley articulates how joy is a challenging, unfamiliar emotion (“Joy is a tough emotion for me because I don’t trust it. I always think it’s gonna—the piano’s gonna fall from the sky…”) but finds it through crowd connection [52:53].

9. Short Girl Problems

[54:00–56:40]

• Hilarious, self-deprecating banter about the pros and cons of being 5'2":

  “You’re way up there, man…And I felt so vulnerable to the elements…closer to the sun.” —Hayley Williams [55:18] “Nothing is made for shorties.” —Hayley Williams [56:14]

10. Influence, Artistic Community, and 30s Real Talk

[56:51–61:57]

• Amy praises Hayley as a “favorite artist’s favorite artist,” and Hayley discusses collaborating with artists of all ages—like David Byrne and the Linda Lindas.
• The feeling of being in the middle generation (“30s are weird. Especially the middle of my 30s…Something happened at 35. I started seeing myself, like, seeing pictures and being like, oh, that’s different.” [58:39])
• Amy reassures her ("I don't feel old...I'm 54") and both reflect on how age perceptions shift [59:18–59:47].

11. Women in Music Today & Inspiring Sounds

[61:57–62:48]

• Hayley lists artists she’s excited about, including Mannequin Pussy, Olivia Dean, Scandinavian music scenes, and the joy of connecting with other women musicians (“We don’t have to be doing the same thing… I feel so much less alone by engaging in it more, and it’s so exciting.” [61:03]).

12. What Makes Hayley Laugh: Wayne’s World & Nostalgia

[63:01–64:46]

• Hayley’s comedic and fashion hero is Wayne’s World (“I thought that’s how we would dress when we became adults...This movie has—it’s like The Godfather to me. I quote that movie all the time.” [63:40]).

13. Doug Peck’s Bat Signal & Final Reflections

[65:03–67:39]

• Hayley answers Doug’s Bat Signal (“It would just be the Gremlin...you would see it in the sky and be like, gotta go.” [66:09]), and her “last song before you die” (“‘Staying Alive.’ That was always my funeral song...it would be cool to go out to it as well.” [67:00]).
• The episode ends with Amy, Hayley, and Doug all doing a straw vocal cooldown together.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Musical Anxiety & Healing

  “I started singing more to the hymns at church…my stomach ache would go away…It grounded me and it slowed me down.”
  —Hayley Williams [21:21]

• On Femininity in Rock

  “I really shirked any aspect of me that was remotely feminine…It really hurt me. I did it to myself. No one asked me to do that.”
  —Hayley Williams [36:57]

• On Joy and Performance

  “Joy is a tough emotion for me because I don’t trust it. I always think...the piano’s gonna fall from the sky...Paramore shows...they feel so joyous, because I’m relying on a lot of other things.”
  —Hayley Williams [52:53]

• On Being Short

  “You’re way up there, man…I felt so vulnerable…I was, like, closer to the sun.”
  —Hayley Williams [55:18]

• On Influence and Community

  “We don’t have to be doing the same thing… I feel so much less alone by engaging in it more, and it’s so exciting.”
  —Hayley Williams [61:03]

• Hayley’s Bat Signal

  “It would just be the Gremlin…with a glow behind it…you would see it in the sky and be like, gotta go.”
  —Hayley Williams [66:09]

• The Ultimate Last Song

  “Staying Alive. That was always my funeral song. But I suppose it would be kind of cool to go out to it as well.”
  —Hayley Williams [67:00]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Doug Peck musical warm-ups & song talk: [02:48–14:23]
• Hayley Williams joins / voice & anxiety: [15:41–23:10]
• High notes, age, and vocal maintenance: [23:24–33:40]
• Femininity and safety in music industry: [33:40–41:35]
• Tour/post-show routines: [41:35–47:41]
• On-stage mishaps & physicality of singing: [47:49–50:30]
• Songs changed by fans: [50:40–54:00]
• Short girl struggles: [54:00–56:40]
• Artistic community & age: [56:51–61:57]
• Women in music today: [61:57–62:48]
• What makes Hayley laugh / Wayne’s World: [63:01–64:46]
• Bat signal & last-song-before-dying: [65:03–67:39]
• Vocal cooldown with straws (fun closing): [67:39–69:02]

Closing Tone

The episode is a deep, witty, and affirming exploration of creative evolution, self-acceptance, enduring female friendships, and the simple joys of music—the kind of “good hang” Amy embodies. Hayley is candid, vulnerable, and always ready to laugh, with a conversational chemistry that is infectious and inspiring for listeners of all backgrounds.