Emily Marcia Armstrong (born May 6, 1986) is an American singer. The co-founder of Dead Sara, she joined Linkin Park as the band's new lead vocalist in September 2024, following the death of their long-time lead vocalist Chester Bennington in 2017.
Early life
Armstrong was born in Los Angeles. Her parents were prominent members of the Church of Scientology, and she was raised as a Scientologist.[1] She started to write songs and play guitar when she was 11 and began to sing when she was 15. She dropped out of high school; she knew she wanted to be in a rock band when she picked up the guitar and had no interest in pursuing anything else.[2] In an interview with the El Paso Times in 2012, Armstrong said music was the one thing that kept her motivated in life.[3]
In 2002, Armstrong began playing with guitarist Siouxsie Medley, who she met through a mutual friend. They had similar taste in music; both Medley and Armstrong were influenced by Nirvana and L7, among others, and 1960s and 1970s folk and blues artists and classic rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell, and Fleetwood Mac.[4]
Initially known as Epiphany, Dead Sara's first gig was at the Los Angeles nightclub The Mint in March 2005. In addition to singing, Armstrong played the bass.[5] As a songwriter, Armstrong was significantly influenced by folk rock. Her interest in open and alternate tunings, such as those used by Mitchell, resulted in what Guitar World referred to as Dead Sara's signature sound.[5] As a performer, she was influenced by artists including Iggy Pop and Janis Joplin.[6]
Armstrong received significant attention as a singer before Dead Sara's debut was released. Noting her "strong, urgent sound", Grace Slick said Armstrong was a singer she admired in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in 2011,[7] and Courtney Love brought Armstrong to New York to sing on Hole's 2010 album, Nobody's Daughter.[8]
On September 5, 2024, at the start of a livestreamed Linkin Park concert, Armstrong was introduced as the band's new co-lead vocalist. The livestream included a performance of "The Emptiness Machine", the lead single of the group's forthcoming album From Zero, which released on November 15, 2024.[13][14]
Linkin Park's first public show with Armstrong took place on September 11, 2024 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. In a review in Los Angeles Times, Steve Appleford wrote: "Like Bennington, Armstrong is as capable with rich melodies as throat-ripping vocals, which fit naturally in the established Linkin Park sound."[15] Chris Willman's review in Variety noted that the estimated audience of 17,000 were "clearly signaling their assent to her joining the band with a constant roar that roughly matched the one she was putting out."[16]
Personal life
In 2016, Armstrong was in a relationship with model Kate Harrison.[17] She identifies as queer.[1]
Church of Scientology
In 2013, Armstrong was photographed attending the 44th Anniversary Gala of the Church of Scientology's Celebrity Centre International[18] and, in a press release following the event, the Church identified her as one of several "prominent members".[19] Shortly after Armstrong joined Linkin Park in September 2024, she was the subject of media reports about her ties to the controversial church. A lot of the band's fans were also critical of her affiliation with the Church.[20] According to the BBC, "Armstrong has never publicly commented on her relationship with the church, but several of Dead Sara's lyrics suggest criticism and rejection of Scientology's teachings."[1]
Also in September 2024, it came to light that Armstrong had attended a 2020 criminal hearing of former actor and convicted rapist Danny Masterson, a longtime Scientologist.[21][22][23] Reports noted that one of Masterson's alleged victims, Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, and her spouse, Mars Volta and At the Drive-In singer and former Scientologist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, were publicly critical of Armstrong's decision to attend a hearing during Masterson's trial.[24] On September 6, Armstrong clarified that while she attended one court appearance in support of someone whom she considered a friend at the time, she realized shortly afterward she should not have done so and had not spoken to them since. She said she does not condone abuse or violence against women and empathizes with the victims of these crimes.[25]
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