Mike Shinoda on What Led Linkin Park to Reform
It took over seven years for Linkin Park to reform following the shocking 2017 death of singer Chester Bennington. In a new interview, Mike Shinoda explains what led to the band reforming.
Shinoda recently sat down with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, and Fallon posed the big reforming question. Shinoda began by saying, “I think the important thing for us is that we never set out to like, ‘Let’s bring the band back’ or like, ‘Let’s find a singer.’ It was never — That was never our intention or our goal. It was more like there was — I remember where there was a moment where our DJ, Joe [Hahn] — he just, like — We went to breakfast, and he was like, ‘ I think we should, like, hang out a little more often. Like, can we, like get together and just be creative? Like, I don’t know what that means.'”
He continued, “But, you know, one thing led to another, and it was almost like this new record — Like, we wrote it, we came up with the music while we were creating the new band. When we started the music, we didn’t have a band, and it just came together while the music came together, I guess.”
This then led Fallon to ask Shinoda what the meaning is behind the new album’s title, From Zero. Shinoda replied, “It’s a double entendre. It’s a double meaning. It’s both, like, you know, starting from scratch or starting with a blank canvas at least.
He added, “And then, also, our original band name, like, when we first started — Actually, it was just me and my friend, Mark, and the band was called Xero with an ‘X’ … Not a terrible first-band name. I think we ended up on the right band name. But we added Brad and ‘Phoenix’ and Rob and Joe. And then later, we met Chester, and at that point, we named ourselves Linkin Park.”
From Zero comes out on November 15 and is available for pre-order/pre-sale via Warner Records. In a statement released when the album was first announced, Shinoda said, “This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we’re currently undertaking. Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future—embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans. We are proud of what Linkin Park has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead.”
