In that moment that you and I sat in the sound space downstairs, you were gonna release Lost, where was Linkin Park in your head?

Where did you stand with this entire thing that's happening now?

Basically what's important to remember, what's important to know here is that we didn't have like a moment where we said, hey, let's get the band back together.

We didn't have a moment where we said, let's try out singers.

People had suggested stuff like that, not suggested as much as like, hey, is this an idea that you'd like?

They floated things by us.

One of which, by the way, which is my favorite, I talk about this all the time now, is like a couple people were like, what if you did like an American Idol voice style competition and the winner is the singer?

That's the opposite of what we wanted to do, or yeah, it's the opposite of what we felt was like the right thing because we, our band is built on like natural chemistry and relationships and that's almost, it's just very important.

I think that like probably around the time that you're talking about, I bet we were, Dave and Joe and I in the very beginning had started talking more often and we were just like, what if we get together and we just like start making some things, like making some music?

It doesn't have to be Linkin Park.

Let's just get together and be creative and have fun and that's what we did.

Back then, it was more about like just spending more time together and then the more time evolved into songs and the songs evolved into let's invite some other people in and see how that feels and eventually, we got to the point where it's like that girl, Emily, the stuff we make with her is special.

I don't know why it's special, it just feels special and even though the things we've made are good, I bet we make stuff that's great with her if we just do it more often.

We also met Colin who's playing drums for us now.

Colin is a writer and producer that I met in a session, like some random session a few years ago and just instantly clicked with him and so once the six of us all started to get together with Brad and Joe and Dave, it was like, it just slowly came into focus.

What would you say was the most or the next most significant moment or a turning point with all of you when this started to become more of a reality?

Like this isn't just that we're in a room and we feel good together and this makes sense, what was the next significant moment?

I bet everybody has different answers to this.

I might even have different answers to it.

I think for me the first one that comes to mind is, well I mean there were a couple songs and Emptiness Machine is one of them.

There was a couple songs where when we did them in the form that you hear on the record, like on Emptiness Machine for example, when we put Emily's vocal, when Emily sang on it, the song at that point was pretty written and we had been making new songs with her from scratch.

We're like, oh you know what?

Will you sing on this one that we've already done, like just learn the words or whatever and she came in and crushed it and we were like, that's a Linkin Park song.

You can't listen to that song and say it's anything else.

At that point too we were like considering, should we call this a different band name?

Do we need like one singer?

Maybe we've got like multiple people like playing different roles and stuff and when she was singing on certain things, it sounded so much like the band.

It just, for me, I was just like that feels good.

I don't know.

I can't be logical about it.

It's an illogical thing.

It just feels good.

I think about her journey and her experience a lot, especially yesterday because all of you are going to have a unique experience but Emily has, in a way, more eyes on her.

Some of them critical, some of them, you know, she's just doing something that somebody else was doing before her so she's going to be watched in a different way.

Have you talked to her about that?

Did you give her any advice and where does she stand?

We've all talked about it with each other and with her a million times and we're still talking about it.

I appreciate, one difficult thing that people are experiencing is just that they've heard Linkin Park for so long with Chester's voice and the idea of somebody else being in that role feels, it feels really different, you know.

I know that in the context of the music that's not released yet, I know that I love it.

I think her voice is incredible and the best thing for people who have such a strong connection to Chester to know, just to know about me, is that Chester was a one-of-a-kind person and a one-of-a-kind voice and Emily is also a one-of-a-kind person and a one-of-a-kind voice.

She's not trying to be him.

She's trying to be her and it so happens that I think she, singing on these songs, sounds like Linkin Park.

Let's talk about From Zero because when I heard her sing, Mike, yesterday specifically, everything you just said resonates because, yes, it sounds like Linkin Park, but I see Emily.

You can't not see Emily.

Let's talk about From Zero and what was the energy that like quarterbacked that album that makes it new again?

A lot of things.

We definitely started with a bunch of music that was all over the place, almost like different genres or something.

It was not that extreme, but the sounds of the songs were very disparate.

They were very all over the place.

Then, as has happened before, I'm usually in the driver's seat to a large degree on the records.

I have a producer credit on this one.

We didn't work with another producer.

What I was noticing as we started to get everybody's feedback on what things they liked, what things were their favorite and least favorite, as we were implementing everybody's ideas, the album was naturally coming into more of a focus.

The band became clear at the same time that the music became clear.

Isn't that weird?

Imagine you're making an album, but you don't know what the band is.

Then, as you're making the songs, you go, this is the band.

So strange.

I mean, it's one of those things that I think are meant to be.

If the energy is right in the room, you get to the point that you're talking about.

It had to have been so validating for you to feel that because you're like, oh my God, we put the right pieces together.

That must have been an incredible moment.

I just really, on a really stupid and straightforward note, I just like the sound of Emily's voice.

That's such a simple thing.

But when we had some demos that other people tried, other people sang, and I'm talking about people you don't know, it wasn't like, just to say it's ridiculous, it wasn't like Ariana Grande.

It was like people you don't know.

People try it.

People sing them.

And I felt like the thing that was missing, the thing that was obviously there when Emily sang it that was different, is that when she sings, she taps into this honest emotion in the inflection of her voice, in the presentation, in the way she does it.

It's raw, it's visceral, and it's honest in a way that very few people can do.

And I gravitate towards singers that when I hear it, I just personally believe them.

And she taps into things in the lyrics, even if she didn't write a lyric.

She taps into a presentation of it in a way that I think makes the song better.

We got to see it yesterday, finally.

We got to see it and you got to experience it.

Yesterday was the first time, I'm assuming, well, I think, I know, that you were all on stage with fans, with the complete energy in the room.

So we got to see it.

Did you have a moment yesterday?

You had the biggest smile on your face.

I know that Mike smile.

That's like the giddy Mike smile.

You were wearing it yesterday, but I'm sure you were nervous and all the things.

But did you have a moment that you looked around that maybe stood out more than others?

Well, when we first, at the beginning of the set, I was like, I can't remember being so nervous and I don't get nervous for shows usually.

But I was like, yeah, my brain was like scrambled eggs.

And then getting out there and seeing the fans and starting the first song, which is our Emptiness Machine, the new song, that was just so reaffirming.

It was just like, oh, this is where this belongs.

This is what I do.

It connected pieces that weren't connected yet and the fans being there as a part of the puzzle that's so important, right?

Like singing it in a room by myself, I focus a lot on the craftsmanship of the song.

But singing in a room with people, I focus almost completely on, if I have rehearsed enough, then I'm focusing completely on my connection with them, their faces.

And they couldn't sing along to the song.

They don't know the song.

They're just listening.

And to see the look on their faces as we got into it was really, really special.

I will never forget it.

It was so special.

I can't wait.

Again, as you know, we've got a show here in L.A. on the 11th at the Forum.

In just a few days, which the turnaround time is nuts.

Yeah.

So the tickets went on sale.

The tickets go on sale today.

They're just starting to sell pre-sale to the fan club right now.

And the reaction is so far really strong.

We don't know.

What would we know if people want to see this or not?

We've been away for years.

We've got a different lineup.

I don't know.

People would be like, I don't care.

And for them to come back so strong and affirm the band is the biggest blessing in the world.

So I'm so, so grateful for that.

I also know that the show we did on the live stream yesterday was 60 minutes on a stage that was designed for that live stream.

And the show we're going to do at the Forum is over two hours.

And it's different production.

So believe me when I tell you, we've put in so much time and work into what these things that you're seeing right now, it's years of work.

And thank goodness that it didn't leak.

Which is unbelievable.

I'll ask you one more thing before we wrap it up.

And just because I want to include Chester, if he could, and I know he is in some way, but if we know that he's watching, what do you think he would think about all that's happening right now?

Because I think he'd be stoked.

Well, I appreciate you saying that.

Well, like a couple of things about Chester that I know is that he would never, like, he was an open-minded person when it came to music he liked.

He would like, and so the idea that the band being fronted by a female singer is something that I feel like he would have come up with the idea.

He would have been, you know what I'm saying?

Like, he's not, he was never like, I don't know.

I feel like there's some dudes who are, like, sexist about their rock and roll.

And we've never, none of us have ever been that way.

Funny side note, actually, funny piece of trivia.

We didn't need to change any lyrics to any of the songs that Emily is singing because there's no he, she, whatever.

Wow.

It's all relatively ambiguous.

So strangely, she doesn't ever have to change a he or a she.

That is really cool.

Anyway, so that's, yeah, that just popped in my mind.

Sorry for the sidetrack.

But, yeah, to your point, like, I said something to the fans last night, you know, that my hope is that Emily can be Emily.

And if you're feeling like a connection to Chester when you're listening to music, then let that come through you.

I think he can come through, his singing can come through the mouths of the crowd as opposed to, like, putting Emily in that weird position.

I think the best thing for her to do is for her to be herself.

And obviously, like, we all love what Chester, you know, how Chester sang and what he meant to the band.

So that goes without saying.

I want to leave it on that note because I think what you said, I haven't heard anybody phrase it like this.

The fans can sing for Chester's voice or through Chester and Emily can be Emily.

And I think that's where we leave it because this is a beautiful thing that you're building on.

And I'll see you at the forum, but buddy, here we go.

This is going to be amazing.

Awesome, man.

I'm so excited.

Thank you.

I know.

I could see it in your face.

And yesterday, when I was watching the live stream, like, it almost looked like your cheeks were going to hurt at the end of the performance because you did smile big, dude.

And it's nice to see that again.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

You're welcome.

All right, I'll see you soon.

All right, see you soon.