Josh Farro

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Lore & Background

Farro was born in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, on September 29, 1987, the second-oldest of five siblings, including Paramore drummer Zac Farro. He is a self-taught guitarist and began playing when he was 13 years old. His family later moved to Franklin, Tennessee. Along with his younger brother Zac, Farro was a founding member of Paramore, serving as the band's lead guitarist and backing vocalist from 2004 until his exit in late 2010. Farro was credited with co-writing almost every track on Paramore's first three albums. On December 21, 2010, a blog appeared online claiming to be an official exit statement from the Farro brothers. The blog entry refuted statements made by Paramore's official website regarding the brothers' departure and was heavily critical of Hayley Williams, her family, Atlantic Records, and Fueled by Ramen. Farro appeared in a video on YouTube claiming that the blog was genuine. The video was quickly removed for reported violations, but Farro re-uploaded it a few days later. In the 2010 blog post, Farro cited creative control, management issues, and dissatisfaction with the band's direction as the main reasons for departing Paramore.

In Their Own Story

On February 2, 2011, Farro announced he had established a Twitter account for his new band, Novel American. The band included high school friends Van Beasley, Tyler Ward, and Ryan Clark, each formerly of the band Cecil Adora. Unlike in Paramore, Farro relegated himself to guitar in the new project, saying, 'I never wanted to sing. My voice — and this is not false humility — is just not that good.' On February 22, 2011, the band announced Farro's brother Zac would replace Tyler Ward on drums. However, on May 23, 2014, Farro stated that he had scrapped the project entirely, primarily due to the lack of a suitable vocalist. In May 2014, Farro announced on Twitter that he had scrapped his previous band, Novel American, because 'nothing was going anywhere'. Later that year, he announced the name of his solo project, Farro. His debut single, 'Color Rush', was released in November 2014, with a music video appearing on YouTube. Farro released his debut album, Walkways, independently on February 5, 2016. He announced a mini tour to support the album throughout the year. On May 19, 2017, he announced on Twitter that he is writing for his second album, however there has been no update on a release date since. On February 6, 2026, it was announced that Farro, alongside Rebekah White Williams, Mitch Wong, and Tommy Iceland had joined to create Poets and Prophets, a contemporary Christian music collective. They were signed to Fair Trade Services, and their debut single, 'Make Room', was released on March 13, 2026.

Reader's Guide

Josh Farro's career spans multiple phases. From 2004 to 2010, he was co-founder, lead guitarist, and backing vocalist for Paramore, co-writing almost every track on their first three albums: All We Know Is Falling (2005), Riot! (2007), and Brand New Eyes (2009). His departure in late 2010 was marked by a controversial blog and YouTube video where he cited differing beliefs with Hayley Williams as a reason for leaving. In 2011, he formed Novel American, but scrapped the project in 2014 due to lack of a suitable vocalist. That same year, he launched his solo project Farro, releasing the single 'Color Rush' in November 2014 and his debut album Walkways independently on February 5, 2016. He announced writing for a second album in May 2017, but no release date has been given. In February 2026, he joined the contemporary Christian music collective Poets and Prophets, signed to Fair Trade Services, releasing their debut single 'Make Room' on March 13, 2026. He also co-wrote the song 'This Is Amazing Grace' with Jeremy Riddle and Phil Wickham, featured on Bethel Music's For the Sake of the World and Phil Wickham's The Ascension.

Did You Know?

• Josh Farro is a self-taught guitarist who began playing at age 13.
• He co-wrote almost every track on Paramore's first three albums.
• He cited creative control, management issues, and dissatisfaction with the band's direction as reasons for leaving Paramore.
• His debut solo album Walkways was released independently on February 5, 2016.
• He co-wrote the song 'This Is Amazing Grace' with Jeremy Riddle and Phil Wickham.