Taylor York

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

York was born the youngest of three boys on December 17, 1989, and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. His father, Peter York, is a guitarist and taught the instrument to both Taylor and his elder brother Justin. York had been in a band with the Farro brothers (Josh and Zac) months before the two met Hayley Williams. Zac Farro introduced York to Williams at a high school football game, and they hit it off right away. York did not take part in writing songs for Paramore's debut album, All We Know Is Falling, and is not credited on that album. The bonus track "O Star" was written around 2005, when York and Williams were approximately 15–16 years old, not just after they met (they met around 2002). After Josh and Zac Farro left the band, Williams said that she was sure York would leave the band as well. York said in interview: "When it went down, it was hard for me to make a decision. I just wasn't ready. I broke down, and started crying at one point, and I just knew that I wasn't done and that I loved being in a band with Jeremy and Hayley so much. I still had a lot more to do with the band, so I just looked forward and did it." Williams has praised York as someone who helped keep her alive during her depression and cites him as the reason Paramore is still a band and did not break up.

In Their Own Story

In September 2022, York confirmed that he is in a relationship with Williams. In 2015, Williams quietly left Paramore for a brief period due to depression. York then remained the only member of Paramore, as bassist Jeremy Davis later left the band and embroiled York and Williams in a lawsuit over ownership and authorship of songs on Paramore's self-titled fourth record. Williams recalls crying in her car after they met up for coffee following a show together and knew the band was going to be okay with York staying. Since then, they became close again and have since grown closer.

Reader's Guide

York has played with Paramore since 2007. He had done backup vocals when he was younger for the band, before All We Know Is Falling. In the liner notes for the group's second album, Riot!, Hayley Williams, Josh Farro, and Zac Farro included him on their list of "thank yous". He also helped write "That's What You Get" and bonus track "Stop This Song", which his brother Justin York helped write. After the release of Riot!, Paramore released a live album, The Final Riot!. York was credited as a member of the band in the liner notes of the latter and was later officially acknowledged by Paramore as an official member on June 15, 2009. York has mentioned having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. His favorite artists include mewithoutYou, Radiohead, Kent, Yann Tiersen, At the Drive-In, Failure, Björk, Kadawatha, and Paper Route. More recently in interviews, he has cited Afrobeat music as a big influence in his writing for After Laughter. Talking Heads, Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, Paul Simon, The Strokes, Thomas Mapfumo, Tame Impala, and The Cure were also named influences and favorite artists of his.

Did You Know?

• York wrote the song 'O Star' with Hayley Williams when they were approximately 15–16 years old, around 2005, a few years after they first met in 2002.
• York's father, Peter York, is a guitarist and taught the instrument to both Taylor and his brother Justin.
• York was introduced to Hayley Williams by Zac Farro at a high school football game.
• York won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 2015 for 'Ain't It Fun' with Hayley Williams.
• York has mentioned having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.