Chester Bennington passed away in July 2017. His death was a low blow for Linkin Park. Now Mike Shinoda spoke in a conversation about how the band was able to motivate themselves to reunite despite obstacles.
Linkin Park’s reunion wasn’t easy
“We’re in a very interesting time as individuals for our band because we’ve suffered a great loss and been deprived of the opportunity to continue doing what we loved,” Shinoda said in a Dec. 19 interview with ” Complex”. “In our heads it was almost like we were done with it. And there was nothing we could have done to hide it.”
Nevertheless, the thought of a possible Linkin Park comeback was never completely gone. Part of his motivation was to show his children and everyone else that tragedy and low points could be overcome. Mike Shinoda also talked about how he met Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain and then got back together with Joe Hahn and Dave Farrell. Together with the bassist and DJ, Shinoda dreamed of making music again. It took a while before the group was able to admit to themselves that Linkin Park could also have good chemistry with Armstrong and Brittain.
“That was pure madness. And that’s just the creative side.”
“[From Zero] was like… There are all these different elements at play. There are people who loved our first two records and didn’t like everything after that. There are people who were there the whole time and preferred the more adventurous stuff. There are people who are potential fans who never liked the band, but with the new line-up they would,” the musician continued in an interview.
He also spoke of another hurdle. “There’s also the aspect of Chester and Rob [Bourdon] – who are not in the new line-up – how do we deal with this? How do we treat them with respect and for them? How do we do this while supporting our new members, Emily and Colin, and giving them the best platform for success? That was pure madness. And that’s just the creative side.” Such obstacles, such as marketing a new album, were worrying for the rapper and guitarist. He asked himself whether it was the right decision to go through with the Linkin Park reunion.
“It has Linkin Park’s DNA in it.”
However, the music that Linkin Park created calmed Shinoda down. He continued: “I really feel like the music got me through it. When we made the songs, I always sat down and listened to what we were doing. That calmed me down. It felt like, ‘Yeah, this has Linkin Park’s DNA in it,’ even though it’s different. I know it’s there.”