Emily Armstrong has revealed her biggest fear about replacing Chester Bennington in Linkin Park. She opened up about her doubts over performing the band’s biggest hits and explained why she chose to simply be herself while singing them in a new interview with People.
“You see it in the documentary where I’m just like, ‘Am I even cut out for this?'” Armstrong said. “You’re trying to give yourself every reason to just be like, ‘You’re not good. Everybody knows these songs.'”
She went on to explain her approach to the band’s earlier material.
“That’s the only thing that I could think of. Don’t try to be like anybody. You’re not a replacement. Nobody could ever, ever replace Chester. Do what you do,” she said.
Armstrong also spoke about her goal of matching the emotional weight of the original recordings.
“The only thing that I could possibly try with the old songs is just to have the same emotional impact as much as I possibly can with the songs, because that’s what you’re ultimately going to want at this point. That’s what I would want as a listener, as a Linkin Park fan. I would want that emotional feeling. And I was like, ‘Okay. I think I could do that,'” she said.
She added that joining an already legendary band brings its own pressure.
“You know this band to be legendary already, so you have to step up to the plate. I know what I’m capable of doing. How do I now turn that on? I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I hope I don’t f*cking ruin this song,'” she said.
Armstrong’s comments follow her continued run performing Linkin Park’s classic tracks. Her doubts make more sense when set against how quickly her role in the group took shape.
Linkin Park introduced Armstrong, the singer of the rock band Dead Sara, as its new co-vocalist in September 2024. The announcement came during a livestreamed performance.
The band also premiered “The Emptiness Machine” that night. It was Linkin Park’s first new music in seven years.
Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson and Dave Farrell chose Armstrong for the role. Drummer Colin Brittain also joined the lineup after founding member Rob Bourdon stepped away.
Her arrival launched a new chapter through the album From Zero, Linkin Park’s first full-length release since 2017’s One More Light. The record produced the No. 1 rock hits “The Emptiness Machine” and “Heavy Is the Crown.”
The band then took the music on the road with the From Zero World Tour. It began in September 2024 and ran until June 2026.
The documentary Armstrong mentions, Linkin Park: Unshatter, follows the uncertainty, grief and creative risk behind the band’s return. It includes raw footage of early recording sessions and the experimentation that led to her joining the group.
