Template:Infobox album One More Light is the seventh studio album by Linkin Park. It marks a departure from the heavy sound of The Hunting Party, the first time the band has written songs starting from the vocals, and the first Linkin Park album to be titled after a song. It was also the final album released with Chester Bennington.
Background
Linkin Park started to tour in support of The Hunting Party in May 2014 in Europe. This was followed by the Carnivores Tour in August and September, the Circuito Banco do Brasil shows in October, and the European leg of The Hunting Party Tour in November. Their show in Berlin on November 9 was recorded for a live DVD which remains unreleased.
Due to Chester Bennington breaking his ankle in January 2015, the band was forced to cancel the rest of the United States leg of The Hunting Tour after only three shows.[1] During Chester's recovery, the band met at the studio to go through a few new demos they had already written, like "Spirals", "All Our Days", "Hands Itch", and "Last Straw";[2] and Chester worked with Stone Temple Pilots on new music.[3][4] Linkin Park also released an acoustic version of "Final Masquerade" through their website to thank the fans for their support.[5] By the end of March, Chester was fully recovered and went on a tour with Stone Temple Pilots, coming back to Linkin Park in May to play a few festivals around North America.
Fort Minor, Mike Shinoda's side project, officially made its comeback in June, after an almost 10-year hiatus.[6] Mike released a new single, "Welcome", and performed a couple of one man shows as Fort Minor.
The Hunting Party Tour was resumed in July in China. Right before the first show of the tour, the band held a press conference in Shanghai, where Mike played a piece of new music he had been working on during their flight.[7] The band went back to Europe in August for the final leg of the tour. Between the Linkin Park shows in Europe, Mike also performed a few Fort Minor shows. After the tour, Mike had sessions in London with an undisclosed artist[8] (later revealed to be Justin Parker), and Chester went back to Stone Temple Pilots for what proved to be the band's last tour with him, as Chester left his position on the band in November.[9] Chester, however, would do a one-off reunion show with the band in March 2016.[10]
In early October, Linkin Park did a mentoring session with Zayed Hassan, the grand prize winner of the Stagelight Monthly Music Contest, at Red Bull Studios in Los Angeles,[11][12][13] resulting in the song "Sailing Through The Clouds". After that, the band went back to their studio to work on new material[14][15][16] and recorded a collaborative track, "Waiting For Tomorrow", with Martin Garrix in early November.[17] That same month, the band would play their last shows of 2015 before returning once again to the studio.
While recording the album, the band also collaborated with many artists on non-Linkin Park music: "Like Riding A Bike", a Hot Karl song produced and featuring Mike was premiered in May[18] a few days after Mike teased the song on his Snapchat account;[19] Chester[20] and Mike[21] met with Mike Baczor of the band Her0[22] to collaborate on a song for his debut album that same month; a collaborative song recorded with The Lonely Island called "Things In My Jeep" was released on June 3;[23] Mike did additional production in the One Ok Rock song "One Way Ticket" in August;[24] and Brad Delson collaborated with his brother Greg in a song called "Willing To Try".[25]
The album's cover art is a picture taken by Frank Maddocks (who has worked with the band on every studio album)[26] at Venice Beach, a beachside neighbourhood in western Los Angeles, depicting the children of a friend of the band. Mike said, "Frank showed us this photo months ago, and it seems to continually raise its hand as an important photo with regards to the tone of the album. We kept coming back to it, which made it clear to us it would be the one that would end up on the cover. We're all family guys. The image reminds me of what it looks like when all of our families meet and our kids are together. For that reason there's a very personal connection between this artwork and the place the music came from. It reminds me of home."[27]
Writing and Recording
The band had been writing and recording mostly in Los Angeles but also had a few sessions in London and Canada.[28] In Los Angeles, they started working at the Larrabee Studios, but got a new studio headquarters at Sphere Studios[29] because they wanted more space.[30][31] The studio is located in a low-key area on the northeast side of Los Angeles, in The Valley. According to Mike Shinoda, the vocals and foundational songwriting was coming together in the main room, along with his beats and Brad's guitar. There used to be a lounge next to the main room which Joe turned into a second studio, so they were multi-tasking. Joe also brought a lot of his sonic toys and keyboards to the hangout room.[32]
Starting on January 15, 2016[34] the band decided, for the first time, to open up their process to fans through social media[35] by doing live streams, posting pictures and videos of their day by day in the studio, and sending studio updates to their mailing list.
Speaking to LPAssociation in early December 2015, Mike said he felt this was going to be an important album for the band, being something completely different from what they had done in the past, and saying the band doesn't really care about trends in music because their recording process takes too long to really grow on a song, and they simply don't care. They were trying a new approach to their recording process, working on words and melodies first before deciding the style of the songs, and they were looking at a late 2016 release for the album, with a 6 month hit-or-miss. According to him, the band goes to the record label not for what they think about the album, but for them to help get it out to the people.[35] In a Q&A with LPU members, Rob Bourdon said the fans were the reason the band was motivated to create something new, but they didn't try to guess if the fans would like the new songs because it could obscure their process. They also didn't want to rush the process of the new album, regardless of delaying its release, because they wanted it to be as perfect as possible.[36] In the end, their original goal of having new music out by the end of 2016 wasn't met because they slowed the process down to spend more time on the album and write a few extra new songs.[37]
The idea of writing the melodies and lyrics first was something producer Rick Rubin had always told them to do years past and they never listened because they always started track first.[38] While working with Justin Parker in London, Mike also learned a different approach to songwriting: to write without any sound in mind and, instead, write with meaning in mind.[39] Instead of writing tracks piece by piece, the band wouldn't leave a session without having a song. It would all start as a conversation, and out of those the songs would build progressively from a chord progression to lyrics.[40] Mike said they didn't know where the songs would end up since they change shapes over and over during the writing process, but they wanted completely flesh out the words and vocal melodies ideas before working out the music. Some songs were just one piano, keyboard, or guitar, and a vocal, and they were going to continue on this path until they felt like they've got more than enough material to begin the "sound" phase.[41] Some of Chester's vocals (and all of Mike's vocals) were demoed in Mike's home studio, which he described saying, "It’s one room and I’ve got basically a small drum kit, a ton of keyboards, a few guitars and basses and a microphone."[42]
Mike said, "The one thing that I am super excited about, I really wanna like make the riskiest songs now, because I feel like we're at the point where it's like, “okay, we've handled so many things” and risky could be a lot of different kinds of risky. Risky could mean the most weirdest, the weirdest thing, weirdest chord progressions or whatever, or could be the poppiest thing that comes to mind. That we just got like we made that work like it sounds like us, it doesn't sound weird, it sounds like very cool, and I wanna make some songs where you go like “holy shit” That's where we gotta find that."[43]
Very early in the process, Brad said there were very strong consistent themes in what they were writing.[38] The band have spoken about how they wanted an album that was honest and raw and that genre didn't really matter, with Chester saying how personal and important this album was to him. Mike mentioned he wrote a song specifically for his kids for the first time[39] and also assured fans that the album isn't political.[44] Mike said, "the very first thing we'd do each day is we'd get into the studio and say, "What's on my mind? What do I want to sing about and write about" and that defined a whole different kind of writing."[45] Mike took it upon himself to write down all the stuff they'd talk about as friends on a piece of paper[46] (something he learned while working with Wyatt Durrette)[47] and sometimes, just right in the middle of conversations about how they are dealing with (sometimes sad) things in life, he would start playing piano and ideas for verse, chorus, and bridge melodies and words would flow freely. They were able to record vocal ideas and lyrics the exact day the song was made, so it made the songs more emotional since Chester already knew the lyrics and meaning before he even came into the studio to lay down a track by reading it off a piece of paper.[48] Chester added, "There are songs that don’t specifically talk about situations – they talk about a frame of thinking. This is shit that’s gone on inside my head, or this is something I’m dealing with. To me it tells a story but it’s also revealing as well in a different way – and that feels honest to me."[49] The band pointed out that the songs aren't exclusively about Mike and Chester. They could be about them, the band, or whoever they were working with. Mike also said, "I think also it wasn't about one person's thing. It was usually about everyone."[50] Along with the problems Chester was going through, the other band members in Linkin Park have had tough times in life recently and that served as inspiration for the album.[51] According to Mike, what makes this album personal is the fact that the lyrics are more specific and puts the listener in a time and place.[52] "We all have kids and stuff, and a lot of the stuff from the album was inspired by a lot of things that happened in our family."[53]
While working on the album, Chester went through depression and alcoholic problems, one of his close friends died and his stepfather had cancer.[54] He suffered a three-day relapse[55] and went through an outpatient treatment program.[56] "I started reaching out and talking about my feelings. The next thing I know, I wasn't alone in the conversation in my head. I was inviting people into the conversation and getting feedback and working through this stuff. At the end of the process, I was surprised I was ever in this place. I was like, 'Wow, I can't see myself getting in that place again because I have such good friends'. I have a beautiful wife, great kids, awesome job."[57]
The band started narrowing down to some of their favorite songs and recording "some keeper vocals" in mid-February.[58] With a lot of material to choose from, they clearly had an album in there and decided to get votes from all six of the members to see which songs would make it. Mike made large documents in his computer with all of the notes/comments by band members on each song.[48] After getting the vocals right, keyboards/samples and drums were high on the list.[59] Mike said, "As we go, you're gonna hear them start to have a lot of layers, and maybe too many."[60]
Mike believed that the album is totally different from all their previous releases and wanted to use more live drums instead of programed beats during the recording process.[30][31] In June, he said the band had "narrowed it down recently to like under 20 hopefully." While he said guitars haven't really been worked on yet in the recording process, the band wanted this to be their best album yet and was taking a lot of time crafting the songs.[61] According to him, the foundations of the songs were there and he wanted to "get into experimentation mode" and record more live instruments.[62] Brad said, "I wound up putting a lot of guitar on this album. There’s a lot of layers and a lot of different guitars. The guitar work is nuanced and complementary to all of the other elements that we have put in there. I find guitar to be a dominant ingredient in any soup. The minute I put loud heavy guitars into an arrangement, I feel like it is a heavy colour. One of the goals of the production of this album was to do away with any notion of genre. We were looking at ways to juxtapose influences that we have in ways that you haven’t heard before. Building the guitar work into that was a fun challenge. I love the guitar work and tones that our engineer Ethan helped create with me and Mike [Shinoda] throughout this album. Even though you don’t hear guitar in the foreground in a heavy-handed way, there really is a ton of guitar on this album, and I’m really proud of it."[63] By December 16, the recording was done[64] and the band were moving out of the studio.[65]
The mixing stage started that same month,[28] with Chester saying they would be mixing for a long time because they had "a ton of songs."[66] He only listened to all the tracks together for the first time on January 29[67] and said that this was his favorite Linkin Park record to date and he couldn't wait to share it with the fans.[68]
The band worked with a wide variety of artists throughout the making of the album,[69] which Chester explained by saying they were curious about how others work and wanted to expand on their education.[66] Mike also said Linkin Park is more than capable of writing their own songs, but they wanted to change it up and write with others this time. They met with 30-40 songwriters, one at a time.[70] According to Phoenix, anyone who they've enjoyed the work of in the past or who is interested in seeing what they're doing and how they work, they've invited them in and hung out in the studio, whether it meant hanging out and eating lunch in the studio or doing some music and writing together.[71] Among the people who were seen with the band but didn't contribute to the album are Zane Lowe,[72][73][74] Quincy Jones,[75] and Kyle Lambert.[76]
While most of the collaborators on the album were just songwriters,[30][31] the band also brought in vocal producers because they wanted a different perspective on how to approach the vocals.[77] Among the collaborators are Justin Parker,[78] Conner Youngblood,[79] Jon Green,[80] [81] Blackbear,[82][83] Andrew Goldstein,[84][85][86] Eg White, Emily Wright, Andrew Bolooki,[39] Andrew Dawson, RAC, Corin Roddick,[28] Ross Golan,[87] Wyatt Durrette,[47] Michael Keenan Leary,[88] Brian Howes[89][90] and Alexander Spit. American singer Kiiara also had a 7 hour session with Linkin Park[91] to record vocals for a song written with Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter,[92] and rappers Stormzy and Pusha T contributed to the album with original verses.[93] The Chainsmokers (American DJ duo) revealed they were also asked to work with Linkin Park,[94] but whether the collaboration took place or not is unknown. In the past the band had a different approach to collaborations as explained by Mike, "Usually it means we’ve finished the song but we’ll ask somebody to add something to the top of it," but this time they have embraced full creative partnerships.[95] "Generally, here's how it would work: we'd get in the room with someone, and start on something from scratch with them. We worked mostly in the same way we always write songs, but with extra firepower in the room."[52]
During the sessions, Chester Bennington approached Billy Howerdel to contribute a song to the album. He had a halfway finished demo of a song called "Eat The Elephant" to which he could see Chester contributing. The song didn't make the album, but when Chester passed away, he saw that as a hint to finish the track. He said it was a kind of therapy. The chords, drums and lyrics were completely reworked and the new version was included on A Perfect Circle's 2018 album Eat The Elephant (titled after the song).[96]
Composition
All the songs featured in the album were started with vocals first — which was a new concept for Linkin Park. They worked on the story first, hook second, then music.[70] The band sampled their kids and put them in the demos, but they distracted from the songs so they removed them.[51] For the first time in a Linkin Park album, the final song titles were there from the start because all titles are words in the songs.[52] While touring in promotion of The Hunting Party the band worked on some music in their traditional "music first" method but those were eventually disregarded. A couple of early instrumental demos from those sessions, "Dark Crystal" and "Air Force One", were released in the LP Underground Sixteen album in November 2016.
A picture posted by Ethan Mates on Facebook in April revealed a folder titled "LP ALBUM 7 MAIN" containing 64 items, the visible ones dating from November 9, 2015 to April 7, 2016.[98][99] All those files contained demos and ideas for songs being written for the album, but at that point the band was already narrowing them down to their favorites since February.[59] Chester said focusing on the melodies and vocals first made this album process a lot more productive and fluid. They wrote over 150 demos.[40] Around 50 songs in this process got lyrics and melodies and Chester said he could pick 10 of any of those 50 and be happy with the songs, but when the rest of the band looks at the songs, it becomes pretty obvious as a group which songs are the strongest once they vote on them.[48] By May, they already had chosen around 20 songs.[61] Engineer Josh Newell explained this process, "Vocals get cut, demo parts get replaced with keeper parts, structures change, and so on. Sometimes a song everyone liked would end up going off in a direction that people didn’t like so we’d walk it back to see what changes didn’t work. As that happened, the list of songs starts getting shorter and shorter as the stronger material becomes obvious, and then the band picked the top 15 or so for the album and finished those. It was a very meticulous process, to say the least. The album definitely wasn’t just thrown together."[33] Mike said he would try to get demos and studio content that didn't make the album out to fans because there is some cool stuff.[100] Brad Delson added, "There's definitely a few gems that we've got in our back pocket. But I would say the vast majority of those songs fortunately will never see the light of day. They were just a part of the journey; the ones that were the most satisfying and exciting were the ones we ultimately focused on and finished and make up the album."[101]
The original demos for "Place To Start" and "Make It Up As I Go" from Mike Shinoda's Post Traumatic album were created during the One More Light sessions. About the former, he said, "That track actually started during the [2017 album] One More Light sessions. I had brought it in as a demo and never developed it all the way to the finish. There was a time when I thought that should be the intro to the One More Light album, actually."[102] According to him, "Rob did brushes and crashes on it back then."[103] As for the latter, "“Make It Up As We Go” was a song we started at the very end of the One More Light sessions with me, K. Flay and Brad [Delson]. All it was was a chorus and the rest of this demo track was terrible."[42] The song was originally a ballad but Shinoda tweaked the tempo; the chorus remained the same as it originally was.[104]
The band made a conscious decision of not having transitions between the songs because they wanted to ensure that each song was its own statement. The album opener, "Nobody Can Save Me", is considered by the band one of the foundational songs of the album, starting an emotional arc.[50]
Mike Shinoda mentioned there were several hip hop oriented tracks in consideration for the album — as well as some ideas and seeds for future Fort Minor songs, but he would be focusing on the Linkin Park album first.[105] The final product, however, doesn't have much rap, Mike did more singing instead. He said the rap verses he recorded would "show up at some point" and expressed his desire to remix some songs from the album.[70]
Mike is the lead vocalist on "Invisible" and "Sorry For Now"[106] with Chester doing the higher harmonies. He originally sang lead vocals on "One More Light" until the band went with Chester’s version right before the album was completed.[107] Mike raps heavily on "Good Goodbye" and Chester raps on "Sorry For Now".[40] Chester's vocals on the latter have been described by Mike as "singing rapping."[108]
Artists who influenced the sound of the album include Jack Garratt, Flume, Blackbear, Sohn, Louis The Child, Kid Cudi, D.R.A.M., Bon Iver, Raury, Troye Sivan, Banks, Jon Bellion, Run The Jewels, Anna Of The North, and ASTR.[109]
The sonic choices made on the album were intended to best support the song and create the best soundscape to get the idea across.[52] Mike said, "In terms of the style of the record, it's one of the most diverse stylistically, there's more genres mashed into this album than anything we've ever put out. You don't hear a lot of super heavy guitars. There isn't any screaming on the record."[110] There are, however, many guitars on the record, but they do not sound like guitars. As an example, Mike mentioned one of Brad's pedals which allows him to play the violin with his guitar, and in the background it sounds pretty electronic.[111] He adds, "To some extent it is a very polished record. Stylistically we wanted to blend all of the sound and genres together in a way you can’t tell them apart."[95] As to why they chose "Heavy" to present the album to the world, he told Billboard, "One of the reasons why we chose "Heavy" as the first single is because it is really the core sound of the album. This wasn't a scenario where the whole album sounds one way and the single sounds different. This is how the album sounds. So we wanted to go out with a song like that, where everybody can get a sense of the direction of this body of work."[45] According to him, a lot of songs on the album can make the listener think of old songs by The Cure or Tears For Fears.[111]
Despite Mike's statement of "Heavy" being the core sound of the album, the band chose "One More Light" as the title track, which he explained, "The song One More Light is a stripped down track, inspired by the passing away of a friend. It's the heart of the album in a way, maybe because of its minimalism, maybe because of the subject and execution. It's about loss, connection, and the myriad complex emotions that come along with this type of story."[52]
Describing his guitar work on the album, Brad said, "I love the acoustic work on Sharp Edges. I really like all of the layering of guitars on Invisible as well. There’s also a really unique presentation of the guitar in a way that I don’t think we’ve ever done on a song called Sorry For Now. That was one of the things that we were really excited about - it is wildly different to anything else that we have been doing."[63] He also said the songs on the album are "easier to share and play, whereas on other albums that translation process from what we did in the studio to the stage took some thinking and some work" and added they fit in with other songs from Linkin Park's catalog as well.[101]
There are features and plenty of collaborations with songwriters in the album.[40] Californian singer and songwriter Ilsey Juber lent her vocals for the two songs she wrote with the band, "Sharp Edges" and "Talking To Myself". The latter also features guitars and additional production by Andrew Jackson. "Heavy" features vocals by pop singer Kiiara, "Good Goodbye" features verses by rappers Stormzy and Pusha T, and "Halfway Right" features backing vocals by Ross Golan (who helped writing the song). English musician Jon Green, who helped writing two songs on the album, also recorded guitar, bass and vocals and did addtional production for the opening track "Nobody Can Save Me". Jesse Shatkin, who helped writing "Good Goodbye", also provided additional keyboards and additional programming on "Invisible". Finally, Portuguese DJ RAC, who had previously worked on a remix of "Burn It Down" for Recharged, did additional production on "Invisible" and "Sharp Edges".
Releases
Physical
The album was available on Linkin Park's official website in 5 different "One More Light Packages": CD + LPU Membership, Vinyl + LPU Membership, CD Bundle, Vinyl Bundle, and The “Just Give Me Everything” Box Set. All offers were accompanied by an LPU Digital Membership.
Both the CD Bundle and Vinyl Bundle included an One More Light t-shirt and a silver Linkin Park logo enamel pin.
The Box Set was bound inside a special One More Light Super Deluxe box with a 48-page hardcover book featuring all the best photos from the album package and all the lyrics, an unique 2.4" x 1.8” instant photo of the band (limited to 1000),[112] and an gold enamel pin set featuring a Linkin Park pin, a LP Hex Logo pin, and a "OML" Logo pin. It also included both the CD and vinyl versions of the album as well as the One More Light t-shirt.
A limited pressing vinyl of One More Light was available at Urban Outfitters with an exclusive green cover. It was limited to 2,500 copies.[113] An exclusive forest green vinyl was also sold by f.y.e.[114]
A limited number of fans who pre-ordered the album from the Japanese stores Tower Records, Tsutaya, HMV, WonderGOO, Amazon, and Warner Music Direct received an exclusive LP Hex Logo sticker. Each one of the 6 stores offered the sticker in a different color.[115]
Digital
One More Light was released on all big digital plataforms such as iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. No bonus tracks were included in any edition, making it the first ever Linkin Park studio album not to have any digital or downloadable bonus tracks whatsoever.
To coincide with the release of the album, the band put together on Groove Music, Microsoft's music subscription service, a curated playlist with songs that have inspired the creation of One More Light.[109]
Track Listing
Standard Edition
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Nobody Can Save Me | Delson Bradford Philip, Green Jonathan Ian, Shinoda Michael Kenji | 3:45 |
2 | Good Goodbye (feat. Pusha T & Stormzy) | Delson, Shatkin Jesse, Omari Michael, Shinoda, Thornton Terrance | 3:31 |
3 | Talking To Myself | Delson, Juber Ilsey Anna, Rotem Jonathan Reuven, Shinoda | 3:51 |
4 | Battle Symphony | Delson, Green, Shinoda | 3:36 |
5 | Invisible | Parker Justin, Shinoda | 3:34 |
6 | Heavy (feat. Kiiara) | Bennington Chester Charles, Cavazos Carin Julia, Delson, Shinoda, Tranter Drew Justin | 2:49 |
7 | Sorry For Now | Shinoda | 3:23 |
8 | Halfway Right | Bennington, Delson, Golan Ross Jacob, Leary Michael Keenan, Shinoda | 3:37 |
9 | One More Light | Shinoda, White Anthony Francis | 4:15 |
10 | Sharp Edges | Delson, Juber, Shinoda | 2:58 |
Personnel
Production
- Produced by Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson
- "Talking To Myself" co-produced by JR Rotem
- "Invisible" co-produced by Jesse Shatkin
- "Sorry For Now" co-produced by Blackbear for Beartrap LLC and Andrew "Goldstein" Goldstein for Mod Squad Music Inc.
- Addtional production on "Nobody Can Save Me" by Jon Green
- Additional production on "Good Goodbye" by Jesse Shatkin
- Additional production on "Talking To Myself" by Andrew Jackson
- Additional production on "Invisible" by Andrew Dawson and RAC
- Additional production on "Sorry For Now" by Michael Keenan
- Additional production on "Halfway Right" by Michael Keenan and Alexander Spit
- Additional production on "Sharp Edges" by RAC
- Vocal production by Andrew Bolooki on tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 & 8
- Vocal production by Jesse Shatkin on track 2
- Vocal production by Emily Wright on tracks 5, 6, 9 & 10
- Music performed by Linkin Park
- Vocals by Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda
- Chester's vocals recorded at The Pool Recording Studio, London, UK
- Mike's vocals recorded at The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, CA
- Music recorded at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA and Sphere Studios, North Hollywood, CA
- Engineered by Ethan Mates, Mike Shinoda and Josh Newell
- Assistant engineer: Alejandro Baima
- Studio B assistant engineer: Warren Willis
- Studio drum tech: Jerry Johnson
- Tracks 1, 5, 6 & 7 mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios, Virginia Beach, VA
- Engineered for mix by John Hanes
- Tracks 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 & 10 mixed by Manny Marooquin at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA
- Mix engineer: Chris Galland assisted by Jeff Jackson and Robin Florent
Linkin Park is:
- Chester Bennington - Vocals
- Rob Bourdon - Drums, Background Vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 8 & 10)
- Brad Delson - Guitar, Background Vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 8 & 10)
- Joe Hahn - Programming, Background Vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 8 & 10)
- Phoenix - Bass, Background Vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 8 & 10)
- Mike Shinoda - Keyboards, Programming, Vocals
Additional Musicians
- Kiiara's vocals on "Heavy" recorded at Sphere Studios, North Hollywood, CA
- Kiiara appears courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
- Pusha T's vocals on "Good Goodbye" recorded at No Name Studios, North Hollywood, CA by Tom Kahre
- Stormzy's vocals on "Good Goodbye" recorded at Matrix Studios, London, UK by Fraser T. Smith
- Pusha T appears courtesy of Def Jam Recordings. A division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
- Stormzy appears courtesy of #Merky Records
- Background vocals on "Talking To Myself" and "Sharp Edges" by Ilsey Juber
- Background vocals on ""Halfway Right" by Ross Golan
- Guitar and piano on "One More Light" by Eg White
- Additional guitar, background vocals and bass on "Nobody Can Save Me" by Jon Green
- Additional keyboards and programming on "Invisible" by Jesse Shatkin
- Additional guitar on "Talking To Myself" by Andrew Jackson
Management
- Worldwide representation: Machine Shop Entertainment - Bill Silva, Jessica Sklar, Ryan DeMarti and Trish Evangelista
- Booking agents: Dennis Arfa and Michael Arfin of Artist Group International
- Europe booking agent: Scott Thomas of X-Ray Touring
- Legal for Linkin Park: David Lande, David Byrnes, Mitch Tenzer and Irina Volodarsky for Ziffren Brittenham LLP
- Business affairs for Warner Bros. Records: Charles Hamilton
- Business managers: Todd Gelfand, Jeff Gillman, Gloria Balanay and Sheila Surmani for Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, LLP
- Publicity: Kymm Britton
- UK publicity: Lauren Hales
- Videography: Mark Fiore
- Machine Shop: Whitney Showler, Lorenzo Errico, Michael Seversky, Christian Tachiera and Dominic West
- Machine Shop consultants: Jason Hobbs and Josh Levine
- A&R: Dan McCarroll
- A&R coordination: Jonna Terrasi and Ryan DeMarti
- Marketing director: Peter Standish
Artwork
- Creative direction: Frank Maddocks, Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn and Peter J. Lee
- Art direction and design: Frank Maddocks and Peter J. Lee
- Photography: Frank Maddocks
- Additional photography: Frank Maddocks, Mike Shinoda, Christian Tachiera and Lorenzo Errico
Live Performance
Songs Played Live
- "Nobody Can Save Me"
- "Good Goodbye"
- "Talking To Myself"
- "Battle Symphony"
- "Invisible"
- "Heavy"
- "One More Light"
- "Sharp Edges"
Tours
Promotion
In early January, the band started planning promotion and working on new merch for the album[116] and did a photoshoot with James Minchin III[117] on January 10.[118]
On February 1, 2017, the Linkin Park Global Ambassadors was launched with the objective of spreading Linkin Park news and connecting fans around the world.[119] Three pictures were posted to Linkin Park's Instagram account on the following day: a completely black screen representing a TV turned off; a picture of Rob edited to resemble static on a TV; and a picture with TV color bars and Linkin Park's logo on the 13th bar,[120][121] indicating the TV is tuned and something would be coming soon. The third picture was also uploaded to Instagram by the Linkin Park Global Ambassadors and many other people related to the band such as Joe Hahn,[122] Mike Shinoda,[123] Chester Bennington,[124] Phoenix,[125] Lorenzo Errico,[126] Adam Ruehmer,[127] Jim Digby,[128] Christian Tachiera,[129] Tobias Fance,[130] Frank Maddocks,[131] Tal Cooperman,[132] Mike Rittberg[133] and Warner Bros. Records' official account.[134]
From February 3 to February 15, the band released a series of 8 videos on their official website showing fans their process of creating songs for the album.[135] The first video was posted on linkinpark.com/o and with the release of each new video a new letter was added to the URL (the exception being the last video which added a full word), eventually forming the album title.
On February 13, Linkin Park tweeted a blank grid and each of the Linkin Park Global Ambassadors tweeted a numbered image.[136] When put together, the images formed the album cover. The lyrics of "Heavy" were unveiled on genius.com on the same day.[137]
On February 15, each Linkin Park Global Ambassador changed their profile photos on social media to a flag of their country with the new Linkin Park logo which was unveiled for the first time.
On February 16, Linkin Park did a stripped down performance with Kiiara at NRG Studios which was broadcasted live on Facebook. "Heavy" was released that same day along with its lyric video and the album pre-order.
Throughout March and April, Mike and Chester traveled through North America, Europe and Asia doing interviews and live performances to promote the album.
A Plan Check x Linkin Park Meal Pack was made available at all Plan Check Kitchen + Bar locations through May 31. Each meal pack coming with a limited edition LP t-shirt.[138]
Reception
Critical Reception
Chart Performance
Awards
Gallery
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Standard cover
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Album cover with sticker
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Artwork with band name and title
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Urban Outfitters vinyl. Limited to 2.500 copies
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F.Y.E. vinyl
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CD case
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Vinyl
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F.Y.E. vinyl
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Limited Edition hardcover book
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Limited Edition hardcover book original concept
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One More Light t-shirt
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Silver enamel pin
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Silver enamel pin
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Saturn Edition bandana
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Japanese Limited Edition sticker from Warner Music Direct
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Japanese Limited Edition sticker from Amazon
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Japanese Limited Edition sticker from HMV
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Japanese Limited Edition sticker from Tower Records
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Japanese Limited Edition sticker from Tsutaya
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Japanese Limited Edition sticker from WonderGOO
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Emblems by Brandon Rike
Polaroids
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Polaroids from the LPHQ in January
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Polaroids
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Polaroids
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Polaroids
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Polaroids
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Polaroids
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Polaroids
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Mike Shinoda polaroid
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Hulk drawing polaroid by Joe Hahn
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Joe Hahn polaroid
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Polaroids from Europe
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Joe Hahn polaroid from Echo Awards
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Polaroids from the Music For Relief Charity Poker Tournament
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Mike Shinoda polaroid
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Linkin Park polaroid
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Polaroid from the Heavy music video shoot
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Chester Bennington and Kiiara polaroids from the Heavy music video shoot
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Adam Ruehmer and Mike Shinoda polaroid
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Polaroids from the One More Light photoshoot at Badmaash
Trivia
- "What Are You Worth", a song written with Brian Howes for One More Light was leaked online in April 2019.
External Links
Music Videos
- Heavy (Official Video): LPTV | LP FB
- Heavy (Official Lyric Video): LPTV
- Battle Symphony (Official Lyric Video): LPTV
- Good Goodbye (Official Lyric Video): LPTV
Live Videos
- Heavy (Live at 102.1 The Edge): 102.1 The Edge
- Off-air songs from Linkin Park on Kimmel: Jimmy Kimmel FB
LPTV
- Studio Sounds (Good Problems)
- 360 Studio Tour with Mike
- A Message From Chester: Studio Update #7
- Studio Views
- Studio Moments: Bongo Band Jam
- Piano
- Honesty
- Lyrics
- Risks
- Drum Idea
- Female Vocal Idea
- Chester Vocals
- Heavy Teaser featuring Kiiara
- Our Record: LPTV | LP FB
- Stream Linkin Park's new album "One More Light" on Amazon Music
- Linkin Park - One More Light - Global Album Listening Party
LPU-TV
- Check out our new album One More Light on Spotify
- Linkin Park - One More Light - Global Album Listening Party
Interviews
- Linkin Park Races Go-Karts & Breaks Down The Making Of 'One More Light' | IRL: Genius | Genius YouTube
References
- ↑ PITTSBURGH AND ALBANY DATES : Linkin Park, January 19, 2015
- ↑ LPTV: WELCOME (DEMO) | Fort Minor - YouTube, August 14, 2015
- ↑ Robert DeLeo no Twitter: "All together today......four songs completed instrumentally so far... Going over vocal ideas....sofa style... http://t.co/nc3Nw3xfij" ., February 11, 2015
- ↑ Robert DeLeo no Twitter: "Back in it today....songs are coming together... http://t.co/B2E2BFteK2" ., February 17, 2015
- ↑ A Gift For You (Free Song) « Mike Shinoda's Blog, February 18, 2015
- ↑ Fort Minor returns with 360-degree music video after 10-year hiatus, June 22, 2015
- ↑ Mike previews new Linkin Park music in Shanghai - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, July 20, 2015
- ↑ On The Road In Berlin With Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda: 'We Never Held The Flag For Nu-Metal' | NME.COM, September 7, 2015
- ↑ STONE TEMPLE PILOTS AND CHESTER BENNINGTON AMICABLY PART WAYS - Stone Temple Pilots, November 9, 2015
- ↑ Video: Stone Temple Pilots Reunite With Chester Bennington At 'From Classic To Rock' Charity Concert - Blabbermouth.net, March 27, 2016
- ↑ Zayed Hassan - Stagelight / Linkin Park Monthly Music Contest Winner, August 07, 2015
- ↑ Zayed Hassan - I was speechless, nervous and at the same... | Facebook, October 07, 2015
- ↑ Zayed Hassan - The #moment when I was #learning how they... | Facebook, October 08, 2015
- ↑ Warren Willis no Twitter: "i haven't been here in a while, lets try it again. In the studio with @linkinpark ... recording the next one" ., October 13, 2015
- ↑ Warren Willis no Twitter: "Collabrative writing session this afternoon, then i think i'll go fly my drone" ., October 14, 2015
- ↑ Warren Willis no Twitter: "Late night studio session" ., October 19, 2015
- ↑ In the Studio with Martin Garrix - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, November 04, 2015
- ↑ 246 Jensen & Matty de Get Up On This | Listen free on SoundCloud, May 30, 2016
- ↑ Mike Shinoda shares clips of new music, May 26, 2016
- ↑ Mike Baczor on Instagram: “Taking a knee with Chester. Vocals always on point. @linkinpark @chesterbe #linkinpark #chesterbennington #music #rock #artists #musicians #recordingstudio #hybridtheory #meteora #musicforrelief”, May 14, 2016
- ↑ Mike Baczor on Instagram: “Always great times with these guys! Working on my full album now. For all you Linkin Park fans...you're in for a real treat! @linkinpark @m_shinoda @chesterbe @jeffbaczor #her0 #linkinpark #mikeshinoda #chesterbennington #linkinparkfans #hybridtheory #meteora #music #rockmusic #hiphopmusic #rockhiphopmix”, May 25, 2016
- ↑ HER0
- ↑ Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping - "Things In My Jeep" : Linkin Park, May 23, 2016
- ↑ Linkin Park, August 08, 2016
- ↑ The Delson Brothers' 'Willing To Try' Coming Soon? - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, November 10, 2016
- ↑ Ticketmaster UK on Twitter: "C - he's been in the art department forever and we worked with him on EVERY album. He rules. https://t.co/Q8unyQTizd" ., March 31, 2017
- ↑ Kerrang! Magazine Interview with Linkin Park | LP Association Forums, February 28, 2017
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Mike Shinoda fala um pouco mais sobre o novo álbum a Revista Kerrang. | Road To Revolution Brasil, December 29, 2016
- ↑ Sphere Studios L.A.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Studio Update #6 - Mike & Brad Podcast by LINKIN_PARK | Listen free on SoundCloud, July 27, 2016
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Studio Update #6 - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, July 28, 2016
- ↑ [1], March 22, 2016
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 [ URM BLOG How Josh Newell Helped Linkin Park Conquer An 18 Month Long Studio Session], March 21, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park | Facebook, January 15, 2016
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 LPA Podcast w/ Mike Summary - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, December 08 2015
- ↑ LP Underground | Facebook, January 27, 2016
- ↑ Short Album Update - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, December 04, 2016
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Linkin Park Talk 2016 Album at Charity Poker Tournament: 'We Have a Mountain of Material' | Billboard, April 6, 2016
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 Linkin Park - Timeline, November 14, 2016
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 92.3 AMP Radio - Timeline, February 21, 2017
- ↑ [2], February 09, 2016
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 Mike Shinoda on New Album 'Post Traumatic': 'My Priority Wasn't to Impress Anybody', October 30, 2018
- ↑ Risks - YouTube, February 09, 2017
- ↑ Mike Shinoda no Twitter: "FYI, our new album isn't political. But diversity in opinion is important. If you'll try to respect mine, I'll try to respect yours. Thx" ., January 22, 2017
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda Talks 'Heavy' New Single & Hooking up With Kiiara | Billboard, February 16, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington: “If It Wasn’t For Music I’d Be Dead” - Features - Rock Sound Magazine, March 20, 2017
- ↑ 47.0 47.1 Entrevista a Linkin Park en La Viola TN (29/04/2017) - YouTube, April 28, 2017
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 MUCH - Tyrone catches up with Linkin Park! Their new album..., March 17, 2017
- ↑ Listen to new Linkin Park track Heavy - Metal Hammer, February 16, 2017
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 Linkin Park - One More Light - Global Album Listening Party - YouTube, March 19, 2017
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 Chester From Linkin Park Talks To JoJo About Their New Song, UFO's, Being A Dad & More | JoJo Wright | KIIS FM, February 18, 2017
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 52.3 52.4 LPAssociation Interview - Mike Shinoda Discusses New Linkin Park Album 'One More Light' | LP Association Forums, February 21, 2017
- ↑ Mike Shinoda Of Linkin Park Talks To Ryan Seacrest - HITZ 1049, February 16, 2017
- ↑ Chester Bennington: Der Linkin-Park-Frontmann wollte nicht mehr, May 18, 2017
- ↑ Inside Linkin Park Singer Chester Bennington’s Last Days – Rolling Stone, August 04, 2017
- ↑ Chester Bennington’s Autopsy Report Released – Rolling Stone, December 05, 2017
- ↑ Into the Light: Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda on new album One More Light - The Irish News, April 19, 2017
- ↑ Mike Shinoda on Instagram: “Looks like the Flea won the mic shootout. Let's record some keeper vocals...#LinkinPark2016. EDIT: I posted a bunch of studio stuff on my Snapchat today. Check it out at MikeShinodaLive”, April 12, 2016
- ↑ 59.0 59.1 [3], April 22, 2016
- ↑ Studio Sounds (Good Problems) - Linkin Park 2016 - YouTube, May 20, 2016
- ↑ 61.0 61.1 Linkin Park - 360 Studio Tour with Mike - YouTube, June 16, 2016
- ↑ [4]
- ↑ 63.0 63.1 Linkin Park’s Brad Delson talks One More Light: 'There really is a ton of guitar on this album' | MusicRadar, March 03, 2017
- ↑ Warren Willis - After 66 weeks, Linkin Park album number 7 is in..., December 16, 2016
- ↑ Warren Willis on Instagram: "The End of an Era...", December 16, 2016
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 Q+A: Chester Bennington talks Kings of Chaos, Linkin Park, his big family of kids and animals - Robin Leach, December 02, 2016
- ↑ Chester Bennington no Twitter: "Just listened to the new record. First time I've heard all the tracks together. It made me tingle in my special places" ., January 29, 2017
- ↑ Chester Bennington no Twitter: "For those who value my opinion.... the new record is my favourite to date! Can't wait to share it with all of you🙏" ., January 26, 2017
- ↑ April Album Update by Brad - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, April 02, 2016
- ↑ 70.0 70.1 70.2 Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda | Full Interview - YouTube, February 16, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park (Phoenix) on New Album, Issues, Warped Tour & The Lonely Island w/ @RobertHerrera3 - YouTube, June 5, 2016
- ↑ Mike Shinoda on Twitter: "@zanelowe when are you coming down to the studio to hear our new stuff? 🔥🔥🔥" ., April 8, 2016
- ↑ LINKIN PARK no Twitter: "Thanks @zanelowe for dropping by. Working hard on making these songs ready for @Beats1. CC: @applemusic https://t.co/MdHzxjId4W" ., June 08, 2016
- ↑ Linkin Park - Thanks Zane Lowe for dropping by. Working hard on..., June 08, 2016
- ↑ Mike Shinoda - Wow. Thank you Mr. Quincy Jones., June 11, 2016
- ↑ Mike Shinoda no Instagram: “Just had a visit with @kylelambertartist who created the cover art for Stranger Things. Amazing show, amazing artist. Thanks for dropping by, Kyle! #strangerthings #netflix”, August 19, 2016
- ↑ Q104.3 FM - Timeline, February 21, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park | Facebook, February 24, 2016
- ↑ Linkin Park | Facebook, March 7, 2016
- ↑ Linkin Park working with Jon Green - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, January 14, 2016
- ↑ @thebonfires on Instagram: “Initial concern that the session was going off course..before realising they were taking note of guitar settings. Professionalism so... Great to be back in with @linkinpark & their crew Photo cred @mrjoehahn”, April 28, 2016
- ↑ blackbear no Twitter: "in studio with @linkinpark 👀 this gonna be crazy" ., June 03, 2016
- ↑ Linkin Park, August 05, 2016
- ↑ Andrew Goldstein on Instagram: “Goals today with @linkinpark and @iamblackbear”, August 05, 2016
- ↑ Mike Shinoda on Instagram: “Making beautiful music with these gentlemen today. @iamblackbear @andrewgoldstein”, August 05, 2016
- ↑ Andrew Goldstein on Instagram: “Back in the studio today with @linkinpark & @iamblackbear #guitartabs”, October 13, 2016
- ↑ Live with Linkin Park - iHeartRadio Canada, March 17, 2017
- ↑ 'Halfway Right' Cowritten by Ross Golan & Michael Leary - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, March 27, 2017
- ↑ BMI | Repertoire Search, March 2016
- ↑ BMI | Repertoire Search, March 2016
- ↑ lil kiwi no Twitter: "learned more in a 7 hour linkin park session than i have in the past 2 years ." ., December 09, 2016
- ↑ Mike Shinoda no Twitter: "Thanks for posting! FYI, Emily was not a writer on it; we wrote it with Julia Michaels & Justin Tranter. Emily recorded vox. 😉 https://t.co/OzD9r6iywv" ., February 13, 2017
- ↑ Stormzy, Linkin Park & Pusha T collaborate on new song 'Good Goodbye' | Gigwise, March 27, 2017
- ↑ The Chainsmokers Tease Potential Linkin Park, Big Sean & Weezer Collaborations | Billboard, September 15, 2016
- ↑ 95.0 95.1 Interview: Linkin Park - "The Hero’s Journey" - tmBlog, March 30, 2017
- ↑ A Perfect Circle: "Ich hörte Chester in dem Song" – laut.de – News, March 06, 2018
- ↑ Brad Delson (@braddelson) on Instagram: “#OneMoreLight”, April 17, 2017
- ↑ Ethan Mates-Mixer Producer Engineer... - Ethan Mates-Mixer Producer Engineer | Facebook, April 07, 2016
- ↑ LP7 New Album Updates - Page 2 - Everything Linkin Park - Linkin Park Live - Page 2, April 07, 2016
- ↑ Mike Shinoda live on Facebook (02.04.17) - YouTube, April 02, 2017
- ↑ 101.0 101.1 Linkin Park's Brad Delson Talks Polarizing New Album's No. 1 Debut | Billboard, June 12, 2017
- ↑ Mike Shinoda Featured in Kerrang! Magazine: Interview About Chester, Grief, New Music and Art | LP Association Forums, March 21, 2018
- ↑ Mike Shinoda on Twitter: "I made the music / track of “Place To Start” while we were working on the OML album. Rob did brushes and crashes on it back then.… https://t.co/YK8UkU1ZLw" ., January 29, 2018
- ↑ Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda on Life After Chester Bennington – Rolling Stone, June 15, 2018
- ↑ Mike Live Chat Update - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, October 20, 2016
- ↑ Ticketmaster UK no Twitter: "M: Good Goodbye is your song...I also sing lead vox on Invisible and Sorry For Now! https://t.co/GkzjENUfl5" ., March 31, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda, back on the road solo, reflects on grief, healing and Chester Bennington, October 11, 2018
- ↑ Linkin Park Coalition's Videos | VK, March 17, 2017
- ↑ 109.0 109.1 Linkin Park's new album comes to Microsoft Groove, with exclusive curated playlist, May 19, 2017
- ↑ Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park Interview with Zane Lowe - Beats 1 Radio - February 12 2017 - YouTube, February 16, 2017
- ↑ 111.0 111.1 Linkin Park interprète en exclusivité deux titres dans #LeDriveRTL2 du 30 mars 2017, March 30, 2017
- ↑ Mike Shinoda on Instagram: "I think we're finally finished with 1000 polaroids. Each one will end up in a limited edition box set. No duplicates. Get yours at linkinpark.com. Thanks for the hard work taking these, everyone!", April 21, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park - One More Light Limited Pressing LP | Urban Outfitters
- ↑ FYE - LINKIN PARK, ONE MORE LIGHT [EXCLUSIVE FOREST GREEN VINYL]
- ↑ 【特典のお知らせ】5/19発売「リンキン・パーク/ワン・モア・ライト」店舗別オリジナル特典決定!!|LINKIN PARK / リンキン・パーク|ワーナーミュージック・ジャパン, April 28, 2017
- ↑ Mike LIVE from Agenda - YouTube, January 06, 2017
- ↑ Joe Hahn on Instagram: "Master at Work. #jamesminchiniii", January 11, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park instagram stories - YouTube, January 10, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park Global Ambassadors - Linkin Park, February 01, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park on Instagram, February 02, 2017
- ↑ ... - Linkin Park, February 02, 2017
- ↑ Joe Hahn (@mrjoehahn) on Instagram, February 02, 2017
- ↑ Mike Shinoda (@m_shinoda) on Instagram, February 02, 2017
- ↑ Chester Bennington (@chesterbe) on Instagram, February 02, 2017
- ↑ Phoenix (@phoenixlp) on Instagram: “I don't know what this means either... #linkinpark”, February 02, 2017
- ↑ Lorenzo (@lorenzoerr) on Instagram, February 02, 2017
- ↑ Adam Ruehmer (@heydudeimadam) on Instagram: “#linkinpark”, February 02, 2017
- ↑ @digbyjim on Instagram: “@linkinpark”, February 02, 2017
- ↑ Christian Tachiera (@christiantachiera) on Instagram: “👀 @linkinpark #linkinpark”, February 02, 2017
- ↑ tobiasfance (@xxtoby67xx) on Instagram: “It's finally happening!!!! Please tune in and join Linkin Park on this journey! #linkinpark”, February 02, 2017
- ↑ Frank Maddocks on Instagram, February 02, 2017
- ↑ tallywood on Instagram, February 02, 2017
- ↑ Mike Rittberg on Twitter: "This applies to @linkinpark as well as my life. #pleasestandby https://t.co/XIYQ6KpNOW" ., February 02, 2017
- ↑ Warner Bros. Records on Instagram, February 02, 2017
- ↑ LINKIN PARK no Twitter: "1 of 8 - https://t.co/81TjG4UpmR" ., February 03, 2017
- ↑ LINKIN PARK on Twitter: "Follow the LP Ambassadors for the answers: https://t.co/wcOC8Rypw3 #LP2017 https://t.co/abb44jHGCK" .
- ↑ Linkin Park Premieres The Lyrics To New Single "Heavy" Featuring Kiiara | Genius, February 13, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park - Publications, May 02, 2017