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Mike Shinoda gave an explanation of why Linkin Park did not change their moniker following Chester Bennington’s death in the most recent episode of Mythical Kitchen.

The music sounds like Linkin Park, which is the straightforward response to that. Shinoda responded to the question by saying, “Like, the DNA is all still in there.” “Anyone who hears it and gives it a chance can see it clearly. The second issue, however, is that while we were figuring out what the band was, I don’t know, we were making decisions. As in, what do we produce? Who makes up the band? What is being played by whom? All of that.

We had the option of selecting a male vocalist. We had the option of selecting someone with a completely different voice. We had the option of selecting someone with a strikingly similar voice. One of our cover bands’ singers, who performs Linkin Park songs, could have been a doppelgänger. They could have been so, so close to Chester. Therefore, what we ultimately did—which just felt better—wasn’t a strategy, he added.

Shinoda went on to explain how they determined Armstrong was the ideal candidate for the band’s upcoming chapter: Emily’s singing was excellent when she entered. It’s so much joy to hang out with her. In the end, we merely sit about. We’ve been here for maybe two hours just chatting, it seems. Yes. That, after all, is what ultimately made it clear which way we ought to face.

The leader of Orgy, Jay Gordon, unintentionally stated that Linkin Park would be hiring a female singer, which sparked the first rumors about the band’s new vocalist. “Very cool guys and a great band, of course.” They have a long history and continue to pursue their goals. Without Chester [Bennington], things will be difficult, but we’ll see. I’ve heard that they have a new female vocalist. I have heard that.

The way Linkin Park is moving in this new direction seemed to please Shinoda. Shinoda claimed in a different interview that the new lineup has a “strong” LP DNA. In a different interview, Shinoda stated, “It’s really complicated.” “I think the best thing we did was to just basically let things happen in the order and at the timeline that they were going to happen, let things happen organically and not push too hard,” the speaker said. “For me, two years ago, it was very overwhelming.”

The music just sort of came into focus depending on what we were having the most fun doing, he continued. “And I feel like what ended up evolving was we just naturally kind of found each other, we found this new lineup, and we found Emily and Colin in particular.”

At the end of January and the start of February, Linkin Park will play three gigs in Mexico. The band will play more performances in Indonesia and Japan in mid-February. They will begin their U.S. tour in Austin, Texas, in April. Later in the year, they will go on a second tour, which will begin in Brooklyn in late July and end in Seattle on September 24.