Linkin Park has addressed the backlash after introducing Emily Armstrong as the band’s new vocalist after the 2017 suicide of lead singer Chester Bennington.

Fans were split, with many targeting Armstrong. Reflecting on the uproar in an interview with The Guardian published Friday, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda said the issue was that the new member as a woman.

“There were people who lashed out at Emily, and it was really because she wasn’t a guy,” Shinoda said, adding that fans were “used to Linkin Park being six guys” with “the voice of a guy leading this song.”

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