Mike Shinoda responds to "sounds like Chester" comments

Mike responds to people in his chat who ask about Linkin Park finding new singers, and comparisons to Chester's voice as he produces a fan's song.
He is not looking for new Linkin Park singers on his stream, and he does not appreciate the constant questions and comparisons to Chester and finds those comments disrespectful.
Taken from his stream on 1st February 2021 producing "Darkest Days" by BECKO: • 2.1.21 - Producing BE...

[@TK20-00]

Thank God he finally addressed this. I've been dealing with this for years on Alex McMillan videos or anyone that remotely sounds like Chester. It needs to stop. "Even when it's not about you, about you, All of a sudden it's about you..."

[@Ariel_thenotsolittlemermaid]

Literally anyone that ever screamed on a song gets told that they sound like Chester. I think people just use his name as a synonym of being good and are trying to compliment, but this needs to stop. He was an actual person, not some abstract concept you can just throw around.

[@alextmumumum]

Alex does sound kinda like him but that doesn't mean make him the singer of LP that would be wrong imo

[@spaghetti941]

@@alextmumumum he has a similar Nasal style and technique cause he's obviously influenced by Chester but he actually hardly sounds like Chester at all. Which hes also moved away from trying to copy Chester as well so he sounds even less like him.

[@lance7380]

You can tell how much he really cares about his memories with Chester

[@McLennox]

I'm a HUGE LP fan. Love Mike and Chester so much.. listened for years and years. And yeah, this guy sounds like Chester. So what?

[@constancies]

I like how he maintains a smile throughout the whole thing. Shinoda’s such a positive guy

[@Gloomyraindrop]

I agree, but just a little tip in case some people actually think otherwise: Just because someone is smiling doesn't automatically mean they're happy or necessarily positive. It's a pretty uncomfortable situation those people put him in, so he's smiling more out of discomfort and is putting on a face. Yes he's trying to be positive because he doesn't want to dwell on the topic and get upset, but that shouldn't really mean anything. I wouldn't blame him if he got pissed.

[@lulzPIE]

He doesn’t want to be constantly reminded of the loss of his close friend. Let it go people, Chester’s gone. It hurts. All of us hurt. Just imagine how Mike and the other band mates feel.

[@rknbassrobin]

And Dave with Kurt. Jerry with Layne. The guys & Chris. And on & on. Death of a loved one fucking hurts. And most are not easy to get over. Some people who have lived their life, it's a blessing for them to go to the next...place you are comfortable with. And so many left us with SO much left to do. And it hurts.

[@HalloweenAllYearEnterainment]

Chester wasn't a close friend he was his best friend

[@stratocaster-dn7gt]

At this point it's just disrespectful to be constantly bringing him up every waking moment.

[@Limbaugh_]

Literally

[@GatherYeRosebudsWhileYeMay]

“Let it go people” eeesh you reek of immaturity

[@Pi22aPino]

you can see how serious he's getting when it comes to chester even though he's "laughing" it off.

[@fluffyslippers5589]

Yeah i picked up on that as well. You can tell it hit a nerve there and rightfully so but he handled it pretty well probably knowing that the subject will come up time and time again.

[@laserbeamlightning]

My dude is a professional. He handled those shitbags in the nicest way possible with a smile on his face

[@luksvasco1]

Trying so hard not to be rude haha

[@ellielovesbands]

"please be respectful and stop being stupid" awesome

[@JakeTheHuman1]

Mike has always handled these situations so much better than I ever imagine I could. Props to him for never losing his cool.

[@TheColosiss]

FOR ALL LP FANS: We all miss him. Let him rest. Let Mike and the boys play so we can all heal...

[@omegaman6494]

Chester's been dead nearly four years now. Can't people just let Mike move on and let Chester rest in peace??

[@07tilinfinity]

Hopefully, but Dave Grohl still gets asked about Nirvana decades later, hopefully it’ll just end

[@EthanRom]

They just need to put out a definite statement if they don't want people bothering them. I know they're leaving it in the air about what's gonna happen to LP and they don't wanna hurt merchandise sales, but honestly just tell people you're disbanding and not considering a replacement. This is not to detract from Mike and the fans are being just as awful pestering him about the future of LP.

[@EthanRom]

@provis345 p They should just really make a statement and disband, but I know they are still making sales like that recent 20th anniv boxset they put out.

[@Artix9]

@provis345 p Mike is the greatest songwriter this generation had, if you think any less of him, you're probably an idiot!

[@LouSassles]

@Tau Greenhill Mike & LP need to be like Architects. They lost their main song writer and biggest impact to the band to cancer, they wrote a bunch of songs after his passing that were in relation to him and now they're off and doing their own thing moving away from the original songwriters sound and style. They grieved and continued on now

[@michaelgraham3393]

Mike being bombarded by Chester comments and questions is like Dave Grohl being bombarded with Kurt Kobain comments and questions

[@LPfanmichael]

doesn’t dave kinda look like that drummer from nirvana? 🤔

[@ShakenPig]

@@LPfanmichael wtf holy shit you're right

[@janwilliam9845]

no shit Sherlock

[@finncustomtile]

Dave will be in that shadow forever

[@amtul6926]

*cobain

[@羽賀-v2w]

Mike is being very polite, even to the rude, annoying people, I can tell he is a sweet person.

[@MizManFryingP]

I always thought it was creepy and disrespectful when people constantly brought up Chester. Mike is his own person, let him do his own thing. I know we're all fans but some people seriously need to learn that Mike's relationship with his band members or anyone else for that matter is his own personal business.

[@nevermindgaming6848]

I mean it's not people are weird in general at least its not edgy kids calling him selfish

[@Rahnonymous]

I get people are grieving, but that's why you keep it to yourself. When you make one comment about Chester, you can make it and get on with your life and never hear another person's grief, but Mike doesn't have that luxury. He will always be intrinsically linked to Chester, and so people will always inevitably bring him up. The best you can do is just keep your woes to yourself. I'm not saying you don't deserve support, but that you shouldn't get it through making someone else's grief worse.

[@cactus_jam]

Exactly. And Mike and all of the other LP guys are super talented in their own right, just feels so disrespectful when people can't acknowledge that

[@Lisa-ux4vt]

I just love this guy so much.

[@weikindedimon]

Me too and u know Killjoys and soldiers here, COOL

[@Lisa-ux4vt]

@@weikindedimon omg hi there!!

[@weikindedimon]

@@Lisa-ux4vt hiii!! Nice to meet you

[@GorcStew]

Mike is the most Canadian non-Canadian person I have ever seen. I think this is the closest he gets to "being angry" lol.

[@OswinOsgood]

How aboat One Step Closer

[@omegaman6494]

He's furious but he's trying not to show it.

[@unknownunknown-hj6bf]

As I Canadian you have clearly never seen a Canadian behind a wheel

[@ShersterQ]

He's a performer and knows how to act professionally when the cameras are on, he's been doing it for years. That's literally all there is to it. Don't act like you know him or how he feels.

[@GorcStew]

@@ShersterQ Because we've never seen actors or musicians go off in public before right? :S I didn't claim to know him and was careful to say "person I've seen" and not "know". I was just making an observation about his usual behavior.

[@singintato]

Mike Shinoda is the type of guy to say fuck off, you fucking idiots, in the most polite and civil way. Can't not love the guy!

[@alekbeyer9741]

I mean, let’s be happy for the band mates who are still alive, well, and making music.

[@FedericoLynch]

Way to go Mike, that's how you respectfully put people in their place.

[@ClaraRodriguez16]

I admire his strength, he really is putting his 100% to keep going.

[@acon2211]

This guy is legendary. The way he deals with it is classy. Smiling, being nice, calm. Respect!

[@ravenoftheredsky]

Don't come around your friend and constantly compare everything to his dead brother. They both deserve respect and solitude. Simple.

[@Jay_SUBZ3R0]

Honestly, fans can be absolute jerks to Mike these days, don’t they think it’s tough for him enough when he has to be reminded constantly about his close friend who’s been gone since 2017. I miss Chester too, but I don’t have to be reminded about it all the time.

[@carlosaponte2349]

It seems that toxic fans don't know how to use common sense. Not so common after tall.

[@Ake-TL]

@@carlosaponte2349 and not even real fans if they can’t recognise Mike’s ( or any other members , but harder to judge, am not knowledgeable in music enough)importance in band, Chester was incredible but other members are very talented individuals too, it wasn’t all about him.

[@Dave_ja_vu]

Some people in general on the Internet just act like entitled dickbags about everything, and then there's a whole other section who will go out of their way to ask that stuff because they know it makes him uncomfortable and it's easier project their problems onto others and make them feel bad instead of trying to make themselves feel good.

[@daniellewharrie]

The fact he has to be reminded about his passed friend every single day is just downright disrespectful. The trauma alone is difficult enough. Let the man heal in peace.

[@thatone49erfan]

That was the nicest let down I've ever seen anyone give.

[@DennGreenIII]

The last second or 2 of this clip really breaks my heart. He's trying so hard to put a smile on, but in the last second you can see it fade, and you can briefly see his pain. My heart really goes out to him.

[@casey1667]

When Chester died, a part of me did too. He's always on my mind, and there is not one single day that I not wish for him to be still here. I am not the same, and I'm sure this happened to millions of fans too. So yeah, watching this hurts because I can not imagine what Mike himself must feel every day. 🙏♥

[@chefpunjab]

I'm really glad to see this dude with a smile on his face and doing work like this. Engaging himself and his fans. This is great.

[@mentallydefunct5782]

Respect the fact he was able to laugh about it, can understand why it's hard for him to constantly have that in chat. You're a beautiful man Mike, through and through.

[@sunshineandrainbows69]

hes so chill man, even something that gets to him hes got an inviting smile on his face, legend

[@Chief-vf6lf]

He is such a sweet guy.

[@imvocalinbed]

He’s such a nice person

[@MilkonDvD]

Geez mike is still so humble and kind after all these years n having to listen to peoples conspiracies n trolling about his friends death, just let the man help himself by helping others

[@ricmthegm]

I love what you are doing Mike. New tracks for fans and more. You are iconic

[@jasonG72]

I was actually Chester's pool man and spoke to him just days before we lost him. He was such a genuine nice guy that loved his family and as a fan growing up it was cool to see him regularly. It still makes me sad to this day and he will always be missed. 🙏

[@Funnyname321]

I respect how he can address these comments without sounding upset or mad it takes a lot of strength to do that

[@DankMcMuffins]

"Be respectful and stop being stupid" should be something everyone is told.

[@TokyoBlue587]

Please be respectful to Mike! He’s extremely talented in his own right, and doesn’t need to be constantly reminded of the tragic loss of his best friend.

[@humanbean5878]

I feel for Mike...people like to talk at someone without any thought of how that may effect another person. Mike is a person who lost someone he basically grew up with and cherished. Not just a celebrity musician. A. PERSON. We gotta be more mindful and compassionate to one another.

[@SierraHarmony]

Imagine having one of your best friends die and then the world asking you when you're replacing them.

[@zigzagification09]

God be with you Chester and be strong mike ❣️

[@TheMalitias]

Looks to me like he's laughing cause he doesn't want to get ..sangry? That a word? The pissed off kind of sadness.

[@Bonyi99]

3years 9months ....u make me smile every day with ur voice LEGEND ! i can feel you from up there, i miss you so much... Chester !

[@bailee6462]

Even when he laughs it off, you can tell how serious he is about it. It’s been 4? years since Chester passed, just let Mike and everyone else who was close to Chester have peace about it. Stop bothering them with questions about him unless you just want, idk, stories about how great he was. Let them have some peace in the situation, it’s painful enough without everyone reminding them.

[@satadrubanerjee4862]

Imagine being pissed off still laughing ❤️😭 Respect for Mike ❤️

[@vettebecker1]

Keep your heads up guys, Chester will be missed but not forgotten. Linkin Park for life!!

[@Charlii931603]

Mike and Chester and the entire Linkin park crew have been integral to my early 2000 experience. Love this band ave rip Chester always✊🏿

[@homecmng1]

I lost a friend of mine about 11 years ago that I worked for. I remember people kept asking me about him and I just didn’t want to talk about it so........I get it.

[@erickrojas3969]

from Cuba dude ,I love your songs,your band formed part of my childhood.

[@rageisbliss]

handled it way better than i would’ve that’s for sure

[@francismcalister7811]

To be fair I get people who said "he kinda sounds like Chester", In all honesty the singing style and tone reminded me of Chester's singing on softer tracks like the verse of Easier to Run. Still I get that people can be obnoxious about it around Mike

[@AJSmalls187]

he didnt age

[@51385jrod]

It would be a dream come true to sing on a track that has anything to do with mike! I've been a Linkin Park fan since 2000! I've been singing in writing songs since 99. So glad to see Mike continuing music

[@MichaelNight]

A comment that takes less than ten seconds to write, very little brainpower, and hardly any emotional investment for someone can reopen a wound that someone else has spent years healing. Yes, Mike is very strong, but stop taking advantage of that and have some respect. Make your own channels and tributes in Chester’s memory, allow Linkin Park to handle the rest in whatever way they feel is best, and let Mike be Mike and be loved for being Mike. He deserves it.

[@kirap4476]

Nobody can replace chester bennington. Mike is collaborating with artists to create new beats, and i respect his decision.

[@kristinalazarus4956]

He is so sweet and strong to put himself out there and there's honestly people who keep writing such things?! These aren't fans, fans support someone they admire and love, they don't put them down on purpose. I love Mike, I hope that didn't hurt him too much

[@wiilover07]

People are so disrespectful and hurtful. 😢😥

[@Monte_Carlo451]

You can't easily replace a good singer.... Especially a good friend

[@dansketch]

No one sounds like Chester other than Chester, we all miss him but he needs to be able to rest and Linkin park need to be able to move on without these constant bombarding

[@jrc1156]

Despite being a serious matter for him. Mike tried so hard to keep it cool and got so far.

[@old-dream-left-behind]

I don't understand those people who are like "He sounds like Chester!", everytime someone covers a Linkin Park songs... the biggest one for me is Alex McMillan. Now. Nothing against the guy, I actually like what he does and his projects, like In Viridian and Razor Red Noise. But the amount of people I see saying that he sounds exactly like Chester is astonoshing when clearly, and this is nothing agaisnt him: He doesn't! Alex McMillan sounds like... Alex McMillan, he has his own voice and it doesn't even sound close to Chester's voice. Some people are really obsessed with Chester, it's weird...

[@drakenfist]

This is the first I have heard of this. This is so strange. They sound totally different. That's like saying that Wiz Khalifa sounds like Charlie Puth!.

[@AJ-jq3hm]

I'm annoyed by such comments as well. However, there is one person who's voice nearly had me fooled. A couple years before One More Light, I got a song in my recommended. The video was titled: "linkin park new song:who am I". Chester was alive and well back then,and there were rumours of a new album (which turned out to be one more light), so I nearly believed that it indeed was a linkin park song. Until the day I found out that it wasn't. It's a song by a band called girl on fire, and it's name is "losing my identity". kzbin.info/www/bejne/mX66g416l9qjb7c Here is the link. I was seriously dumbfounded at how much the music reminded me of meteora and just how close the singer's voice was to Chester's.

[@old-dream-left-behind]

@@AJ-jq3hm I know that song! :D Yeah I can kind of hear it in the verses. :)

[@JomarsYT]

he not even sound like chester, people are stupid af xd

[@cherry03512]

@@AJ-jq3hm dimitris papasinos. listen to this guy. his voice- he sounds (and looks) almost exactly like chester. go check out his instagram (dimitrislp1), also "legend" by quman. and his band - DPARK.

[@mumuthestan]

Stop commenting that the guy does sound like Chester. You are missing the point entirely.

[@ashtongrey6755]

I don’t think the people who do that shit to troll mike understand how disrespectful it is to Chester and mike of being constantly reminded the guy has been gone four years and mike is finally starting to get outta his grieving process let the dude live his life and get onto the next phase of his life I wouldn’t wanna be reminded of a dead loved one everyday either

[@strangemachines_]

Hi Mike, just wanted to say Hybrid Theory and Meteora were probably two of the biggest reasons I got through teenage hood. Your band and yourself are really inspiring to this day musically and just as role models for my generation and the ones after. Btw you look great for your age man, sheesh what’s the secret I’m 34 and look older than you. But yea, happy your still making music man. My favourite LP song has always been “With You” that song just resonates for me melodically and especially lyrically! God bless your band🙏 lifelong fan from New Zealand 🇳🇿

[@IceKoldKilla]

I can imagine the amount of fans always bringing it up or saying "RIP Chester" in the chat. People who jump on bandwagons and don't know what it's like to lose someone very close. Let them all grieve in peace.

[@jpbostonian]

Its everywhere LP related, at first I'm like ok but few years later c'mon it's just spam now

[@Daziryx]

Props to the fan as well tho, if he sings so good that people think it's Chester, damn...

[@ShersterQ]

when you make art, getting compared with someone else's work is only nice SOMETIMES, most of the time, it's discouraging bc it feels like what you do is unoriginal. even when there is a degree of inspiration, that people can see, being appreciated for what's unique about you and not like someone else, just feels way better.

[@stronius99]

"japanese italian..." Super Mario?

[@wad316]

Wow he was so patient here. If it were the other way around and it was Chester doing this stream, Chester would've flipped the fuck out. It hurts seeing him dealing with this. People need to give him a break. Maybe then he'll get his groove and even heal up.

[@nelsoncokanasiga1552]

Mike's a Legend

[@dropkickmolotov]

Personally, if Linkin Park continues I want them to either be an instrumental band or just Mike shinoda singing, thier instrumentals have always been phenomenal. I mean just look at Linkin Park: Underground.. I don't even want guest vox. It's either Mike and Co. carrying the torch or just instrumentals so the fans can interpret it how they want. That's usually what I do with LPU. I invision what could have been with chester and Mike in my head and it continues to change. The whole band just spark that creativity in their sessions.

[@madomenchatting]

we can see how sad he is because of chester :(

[@rinrin8192]

What he wants to say is if you can't tell the difference between Chester's voice and others..just get out

[@Pewling]

I have a grandmother that keeps bringing up my mother after she passed recently and it hurts every time. Every time. No matter the context, it hurts. I can't imagine being Mike who is famous and having a famous friend that passed away, combine together, with fans and trolls alike constantly bringing it up, either for good or for malicious intent. It must suck to constantly have it thrown in your face, never quite able to heal let it go. :/

[@SixOneL]

Dude you do what ya freaking do, im hitting this late... but you've always been a phenomenal producer.

[@jevinday]

mike is so rad dude

[@codycoyote545]

Real talk, that song sounds sick as fuck. I wanna hear the finished product.

[@rebeccaromana25]

Mike is his own person and is an extremely talented man. His entire career shouldn’t be defined by chesters death

[@Snoigel]

Wow. He is not happy. I wouldn’t be too, if someone was disrespecting my dead friend. 😟

[@Hollowhalf17]

Seeing him makes me sad cause I feel like he’s never gonna get to forget or move on or anything, which is rough.

[@Nr.1Mimir]

Can people just let the man be and let him just have fun. It takes all the fun out if you are constantly reminded that someone you loved had died. He has the strength to be nice about it but I bet all of them would be furious if it ever happens to them. Just be respectful for god damn once.

[@luciferdzhugashvili]

Basically he’s saying… SHUT UP

[@TheBigChad]

I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes. Knowing there is a group of fans that wants new studio work, but also knowing like hey this is Chester we’re talking about. That would break my heart to see all the Chester spams in chat.

[@sebastianwardana1527]

im very sorry for your loss... loosing a dear colleague sure creates a lot of problems at work...

[@eckdeepon]

“Then I don’t know what to tell you”

[@zachgordon99]

Good for you Mike

[@davenotstaine5646]

Mike was way too calm about that stuff

[@purplepuddlenut]

I was on this stream when people were doing this and I felt so bad for Mike. People are so damn insensitive.

[@tysonhargreaves1983]

The time he should be brought up is in a conversation about mental health. If you see someone in pain emotionally or you suspect it reach out. It hurts more knowing you did nothing when you could have done something.

[@aayammusic4584]

Person try to forget the greatest loss of his life and try to go on and do something good and people remind him every second by calling Chester name. We all love Chester(rip) but we also love Mike. Think Mike how he have to deal with this situation and also support him

[@luvan1mefang1rl50]

I hope 🤞🏻 uve been well Mike, I’m pretty sure u miss chester so much as we do.

[@Jester8492]

I know it's hard for people to let go, because they often try to cling onto someone else who's similar for reassurance. Instead most of them don't face the issue that the person in question is no longer with us. Let the man rest and be remembered for the memories, the feelings and hype he's given us over the years.

[@balakex]

Mike is also facing the Dave grohl problem now..

[@aceofpittsburgh]

Poor mike.. I'm just glad to see people still have love for linkin park. Even if people are being dipshits in the chat. Long live LP!

[@retr0cynik480]

That track sounded 🔥 tho

[@whysoserious652]

Mike is Super Cool😎

[@lorim3372]

You couldn't have said it any better!!!

[@BlafeBala]

People need to stop with the "He sounds like Chester" bullshit 🔥🔥🔥. Of all the cover artists covering Linkin Park songs, I've never seen even one person sound remotely close to Chester. His voice was a once in a lifetime occurrence, fuck, I dare to say once in a millennia even. No one can do what he could do, especially Alex McMillian as I've been watching him for quite some time now. Nothing against the guy, he's doing his own thing, he has his own voice & sometimes the tone or enunciation of some words might come off as similar BUT he sounds nowhere near Chester's voice. He's light-years apart. AND IF YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE then keep it to yourself & let Chester be in PEACE. 👍🏻

[@SMP2390]

I commend him for being calm about since they're practically trolling by using his soul brother.

[@58209]

god i'm glad to see this clip. last time i watched a video of a new instrumental, all the comments were "RIP chester" and the like. nobody was enjoying the new music. it was just "RIP chester" spam. you can feel your feelings, but stop using performative online grief to hijack the works of people who were even closer to the deceased. have some consideration for the surviving artists. if you can't move on yet, give space to the people who are trying to move on and stop making their lives about his death.

[@isabelk.3504]

This scar is deep and we all try to keep it closed so it wont rip open again. I understand that.

[@salemofficial2344]

Bro what was the first song that was playing ? Sounded incredible!

[@luiscastaneda3470]

Mike is like that one cool vice principal in every middle or high school.

[@Trees001]

I really like whatever song he’s doing