AEW's Willow Nightingale Talks Taking Inspiration From Paramore, David Bowie & More

AEW star and former NJPW Strong Women's Champion Willow Nightingale is on the rise, and music is one of the things the 29-year-old finds a great deal of inspiration in. Speaking to Pitchfork, Nightingale discussed a selection of recent tracks she's been listening to frequently, as well as the influence of David Bowie.

"[David Bowie showed me] there are cool, weird people on Earth who can be celebrated for just being themselves and doing whatever the hell they want," Nightingale told the outlet. The AEW performer has a tattoo of Bowie on her leg, and one of Nightingale's nicknames, "The Babe With the Power," is a reference to the late rock star.

As for some artists Nightingale has been going back to lately, the wrestler cited alt-rock veterans Paramore, hardcore outfit Soul Glo, pop punk band The Wonder Years, and especially indie supergroup Boygenius. Nightingale complimented Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker of Boygenius on their work, stating their new album has been on repeat the most.

Speaking about the latest Paramore release, an album titled "This Is Why," Nightingale said she was worried it would fail to live up to the band's previous record. However, the AEW star has found herself identifying with one new song in particular, comparing it to the world of pro wrestling.

"I love [the song] 'You First,'" Nightingale shared. "There's the line, 'Everyone is a bad guy,' which makes me think, of course, of wrestling. We've got our heels and our babyfaces, and throughout a wrestler's journey, you see them flip back and forth. But nobody's perfect — even me, who's perceived as the babiest of babyfaces. I'm sure there are people I've pissed off in my life. Does that make me a bad person? Maybe at times, but really all of us are."