The surprising degrees that Linkin Park members hold

Many know Linkin Park as one of the legendary rock groups of the 2000s.

But before that, they were pretty smart kids — in school and in college (more on that below).

The band started out with three high school friends and a dream – drummer Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson, and vocalist Mike Shinoda. They recruited three more members: bassist Dave Farrell, turntablist Joe Hahn, and temporary lead singer Mark Wakefield to form the first version of the band, which was named SuperXero.

Wakefield was then replaced in 1999 by the late Chester Benningfield, and the group changed its name to Hybrid Theory for a bit.

Then the group chose Lincoln Park, in honour of the park they passed on their way to recording sessions. They then altered it slightly to the name millions now know and love – Linkin Park.

The rest was history – they took the music scene by storm with memorable songs, spiky hair and parachute-sized jeans.

Since its debut, Linkin Park has sold millions of albums worldwide and is the first rock band to achieve a billion views on YouTube. The band has also won two Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, one Billboard Music Award, ten MTV Europe Awards, four MTV VMAs, and three World Music Awards, to name just a few.

To put it plainly, few don’t know of Linkin Park’s legacy. But for the Gen Alphas and Gen Zs who may be confused, here’s a little more insight for you. 

Many kids were first introduced to Linkin Park through the Transformers movies, where they performed the theme songs. Source: AFP

Linkin Park’s legacy, impact, and comeback?

Several artists have cited Linkin Park as an influence and inspiration for their own music, such as Japanese rock band One OK Rock, The Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki, Billie Eilish, and more. 

Even Buzzfeed reflected on the band’s impact in 2020 with an article aptly titled “How Linkin Park Helped Suburban Teenagers Feel Their Feelings.” They called it “music to weep, scream, and fall apart to without reservation—music that sits with your darkness and names it.”

Pretty apt, if we do say so ourselves.

Sadly, in 2017, Linkin Park cancelled their tour and went on an indefinite hiatus after Bennington took his own life. He had been sexually abused as a child and had struggled with depression and substance abuse throughout his life, alongside poor health. His suicide sent shockwaves through the world, and many fans and artists alike mourned his passing.

Since his death, the band put out a few unreleased demos and songs but has made no definite plans to return to the stage… possible until now, in 2024.

The big question – are the Linkin Park members making a comeback? The answer may be yes.

Linkin Park’s booking agency, WME, took up offers in 2024 for both a potential reunion tour and headlining festival dates for the upcoming year. The lineup was rumoured to feature Shinoda, Delson, Farrell, and a female vocalist in place of Bennington, but no names had been 100% confirmed.

“Rumours always go around. People always ask what’s next for the band, and the best answer I can ever give anybody is when there’s something to tell you, we will tell you,” said Shinoda in an interview with Revolver magazine. “When there’s an announcement to be made, it will be on LinkinPark.com. If you’re hearing it from somebody else, you can trust that information as much as you want to trust it.”

It seems like the waiting has paid off. This week, the band teased an announcement for August 28, which fans speculate to be a possible reunion tour. The Danny Wimmer festival’s “Welcome to Rockville” also shared the band’s post, hinting that they could appear there next year. 

Regardless of the outcome, many are excited to see Linkin Park’s potential return – including us! 

In true Study International fashion, we love smart celebrities and took a look at the academic achievements of the band’s members. Check it out below.

Linkin Park members who have degrees

Mike Shinoda

One of the founding members of Linkin Park, Michael Kenji Shinoda began his musical journey when he was six with classical piano lessons – very typical for a kid of Asian descent. By the time he was 13, he was interested in jazz, blues, and hip-hop, even branding out to guitar and rap vocals between middle school and high school.

After graduating high school, he joined the Art Center College of Design of Pasadena to study graphic design and illustration. At the same time, he was putting together the first rendition of Linkin Park – the group released their first demo tape “Xero” in 1997, recorded in Shinoda’s bedroom.

Shinoda graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration and eventually worked as a graphic designer while being part of the now-successful Linkin Park. In fact, his background in art heavily influenced the band’s visual aesthetics. He provided art direction and graphics for multiple albums, band merchandise, web design, and even on-stage production art. 

Alongside his work for the band, Shinoda created and sold exclusive artwork at various events and art exhibitions, such as the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. Using the money he earned from sales, he founded a college scholarship at his alma mater called the Michael K. Shinoda Endowed Scholarship.

Before forming Xero, Delson’s first instrument was the clarinet. Source: AFP

Brad Delson

Bradford Philip Delson started playing the guitar when he was 12 years old and enjoyed listening to bands such as Guns N’ Roses and Metallica. He attended Agoura High School alongside Shinoda and later joined him as one of Linkin Park’s founding members. 

After graduating high school, he pursued communication studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he lived with bassist Dave Farrell. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication Studies and considered going on to law school, but life had other plans. 

During his degree, he interned for record producer and songwriter Jeff Blue, who was the vice president of A&R for Zomba Music at the time. Blue mentored Delson, who was eager to learn all he could about the music industry. In turn, Blue then took an interest in Delson’s band, a motley group of boys who called themselves Linkin Park. 

Call it a canon event of some sort. It was Delson’s internship with Blue that played a pivotal part in the band’s history.

Blue helped the band connect with Bennington, and signed the band to their first record deal. If he had decided to skip out on his internship, we might never have had Linkin Park we know and love today. So sign up for that internship – you’ll never know where you’ll end up!

After the band took off, Delson and his wife established the Delson Scholarship Fund at his alma mater, which awards four-year scholarships to extraordinary students from Huntington Park.

Joe Hahn was the first Korean American to receive a Grammy when Linkin Park won the 2002 award for Best Hard Rock Performance. Source: AFP

Joe Hahn

The DJ and creative director for Linkin Park, Joseph Hahn, is a second-generation Korean American who grew up in the predominantly Mexican neighbourhood of Glendale. He dabbled in instruments like the violin and guitar as a child but found his passion for DJing in high school.

He pursued illustration at the Art Center College of Design, where he met future bandmate Shinoda. Hahn then joined Shinoda’s band Xero before it became Linkin Park, but did not graduate alongside him.

“I went there for about a year to figure things out, but then I ended up working. I started working in special effects and character design for storyboarding,” said Hahn in an interview with Seoul Journal. “So I started learning more about the pre-production process, working with directors and producers. All that was an opportunity to learn what people do, and then going back to art school — when I did go there for that one year — that’s where I met Mike Shinoda.”

Despite not finishing his degree, Hahn is a successful creative director. He worked with Shinoda for Linkin Park’s album artwork and personally directed many of the band’s iconic music videos, such as “Numb,” “What I’ve Done,” “New Divide,” and more. He also designed a helmet for Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi in 2011.

In a 2003 interview with MTV, Hahn admitted that film-making was his true passion and that “doing the music [was] more of an extra thing”. It’s true – outside the music sphere, Hahn provided special effects work on “The X-Files” and the miniseries Frank Herbert’s “Dune” (no, not the one with Timothée Chalamet). He also recently acquired the rights to produce a film adaptation of China Miéville’s novel “King Rat.”

Dave Farrell’s nickname “Phoenix” is derived from his back tattoo, two large phoenix wings. Source: AFP

Dave Farrell

David Michael Farrell, also known by his stage name Phoenix, is best known as the bassist of Linkin Park. He learned to play the guitar and violin in high school and joined a Christian ska-punk band named Tasty Snax. One of his bandmates was Mark Fiore, who eventually played a part in producing various video albums for Linkin Park. 

After graduating high school, Farrell left his band – now renamed the Snax – and attended UCLA, where he pursued a degree in philosophy. He was roommates with future Linkin Park bandmate Delson, who convinced him to join his band Xero with two of his high school friends. 

He ultimately left as the band failed to make waves. For the next year or so, he rejoined the Snax on their tour while Linkin Park worked on securing their first record deal with Warner Bros.

Farrell decided to rejoin Linkin Park once more and made his first proper recording debut in the group’s 2002 release, “Reanimation.” He also helped manage the band’s business operations until they grew too big to handle.