Daniel Coulter Reynolds (born July 14, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the alt-rock band Imagine Dragons. Reynolds also released an EP in 2011, titled Egyptian - EP, as a duo with Aja Volkman under the moniker Egyptian. He is a recipient of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award.
Video Dan Reynolds (singer)
Early life
Reynolds was born on July 14, 1987 in Las Vegas, the seventh of nine children of Christene M. (née Callister) and Ronald Reynolds, a lawyer and author. Both are natives of Nevada, and Reynolds is a 4th generation Nevadan. As a Boy Scout, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2005. Reynolds is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). When he was 19 years old, he volunteered full-time as a missionary in Nebraska for two years. Reynolds wrote the song "I Bet My Life" celebrating and reflecting on his enduring relationship with his parents. Following his graduation from Bonanza High School, he attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas and then transferred to Brigham Young University after serving an LDS mission, where he studied communications, marketing, and music and excelled academically before being expelled due to having sexual relations with his girlfriend of four years. He then pursued music.
Maps Dan Reynolds (singer)
Career
Imagine Dragons (2008-present)
Reynolds was initially reluctant to become a professional musician, partially because future bandmate Wayne Sermon had once told him: "Don't do music because you want to do music - do music if you have to do music". After he began attending Brigham Young University, Reynolds found that he could not "do anything else" and committed fully to a professional music career. In Utah, Reynolds met and recruited drummer Andrew Tolman to form Imagine Dragons. With Reynolds as lead vocalist, Imagine Dragons won BYU's "Battle of the Bands" and other local competitions. Bassist Ben McKee joined the band in Las Vegas and after Tolman's departure 2011 invited Daniel Platzman, also a friend of Wayne's from Berklee College of Music, to play drums, thus completing the group's current lineup. The band relocated to Las Vegas, where they began performing almost nightly as a lounge act. It was there in 2010 that they caught their first big break when Train's frontman fell sick just prior to the Bite of Las Vegas Festival. Imagine Dragons were called to fill in for them and performed in front of a crowd of more than 26,000 people. In November 2011, they signed with Interscope Records and began working with Grammy award-winning producer Alex da Kid.
Imagine Dragons released their debut studio album Night Visions on September 4, 2012. The album was preceded by their first single "It's Time", released on August 18, 2012. Night Visions charted in the top ten albums in the U.S. in 2012, 2013, and 2014. It won a Billboard Music Award for Top Rock Album and was nominated for a Juno Award for International Album of the Year. The album's second single, "Radioactive", reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Radioactive" set the all-time record for the longest reign at the top of the Billboard Rock Songs chart, with 23 consecutive weeks and the all-time record for longest run on the Billboard Hot 100, with 87 weeks. Rolling Stone called it "the biggest rock hit of the year". It is the best-selling rock song in digital history, with sales of more than 7.5 million copies in the United States, and was certified diamond by the RIAA. The third single, "Demons", reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the eighth best-selling rock song in digital history with sales in excess of 5 million copies in the United States. Imagine Dragons were nominated for two Grammy Awards, Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance, the latter of which they won. They also won two AMAs for Favorite Alternative Artist, a Teen Choice Award for Choice Rock Group, a World Music Award for World's Best Rock Act, and a Billboard Music Award for Top Rock Artist. The band made their major festival headlining debut at the Made In America Music Festival in 2014 and also drew large crowds and positive reviews at festivals such as Lollapalooza Brazil in 2014.
Imagine Dragons released their second album, Smoke + Mirrors, in February 2015. Smoke + Mirrors debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, UK Albums Chart, and Canadian Albums Chart. Two of the album's four singles, "I Bet My Life" and "Shots", charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
Imagine Dragons released their third album Evolve on June 23, 2017. Evolve debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Canadian Albums Chart. Singles "Believer", "Thunder", and "Whatever It Takes", each of which have charted at number 4, number 4, and number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Believer topped the Billboard Hot Rock Songs (29 weeks), Alternative Songs (13 weeks), and Adult Top 40 charts. Thunder also topped the Billboard Hot Rock Songs (22 weeks so far) and Alternative Songs chart (3 weeks so far), as well as the Mainstream Top 40 chart. Whatever It Takes topped the Billboard Rock Songs chart (17 weeks so far) and Alternative Songs chart (3 weeks). In 2018, the band was nominated for two more Grammy Awards and received the iHeartRadio Music Award for Alternative Rock Artists of the Year.
Egyptian (2010)
When invited to perform an opening set for Nico Vega in 2010, Reynolds met Aja Volkman, the group's lead singer. He invited her to help him finish some demos he was developing. The two began collaborating, and formed Egyptian. They recorded, produced, and independently released a four track eponymous EP digitally. They have only performed this material once live.
X Ambassadors (2013)
In 2013, Dan discovered then unsigned alternative band X Ambassadors. After connecting with the band, he brokered a record deal for them with KidinaKorner/Interscope Records. Dan co-wrote a few songs on their debut album VHS, which has gone on to achieve Gold certification by the RIAA.
Night Street Records and LOVELOUD (2016-present)
In 2016, Dan formed Night Street Records, an imprint label under Interscope Records. His first signing was alternative hip-hop artist K.Flay.
He organized the charity concert LOVELOUD, held 26 August 2017 in Orem, to "fight against teen suicide and to bring communities [...] and encourage acceptance" of LGBT youth. The concert donated the profits to LGBT organizations The Trevor Project, GLAAD, and others. Performing acts included Imagine Dragons, Neon Trees, Krewella, Joshua James, and Nicholas Petricca (of Walk the Moon). The film Believer, centering on LGBT youth suicides in Utah, and the LOVELOUD concert, premiered at Sundance on 20 January 2018, and on HBO on 25 Jun 2018.
A second LOVELOUD concert was held 28 July 2018 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. Acts included Imagine Dragons, Zedd, Mike Shinoda (of Linkin Park), Grace VanderWaal, Tyler Glenn (of Neon Trees), Vagabon, A.W., and Cameron Esposito. On 18 July 2018, LDS church published a statement in response to requests about the then upcoming event.
We remain committed to support community efforts throughout the world to prevent suicide, bullying, and homelessness. Every young person should feel loved and cared for in their families, their communities, and their congregations. We can come together, bringing our perspectives and beliefs, and make each community a safe place for all. [...] We appreciate the sincere efforts of many who are trying to prevent suicide, bullying, and homelessness among vulnerable groups, including LGBT youth. We are grateful to be a part of the work to find solutions.
An estimated 35,000 people attended the 2018 event and raised approximately a million dollars for the various charities. The event was live streamed for free on YouTube, sponsored by AT&T. During his appearance at the 2018 festival, Utah's Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox announced Governor Gary Herbert's declaration of 28 July 2018 as "LoveLoud Day in Utah."
Personal life
On March 5, 2011, Reynolds married Aja Volkman. The two have three daughters; Arrow Eve Reynolds, who was born on August 18, 2012, and twin girls Gia James and Coco Rae Reynolds, who were born on March 28, 2017. On April 26, 2018, Reynolds announced that after just over seven years of being married, he and Volkman would divorce.
Reynolds suffers from ankylosing spondylitis, which he announced at Leeds First Direct Arena in 2015 during the band's 'Smoke + Mirrors' tour. In 2016 he partnered with Novartis's ThisASLife to raise awareness about the severe inflammatory disease. During the same year, Reynolds revealed in an interview that he had been heavily depressed for the past two years and often sees a therapist. He aims to destigmatize depression and seeking professional help. He has also suffered from ulcerative colitis since the age of 21. In April 2018, he began to share his experiences with the diseases on his social media accounts.
Discography
Studio albums
- Night Visions (2012)
- Smoke + Mirrors (2015)
- Evolve (2017)
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Songwriters Hall of Fame
- Hal David Starlight Award (2014)
Other
- Trevor Hero Award
Philanthropy
Since 2013, Imagine Dragons along with the family of Tyler Robinson have supported The Tyler Robinson Foundation, helping young people battling cancer. Imagine Dragons have also partnered with Do The Write Thing: National Campaign to Stop Violence, Amnesty International's "Bringing Human Rights Home", OneOrlando Fund's "All Is One Orlando Unity Concert", and Crackle's "Playing It Forward" (S1 E2). In 2015, Imagine Dragons released track "I Was Me" with all proceeds going to the One4 project to help fleeing refugees, particularly in the Middle East. He also helped organize the LoveLoud Fest to benefit LGBTQ organizations.
References
External links
- Official website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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