Dan Reynolds
Daniel Coulter Reynolds (born July 14, 1987)[3] is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist of the pop rock band Imagine Dragons. Reynolds also released an EP in 2011, titled Egyptian – EP,[4] as a duo with his then wife Aja Volkman under the moniker Egyptian.[5] He is a recipient of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award.[6][7]
This article is about the singer. For the cartoonist, see Dan Reynolds (cartoonist). For people with similar names, see Daniel Reynolds.
Dan Reynolds
- Singer
- songwriter
- record producer
2008–present
4
- Vocals
- guitar
- keyboards
Early life[edit]
Reynolds was born in Las Vegas, the seventh of nine children (eight boys and one girl) of Christene M. (née Callister) and Ronald Reynolds, a lawyer and author.[8] Both are natives of Nevada, and Reynolds is a 4th generation Nevadan.[9] As a Boy Scout he earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2005.[10][11] Reynolds was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). When he was 19 years old he volunteered full-time as a missionary in Nebraska for two years.[12][13][14][15] As of 2022, Reynolds is no longer a member of the LDS Church.[16]
Reynolds wrote the song "I Bet My Life" celebrating and reflecting on his enduring relationship with his parents.[17] Following his graduation from Bonanza High School, he attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas (after losing his ecclesiastical endorsement for Brigham Young University (BYU)) and then transferred to BYU after serving an LDS mission, where he studied communications, marketing, and music and excelled academically.[18][19] While at BYU, he formed Imagine Dragons and won the school's battle of the bands competition before leaving to pursue music full-time.[20][a]
Influences[edit]
Reynolds cites Arcade Fire, Nirvana, Muse, The Beatles, Paul Simon, Coldplay, Linkin Park,[70] Harry Nilsson, and U2 as some of his and the band's artistic influences. He credits bands like Foster the People and Mumford & Sons for bringing alternative pop music to a new level of commercial success in recent years.[71]
Personal life[edit]
On March 5, 2011, Reynolds married Aja Volkman. The two have three daughters and a son. Their first daughter was born on August 18, 2012. Their fraternal twin daughters were born on March 28, 2017. Their son was born on October 1, 2019.[72][73]
On April 26, 2018, Reynolds announced that after just over seven years of being married, he and Volkman would divorce.[74] On November 7, 2018, Reynolds announced, along with the release of the Imagine Dragons song "Bad Liar", that he and Volkman never went through with the divorce, that she helped co-write the song with him earlier in the year, and they were together once again.[75] On September 16, 2022, Reynolds announced that he and Volkman were again separating.[76] Volkman officially filed for divorce on April 18, 2023. The filing arrived months after the couple announced their separation.[77] The divorce was finalized on March 26, 2024.[78]
Reynolds suffers from ankylosing spondylitis, which he announced at Leeds First Direct Arena in 2015 during the band's Smoke + Mirrors tour.[79] In 2016 he partnered with Novartis's ThisASLife to raise awareness about the severe inflammatory disease.[79] During the same year, Reynolds said in an interview that he had been heavily depressed for the past two years and often sees a therapist.[80] He has also suffered from ulcerative colitis since the age of 21.[79] Many songs on Night Visions were inspired by his depression. He aims to destigmatize and change how society sees depression and the act of seeking professional help.[81] In April 2018, he began to talk about his physical and mental health struggles on his social media accounts and continues to offer encouraging messages of support to his fans and others struggling as well.[82]
Reynolds and his mother Christene appear in the Paramount+ series From Cradle to Stage, hosted by Dave Grohl and his mother Virginia Hanlon Grohl. The Reynolds episode aired on May 6, 2021.[83]
Reynolds grew up in the LDS Church but has recently stated he has doctrinal disagreements with the church's stance on homosexuality.[84] During a 2021 interview with Attitude he described himself as "non-Mormon";[85] the following month, he stated "I'm not raising my kids in any religiousness if that means anything. I'm more spiritual based and religion hasn't really been my cup of tea."[86] Reynolds has since left the church.[87]
Reynolds is a practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and he competed in the white belt division of a Jiu-Jitsu World League tournament at UCLA on July 2, 2023, winning a bronze medal.[88]
Studio albums
Philanthropy[edit]
Since 2013, Imagine Dragons along with the family of Tyler Robinson formed and support The Tyler Robinson Foundation, helping young people battling cancer.[104][105] During the foundation's 2018 annual gala, it raised $2.1 million to support young people battling cancer.[106]
Imagine Dragons have also partnered with Do The Write Thing: National Campaign to Stop Violence (presided over by Reynolds' uncle),[107] Amnesty International's "Bringing Human Rights Home",[108] OneOrlando Fund's "All Is One Orlando Unity Concert",[109] and Crackle's "Playing It Forward" (S1 E2).[110]
In 2015, Imagine Dragons released the track "I Was Me" with all proceeds going to the One4 project to help fleeing refugees, particularly in the Middle East.[111] He also helped organize the Loveloud Fest to benefit LGBTQ organizations.[112]