Imagine Dragons

For a good part of the music press, Imagine Dragons are an easy target: too big, too mainstream, too made for the stadium. They are accused of formula, of prefabricated anthems, of arena rock for the masses. And at the same time they are one of the most successful bands in the world so far this century, with songs that millions of people sing at the top of their lungs. "Radioactive" broke chart longevity records; "Demons", "Believer", "Thunder" were heard all over the planet. Once again the old story: the contempt of the experts coexisting with the real love of an enormous crowd. And as always, the crowd votes with its heart, not with the review.

Anthems for the terraces

What Imagine Dragons do well, and they deserve credit for it, is build anthems: big songs, with choruses that explode, made to be shouted by tens of thousands of people at once. "Radioactive" was such a huge phenomenon that it stayed on the United States charts for a record length of time, longer than almost any song before it. "Believer", with its rhythmic punch and its lyrics about turning pain into strength, became a motivational anthem that plays in gyms and sports stadiums all over the world.

That ability to connect with millions is not a flaw or an accident. Writing a song that twenty thousand people want to sing together, one that gives someone strength on a bad day, is a concrete talent. The critics can turn up their noses; a full stadium singing "Believer" is a form of truth that no review can knock down.

Dan Reynolds's heart

But what truly makes Imagine Dragons bigger is not only in the music: it is in what their singer, Dan Reynolds, did with his fame. Reynolds was raised in the Mormon faith, a conservative religious community, and from his position as a star he decided to fight a difficult and uncomfortable battle: that of the acceptance of LGBTQ young people, many of them raised in religious environments that rejected them.

He founded a festival, LoveLoud, dedicated to supporting and giving visibility to those kids, to telling them they were not alone, in a context where many suffered in silence and some did not even survive the rejection. He used his platform — the full stadiums, the mass fame — for something that cost him confrontations inside his own community. He also spoke openly about his depression and the chronic illness he lives with, helping others feel less strange for going through the same thing. A guy who could have limited himself to collecting the cheque and singing chose instead to use his voice for those who had none.

What to remember

Imagine Dragons are one of the most successful bands of the century, scorned by the critics and adored by millions, with stadium anthems like "Radioactive" and "Believer". And their singer, Dan Reynolds, used that enormous platform to fight for the acceptance of LGBTQ young people, especially in religious communities, and to speak honestly about depression.

Remember it like this: you can argue forever about whether their music is "good" according to the critics, but it is beyond argument that it gave strength to millions of people, and that their singer used that strength to look after those who needed it most. A band is also measured by that: by what it does with the power its audience gives it.

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Sources

Imagine Dragons, American pop rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2008, with Dan Reynolds (vocals), Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee and Daniel Platzman. They are one of the most commercially successful bands of the 21st century; their song "Radioactive" (2012) set a record for longevity on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was followed by hits such as "Demons", "Believer" and "Thunder". Dan Reynolds, raised in the faith of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons), founded the LoveLoud festival in support of LGBTQ youth, especially in religious communities, and has spoken publicly about his depression and about the ankylosing spondylitis he lives with. Profile compiled for Rebobinados with fact-checking; interpretations of the meaning of the work are offered as the author's reading. No song lyrics are reproduced, for copyright reasons. Information drawn from Wikipedia, Grammy.com, SCMP and other coverage.