Daniel Coulter Reynolds is an American singer, songwriter, musician, music producer, and the main singer and founder of the rock band ‘Imagine Dragons.’ Born and nurtured in Las Vegas, Nevada, he attained the Eagle Scout rank while in school. Since the age of 14, he routinely expressed his emotions in his songs. During his college years, he spent two years as a ‘Mormon Missionary’ in Nebraska. Later, while attending Brigham Young University, he and bandmates Wayne Sermon, Daniel Platzman, and Ben McKee created the rock band Imagines Dragons. The band rose to prominence with the release of their debut studio album, ‘Night Visions,’ and its single, ‘Radioactive,’ which was the best-selling rock song in digital history. Reynolds and his band have won several prestigious accolades, including ‘Grammy’ and ‘Billboard Music accolades.’ He strives to increase awareness of the suicides among LGBT adolescents. Together, Reynolds and Aja Volkman, the lead singer of the group ‘Nico Vega,’ released an EP titled ‘Egyptian’ under the name ‘Egyptian.’ Reynolds subsequently married Volkman. They have three daughters and divorced after seven years of marriage.
Youth and Early Life
Daniel Reynolds was born on July 14, 1987, in Las Vegas to Ronald Reynolds and Christine M. (née Callister), both of whom were born and raised in Nevada. His father is an attorney and author. Reynolds is the seventh of nine children in his family.
Throughout his academic years, he was a Boy Scout, and in 2005 he earned the rank of ‘Eagle Scout.’ Middle school lessons included piano, percussion, and saxophone. He attended ‘Bonanza High School’. He admired the rock melodies of Elton John and Harry Nilsson, and Billy Joel, Bono, and Paul Simon were his favorite rock artists. He began writing and recording his own tracks as a teenager (on his brother’s computer).
Following graduation, he enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. At the age of 19, he served in Nebraska for two years as a volunteer Mormon Missionary for his church, ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). After completing his military obligation, he transferred to Brigham Young University in Utah to pursue music, communications, and marketing. According to reports, he was expelled from the university and unable to finish his degree.
Dan Reynolds’s Career
According to Reynolds, abandoning studies for music was a difficult decision because his entire family is academically oriented. At Brigham Young University, he realized he wished to pursue a musical career. Imagine Dragons were formed by him, guitarist Wayne Sermon, and drummer Andrew Tolman, who were subsequently replaced by Daniel Platzman.
With the addition of Ben McKee on bass, the band was complete, and they went on to win both local competitions and BYU’s ‘Battle of the Bands.’ The ensemble then relocated to Las Vegas from Utah. The band ‘Imagine Dragons’ received their big break in 2010 when they were asked to fill in for the band ‘Train’ at the ‘Bite of Las Vegas Festival’ due to medical issues. They performed in front of a large crowd and received positive feedback.
When they contracted with ‘Interscope Records’ in 2011, they collaborated with Alex da Kid, a Grammy-winning producer. In August of 2012, their debut album’s first single, titled “It’s Time,” was released. In September 2012, they released their debut studio album, ‘Night Visions,’ which debuted in the top 10 in the United States for three consecutive years, from 2012 to 2014. It received nominations and awards as well.
The second single from the album, ‘Radioactive,’ enjoyed a record-breaking 87-week run on the ‘Billboard Hot 100.’ It dominated the rankings for twenty-three consecutive weeks. It is the best-selling rock song in the digital era, with more than 7.5 million copies sold in the United States alone. The third single, ‘Demons,’ also sold over 5 million copies and was the eighth best-selling rock song of all time.
In addition to receiving nominations and awards at the ‘Grammy’s,’ the ensemble also received nominations and awards at a number of other music awards. In 2014, they performed for large audiences at Made in America Music Festival and Lollapalooza Brazil, among others.
The band’s second album, “Smoke + Mirror,” was released in February 2015 and debuted at number one on the “Billboard 200” (UK Album Chart and Canada Album Chart). This album produced two Billboard Hot 100 singles, ‘I wager my life’ and ‘Shot.’
The ensemble performed at a number of arenas while on tour. The release of their third album, ‘Evolve’, occurred in June of 2017. This album’s singles, particularly ‘Believer,’ ‘Whatever It Takes,’ and ‘Thunder’ remained at the top of various listings for a number of weeks.
Reynolds met Aja Volkman, the lead vocalist of the band ‘Nico Vega,’ in 2010 when his band opened for them. Later, they founded the indie rock duo ‘Egyptian.’ Together, they created the four-track eponymous EP ‘Egyptian.’ Reynolds became a music producer in 2016 and established ‘Night Street Records,’ an imprint label under ‘Interscope Records.’ His initial recording was with alternative hip-hop artist K. Fay.
In August 2017, he organized a concert featuring performances by his band as well as “Neon Tree,” “Krewella,” and “Joshua James.” The proceeds from this concert, titled ‘LOVELOUD,’ were donated to LGBT organizations. The second concert of this type is scheduled for July 28, 2018. The ‘Sundance Festival’ premiered his documentary film ‘Believer’ about the suicides of LGBT teenagers in Utah on January 20, 2018.
Together with the Tyler Robinson Foundation, “Imagine Dragons” assists juvenile cancer patients. In addition to Amnesty International’s ‘Bringing Human Rights Home’ and ‘Do The Write Thing: National Campaign to Stop Violence,’ the band collaborated with other charitable organizations.
Awards & Achievements
Reynolds and his band have garnered a number of prestigious music awards, a few of which are highlighted below. ’The debut album ‘Night Visions’ by Imagine Dragons won ‘Top Rock Album’ at the 2014 ‘Billboard Music Awards’ and was nominated for a ‘Juno Award for International Album of the Year.’ The ensemble was nominated for two ‘Grammy Awards,’ winning the award for ‘Best Rock Performance’ in 2014.
They were honored with two ‘American Music Awards for ‘Favorite Alternative Artist,’ ‘Teen Choice Award’ for ‘Choice Rock Group,’ and ‘Billboard Music Award’ for ‘Top Rock Artist. In 2014, Reynolds received the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award. At the ‘2018 Grammy Awards,’ ‘Imagine Dragon’ was nominated twice and won the ‘iHeart Radio Music Award’ for ‘Alternative Rock Artist of the Year.’
Dan’s Personal Life
On March 5, 2011, Reynolds wed fellow musician Aja Volkman (lead vocalist of the band Nico Vega’). They have three daughters: Arrow Eve (born in August 2012), Gia James and Coco Rae (born in March 2017), and twins Gia James and Coco Rae. In April 2018, after seven years of marriage, the couple decided to separate.
Reynolds has Ankylosing Spondylitis, an inflammatory disease, and he and the pharmaceutical company Novartis are attempting to raise awareness about it. He disclosed that he has been seeing a therapist for depression for the past two years.
Estimated Net Worth
The net worth of American musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Dan Reynolds is $50 million. Dan Reynolds, along with Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, and Daniel Platzman, is best known as the lead singer of the rock band Imagine Dragons. In 2014, he was awarded the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Hal David Starlight Award.