The straight, cisgender frontman of a rock band may not be the first person you’d expect to be an outspoken advocate and ally for the LGBTQ community. But then there’s Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds.
Imagine Dragons has become one of this generation’s most popular music groups, boasting nearly 57 million monthly listeners on Spotify. In 2018, it was the most streamed group on the platform, and three of its songs —“Believer,” “Thunder” and “Demons” — have received more than a billion streams. But talking to Reynolds, one doesn’t experience any of the cockiness or ego that may come through when talking to other rock superstars.
Instead, he centers himself on his mission as an ally. Reynolds, who is not part of the LGBTQ community, said his advocacy stems from growing up in a very conservative Mormon family where he witnessed some of his family members struggling to reconcile their sexuality with their religious teachings.
In 2018, Reynolds produced “Believer,” a documentary that examined the “intersection between LGBT people and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” In 2019, he used his band’s acceptance speech for the top rock artist award at the Billboard Music Awards to speak out against conversion therapy. Last year, he donated his childhood home to be converted into a youth center for vulnerable LGBTQ youth. And this year, his LoveLoud Fest returns after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic
