Biography
Imagine Dragons: Vegas Anthems and a New Trio Era
Las Vegas Origins
Dan Reynolds formed the band in Las Vegas in 2008, recruiting Berklee College of Music alumni Wayne Sermon and soon afterward Ben McKee; the future trio lived together in a Vegas house and sharpened material in marathon six-hour gigs along the Strip. Drummer Daniel Platzman completed the quartet by their major-label breakthrough. Signing with producer Alex da Kid's KIDinaKORNER imprint at Interscope set up It's Time, their first single, which reached No. 15 on the Hot 100 in 2012 and established the stomp-and-soar formula that would carry them.
Night Visions and Radioactive
Night Visions, released on September 4, 2012, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and logged 408 weeks there by its tenth anniversary. Radioactive climbed to No. 3 on the Hot 100 and set a then-record 87 consecutive weeks on the chart, later earning Diamond certification. In February 2014 the song won Best Rock Performance at the 56th Grammy Awards — still the band's only win from four nominations — where they also performed it in a mashup with Kendrick Lamar's m.A.A.d city. Smoke + Mirrors followed in February 2015 and became the band's first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.
Evolve to Mercury
Evolve, released on June 23, 2017, matched Night Visions' peak and outscaled it on radio: Believer and Thunder each reached No. 4 on the Hot 100, and Whatever It Takes won the 2018 MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video. The same year brought Billboard Music Awards for Top Duo/Group and Top Rock Artist, adding to the American Music Award for Favorite Artist – Alternative Rock claimed in 2013. Origins followed in November 2018, and the two-part Mercury project — Act 1 in September 2021, expanded to Acts 1 & 2 on July 1, 2022, executive-produced by Rick Rubin — kept the cadence; Enemy, written with JID for the series Arcane, returned the band to the Hot 100's top ten in 2022, and Bones topped Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart.
Reynolds Beyond the Band
Reynolds's profile extends past the group's catalog. Diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis at twenty-one, he has spoken extensively about living with the autoimmune condition. In 2017 he founded LoveLoud, a 501(c)(3) festival benefiting LGBTQ+ acceptance organizations, staged annually in Utah. The HBO documentary Believer — premiered at Sundance in January 2018 and directed by Don Argott — followed that advocacy and won a GLAAD Media Award. These projects belong to Reynolds individually rather than to the band, a distinction the group's own materials maintain.
LOOM and the Trio Era
Platzman stepped away from the road in early 2023, saying he needed time to focus on his health, and did not play on LOOM; Reynolds confirmed that original drummer Andrew Tolman, who had left the band in 2011 and later worked as its drum technician, would handle the tour. On August 21, 2024, Platzman made the split permanent, writing that after an incredible journey of over a decade he would depart to pursue film scoring. LOOM, issued June 28, 2024 with lead single Eyes Closed, debuted at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 5 in the UK, where it was the week's highest new entry.
Stadium Scale and the Hollywood Bowl Film
The LOOM World Tour closed its North American leg with a record-setting four-night Hollywood Bowl stand backed by the Los Angeles Film Orchestra, more than 67,000 tickets, before crossing Asia and returning for the band's first full UK and European stadium run, which ended at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on July 26, 2025. Trafalgar Releasing put the Bowl performances in cinemas that March and streamed them globally that November, and a tenth-anniversary Smoke + Mirrors reissue rounded out the era. Verified public activity through late August 2026 ends there: no newer releases had surfaced by the cutoff.
Selected moments
Career highlights
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It's Time breakthrough
Major-label debut single reaches No. 15 on the Hot 100 ahead of Night Visions.
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Radioactive phenomenon and Grammy
87 weeks on the Hot 100, Diamond certification and the band's only Grammy win, for Best Rock Performance.
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Believer and Thunder twin hits
Both singles reach No. 4 on the Hot 100 during the Evolve era.
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LoveLoud founded
Dan Reynolds launches the LGBTQ+ acceptance festival in Utah; HBO's Believer documentary follows in 2018.
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Trio era begins
Daniel Platzman makes his departure permanent on August 21; original drummer Andrew Tolman returns for the road.
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Hollywood Bowl record close
Four-night finale with the LA Film Orchestra sells more than 67,000 tickets, captured for a 2025 film release.
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First stadium-scale European run
UK and European stadium tour ends at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on July 26, 2025.
Recognition
Awards and Recognition
The Recording Academy credits Imagine Dragons with one Grammy win from four nominations — Best Rock Performance for Radioactive at the 56th ceremony, alongside Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for Thunder and Best Pop Vocal Album for Evolve nominations. Winners lists archived by ABC and Billboard add two American Music Awards, the 2018 Billboard sweep of Top Duo/Group and Top Rock Artist, and the 2018 MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video.
- GRAMMY Awards
- 1 win / 4 nominations
- American Music Awards
- 2 wins
- Billboard Music Awards
- 2 wins (2018)
- MTV Video Music Awards
- 1 win
| Year | Award | Category | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | American Music Awards | Favorite Artist – Alternative RockWinner | |
| 2014 | GRAMMY Awards | Best Rock PerformanceWinner | Radioactive |
| 2014 | GRAMMY Awards | Record of the YearNominee | Radioactive |
| 2017 | American Music Awards | Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/RockWinner | |
| 2018 | GRAMMY Awards | Best Pop Duo/Group PerformanceNominee | Thunder |
| 2018 | GRAMMY Awards | Best Pop Vocal AlbumNominee | Evolve |
| 2018 | Billboard Music Awards | Top Duo/GroupWinner | |
| 2018 | Billboard Music Awards | Top Rock ArtistWinner | |
| 2018 | MTV Video Music Awards | Best Rock VideoWinner | Whatever It Takes |