smoke and mirrors

I’ve had a lot on my mind this week. month. year.

I’ve written it into this new record. its honest and real for me. i stand behind every single song. every single word. i believe in this project more than i can express to you.

some will love the record. some will hate it. thats ok. i wrote this record as a human that feels the need to express myself. i wrote it for our fans. i wrote it for my family. the words tell the story of my life. my thoughts. my fears. my anxieties. my joys. my loves. my flaws. i wrote it in hopes that someone puts on their headphones late at night and feel something while they listen to it. i wrote it because music shaped my life. it filled me with with courage when i felt scared. it filled me with life when i felt alone. it speaks to me in a way that no conversation has ever spoken.

i was never a “genre” in high school. i could never fit into one. i hung out with all sorts of people. anyone that would have me. i was just me. Dan. A teenager who had a great curiosity for life. but i did believe in myself. i believed that regardless of the worlds perception, i would always be the author of my life. i would write my story regardless of the consequences or words from outside sources.

and thus it is with imagine dragons. we are no genre. we are a band that has a message that we believe in. we create music that fills us with joy and helps us feel a little less lost in the world. it is honest. it is entirely real for us. we aren’t looking to be the cool kid. we really aren’t looking to be anything other than ourselves.

i tried to be my most authentic and raw on this album. i tried to truly give you a piece of myself on this record. i speak to those that struggle with depression. i speak to those that feel alone. i speak to those that are tired of the hate that exists in the world. i speak to the honest person that wants to sit down and have a meaningful conversation with no regard to sex/race/religion/class etc.

I have a desire to be honest. I have a desire to create music that fulfills my need to express myself. i have a desire to learn. to grow. to experience life at its highest highs and lowest lows. to have good conversation late at night. to laugh. to cry. to create. to inspire. to be inspired.

i will never operate out of fear. i will never conform. i will never attempt to be something i am not.

i hope that you sit down on a quiet night and listen to this record with a smile on your face. maybe tears at times. i hope you feel our heart in it. i hope that it connects to yours. i hope you feel a little less alone in the world. i hope you feel a little more courageous. i hope you feel ok about letting go a little.

my resolution this year is to be a little happier. a little more grateful. i acknowledge my depression but it doesn’t control me. i will fight it with you. your stories continue to fill my heart with energy. you are the reason i get on the stage every night. you are the reason we create this music.

smoke and mirrors is the conflict. conflict creates growth. it urges you to question. it urges you to find answers. it breaks you down only to build you up even stronger. what is real? what is meaningless? i hope to find the answers to these questions but maybe i never will.

one thing i DO know, is that I’m inexpressibly grateful to you for being a part of my life. thank you for your continual support and kind words. it means more to me than i could ever say.

see you all on the road