Dan Reynolds

“I grew up and had a lot of friends who were gay and Mormon. They couldn't come out to their parents. They couldn't even come out to me because we just wouldn't talk about it.”

“I was a little rebellious growing up.”

“There's not a day that goes by that I don't get an email from someone who is angry with me and tells me they're not going to let their kid listen to Imagine Dragons anymore.”

“Being a Mormon is not a part-time religion. It is your life. You eat, sleep, and breathe Mormonism.”

“My dad is my biggest source of inspiration. He's a lawyer, and when he'd get home, we always sat down and listened to music.”

“When I was 18, I applied to go to BYU like my six brothers ahead of me - I have eight boys and one girl in my family.”

“I've followed Tegan and Sara's music for quite a while, and I've been a fan of them and what they do and what they stand for. We've run into each other at one or two festivals over the years, and I kind of fanned out on them.”

“Do I know there is a God? Some days I don't.”

“I wouldn't recommend being a musician to anyone. It's not glamorous. It's a lot of being dirty, not eating, playing for five people and one of them is the bartender.”

“It does not mean you're broken to have depression and anxiety. I would encourage you to speak out. Don't hold it inside. Talk to friends. Talk to parents. If it's available, go to a therapist.”

“I really don't want my daughters to know me for being that guy who sings songs.”

“I'm tired of living the vanilla, non-offensive life. I think that's a really sad way to spend my life, and I lived it like that because that's what I was brought up in, taught to not rock the ship.”

“I've spent a lifetime trying not to offend people - that's one thing that Mormons are really good at is smiling and shaking your hand and doing everything they can to not offend you. And I have gotten to this point in life where I don't want to live that way anymore.”

“There is always a mix of apprehension and excitement before you try songs out on a new audience.”

“I always would dream of making music videos. Whenever I make music, I always have a visual in my mind. I always see things.”

“There's nothing wrong or weak about seeking a therapist. I have a therapist.”

“But I really believe that you don't do music because you want to, you do it because you have to.”

“I'm about as privileged as you can get. I'm a white, male, heterosexual front man of a rock band.”

“People who have never dealt with depression think it's just being sad or being in a bad mood. That's not what depression is for me; it's falling into a state of grayness and numbness.”

“There was nothing more I wanted to do than to see my dad react well to my music. I still do. I send him my demos all the time.”