Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds opened up about his past life and shared his aim to make amends for his past. While discussing the upcoming LoveLoud festival, which he founded in 2017, the frontman expressed his joy about the festival and the attendance.
Growing up in a Mormon household, the rocker and his friends were not allowed to explore their sexual orientation. As he stated in the latest interview with People, with the festival, he is aiming to raise awareness of the suicide rates related to LGBTQ+ and be the voice of those who can’t express themselves. The singer now believes that the festival has made a significant impact with the festival.
The singer detailed the people he grew up with and how he later realized the privilege of having a voice and power:
“Growing up with friends like that and then getting to a position where I had a voice and have been given a lot of power and privilege… I met Tyler Glenn (Neon Trees bandleader), who I became really close with, who also grew up Mormon and didn’t come out until later in his life after serving the Mormon mission.”
Reynolds discussed the Orthodox religions and shared how this festival can help the LGBTQ+ youth:
“We came up with the idea together to start this festival to try to change the culture within Orthodox religions. And to help families know that it’s not okay to not celebrate your LGBTQ youth. And in fact, when you’re not doing that, you’re setting your kid up for a life of just really devastating statistics.”
Just like how he aims to celebrate love in his festival, he aims to do the same in his current household. The frontman explained:
“So in my home, I really try to instill upon my kids that in this house we celebrate love, period. Whoever you might love, period. It’s not ‘we accept it, we tolerate,’ it’s ‘we celebrate it.’ And I think that distinction can be the difference between life and death.”
In addition to being the founder of a music and love-based festival, he expressed his support for the LGBTQ+ community many times during his shows.
The lineup of this year’s LoveLoud festival consists of names such as Reynolds, Glenn, Allison Russell, Lindsay Stirling, Victoria Monét, Cavetown, and more. The event also showcases local LGBTQ+ talent, drag queens, and allies.
