Saturday Conversation: Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds On Expanding LoveLoud

Forbes Lifestyle Arts Saturday Conversation: Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds On Expanding LoveLoud Steve Baltin Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about music and the business of music. Following Oct 14, 2023, 01:29pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH – JUNE 29: Dan Reynolds performs at LOVELOUD Festival 2019 Powered by AT&T at .

. . [+] USANA Amphitheatre on June 29, 2019 in West Valley City, Utah.

(Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for LOVELOUD Festival) Getty Images for LOVELOUD Festival Six years after Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds started the LoveLoud festival in Utah, Reynolds is taking the festival on a mini tour for the first time. This year, LoveLoud will expand to Washington, DC, this Tuesday (October 17) and Austin, Texas November 10. In between, LoveLoud will return to Salt Lake City November 3.

In the three cities, Reynolds will be joined by a sparkling array of talent — Tegan and Sara, Victoria Monet, David Archuleta, Cavetown, Lindsay Stirling, Lauv, Allison Russell, Mother Mother and more — reflecting the region they are playing. As Reynolds told me when we spoke over Zoom about the festival, he very much waited for the right time to bring the event’s pro-LGBTQ message of equality and love for all to other cities. And now, LoveLoud is a proven success, one whose message has been heard by millions.

I spoke with Reynolds about why LoveLoud is a human event, not a political one; how it has changed people’s lives; the goal of the festival; his dream artists and cities for future LoveLoud events and much more. Steve Baltin: I’m sure at the beginning there are people who are like, “Why are you doing this?” But as it’s gone on, and we’ve talked about it for several years, is it something that you’re finding that people understand that, A, it’s an extension of you. B, LoveLoud to me is not something that’s political, it’s just human? Dan Reynolds : Yeah.

That’s been our goal from the beginning because we want to be a bridge. If you want to be a bridge, you can’t be political. We’re wanting families to come out that would never go to any queer event.

We need the parents who are like, “I’m not going to go to Pride. “. And their kids are like, “Well, come to LoveLoud with me.

” And they go to LoveLoud and it’s their first gay event. For a lot of these people, it’s their first time being around a lot of gay people at once, because it’s in the heartland of Utah. We did that on purpose, to, just bring people together and say, “Wait, this feels right in my heart.

Okay, well what does this mean with what I’ve been being taught at church?” And, “How do I make that work?” And we’re not trying to challenge people’s faith, even. We’re just saying, “Hey, this is a really human, natural thing. And if you would just be exposed to gay youth, maybe you would have a rethinking in your heart about what it means to be gay and what it means to support gay queer kids.

” And so that’s what LoveLoud’s goal has been and it’s really been successful. It’s been awesome to see. I can’t tell you how many letters I get from people who are like, “My uncle, who has never supported me, came to LoveLoud.

And at LoveLoud, we finally hugged and he said, ‘I support you and love you. ‘” Or kids who come out to their parents at LoveLoud. This happens all the time and it’s awesome.

That is what LoveLoud is supposed to be. It’s not political. It’s human.

MORE FOR YOU ‘Ring Of Fire’ Solar Eclipse: Here’s Where—And How—To Watch It Today WWE SmackDown Results: Winners And Grades As Roman Reigns Returns In 2014, Surrounded Israeli Soldiers Called In Artillery On Their Own Position—Then Dove Into Their Superheavy Namer Vehicles Baltin: I think for a lot of people, their ignorance comes out of fear. And so do you see when people come to LoveLoud, they get exposed to the gay community, and at that point, it does open them up a little bit? Reynolds: Yes, 100 percent. And our goal is for these people who live in very orthodox communities, conservative, more conservative communities to come out to experience the music, to listen to the speakers, to be with their kids and to be exposed to what it looks like.

And what’s amazing is a lot of times they’re coming out and they’re like, “Oh, it’s not hyper-sexualized. “We do it for families, it’s clean. Like, the acts we get are family friendly.

We’re very cautious and careful to be nonpolitical and to be family friendly, so that these families can come out and see that what is a really basic sense of beautiful part of humanity, which is, to love. And everyone should be able to love who they want and be supported in that. And we try to do that in a way that is welcoming to everyone, but very direct.

And it’s worked really well. Baltin: Have there been one or two moments that have really stood out for you where, like you say, you get so many letters where people come out, or you see things or you hear things from them about their experience there? Reynolds: There have been so many countless moments. It’s hard to pinpoint.

First and foremost, when you attend LoveLoud, there’s a feeling in the air that’s palpable. It’s like an emotionality in the air. People walk in and are just moved to tears immediately because first and foremost, you’re having a queer event in Provo, Utah.

That doesn’t happen. And the first year we did it, it was endorsed by the Mormon Church, which is historical. They’ve never endorsed anything that was queer in any way, in the opposite.

And so there was a feeling in the air of change, I think, of hope. People come in and they’re just moved to tears. Like before anybody talks, before a note of music is played, just because of what it stands for to see a community making positive change.

So above all, that’s what stands out to me every year. That feeling is always there and now we’re bringing it to new cities. We’re bringing it to DC, we’re bringing it to Austin.

And so yeah, it’s the beginning of kind of the evolution of LoveLoud, the natural next step, which is there’s obviously more places than Utah that need this message. And so that’s our goal now. Baltin: I like the fact that it’s not in LA or New York because it’s probably not as essential in these places at this point.

Obviously, there’s a great deal of musical talent in both these cities. But I was talking with a very good friend of mine in the music industry about Nashville, for example. Would you look at it at a place like Nashville, that has both, the music talent, and also just needs it? Reynolds: For sure.

We’re very careful and choosy about where we went for exactly that reason. We’re not looking to just go yell into an echo chamber. We really want to go into the places that need it.

Texas, was obviously one of the first places that came to mind. But we also don’t want to just jump into the deep end. So Austin felt like the right place to start where there’s going to be a community that is already very supportive of our LGBTQ youth, but also a lot of people who aren’t.

And that’s kind of why we wanted to start there in Texas. DC, for obvious reasons. We’re close to all things political and LoveLoud is not political, but there’s an undercurrent of like, “Hey, legislature that supports our youth, we’re behind it.

” So I think it’s important to be there as well. But obviously, there are so many places, the south. There are so many places in the Bible Belt or any place where orthodox religion is kind of the primary culture, I think that is where we need to go.

And that’s what LoveLoud is about, forging a path, a bridge in these places where there’s a lot of queer youth, which is everywhere, by the way. And then also, there is a lot of a stronghold of Orthodox faith and that conflict that arises there. And we need these children to know, “If any leader is telling you that your innate sense of being to love is sinful, they’re simply wrong.

They’re just wrong. ” And we’re not going to tiptoe around that. That’s the foundation, the functionality, the everything of LoveLoud.

But how do we all sit at the table together and talk about that? And that’s what we’ve been trying to do. Baltin: I remember being on a road trip, for example, with someone, and we didn’t know each other. It was like a friend of a friend that I agreed to help out.

And Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car,” which is one of the greatest songs of all time, comes on. And we start singing along with it and it’s like you instantly bond over the song. Are there songs you can think of that have that bonding power for you? Reynolds: Man, there’s a lot of those songs that have done that for me.

And sometimes, it’s the simple quiet subtlety of it. It could be “Father and Son,” by Cat Stevens or something, where it’s just a father talking to his son about life and how to go about it, and the conflict between the father and the son and the beauty of that. For some reason, that song actually charges me up and makes me feel like, “God, I need to be an example for my kids.

” I have four kids, and, “What am I going to leave here before I’m gone? Because money and fame means nothing. So am I actually leaving them some sort of message of what matters in life and how can I do that better?” I love Rage, I grew up on Rage Against the Machine. So there’s a lot there to dive in.

And I love Tom [Morello], and me and Tom have actually done a song together, and I love Tom and everything they do. It’s like every song from them. Man, all music.

I could turn to anything that I listen to and tell you how it inspires me to want to make change. But a lot of The Beatles. Obviously, I grew up on a lot of The Beatles.

Harry Nilsson, I think that more just moves me in emotion. Baltin: What I’m talking about is that communal feeling. And again, there are some songs that just foster that communal feeling.

So those songs that you can sing with in a crowd of people? . Reynolds: Maybe like “(I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles,” by The Proclaimers or something. I feel like that’s a song that does maybe that thing for me where just no matter who I’m with, we’re all best friends suddenly and nothing matters, and we’re all just singing about how we’d walk 500 miles for somebody.

Baltin: Yeah, or like Chumbawamba, “Tubthumping. ” Reynolds: [Chuckle] Nice. Oh, man, nice.

Baltin: It should be a terrible song, and yet it’s a f**king great song. Reynolds: Yeah, I remember recording that on a tape cassette off the radio in the ’90s. I’d listen to Mix 94.

1 at night, I’d always make these mixed tapes. And I remember recording that and being like, “Oh, it says, oh, Danny Boy. .

. ” And being 11 or 12, and being like, “I love this part about Danny Boy. ” Little did I Know is pissing the night away and stuff that went over my head.

But I love that song. I would play it over and over for sure. Baltin: Take me through the lineups a little bit.

I just did an interview with Sara from Tegan and Sara, they’re amazing. Victoria Monet is awesome. It’s cool because obviously, this year that you expanded to three cities, you really get to stretch out musically and bring in different people.

Reynolds: Yeah, I feel like this is maybe our best lineup yet. Every year, LoveLoud’s lineup is super underrated, by the way. We had Anitta last year.

We bring out a lot of really cool talent. Like you said, Victoria Monet is awesome. Obviously, Tegan and Sara, every time we can get them out, it’s amazing.

Cavetown’s great. Chelsea Cutler, David Archuleta, which is really important. David Archuleta is, for those who don’t know, or just know him from American Idol , grew up Mormon, and recently came out as gay.

And David went on a Mormon mission. It is really relevant for David to be there. Vincint, we have a great lineup.

Lindsey Sterling. So Tyler Glenn will be out, as always, and I’ll be out there playing some music. So it’s going to be fun.

Baltin: Did the geography affect each lineup? Reynolds: Yeah. I think we were very mindful of each city and what we thought would be right for the different cities. And this is a growing year for us.

We could have done this years previous, and we didn’t on purpose, because we wanted to make sure we did it right in Utah before we expanded. We didn’t want to grow too fast for our boots, or whatever the saying is. We wanted to make sure we did it right in Utah first, before we brought it other places.

And now we’re starting small in Austin and DC, and we want to just do a great job bringing out these parents and kids and show them what LoveLoud is about. And then continue to grow. Baltin: Because it’s been a proven commodity in Utah, how has the response been in DC and Austin? Because now, of course, people know what it is.

Reynolds: Yeah, it’s been great. I feel like we knew that this year we’d have to, in some senses, tell these cities like, “Hey, this is what we are. ” But what we’re finding is, word has spread.

A lot of people know and have been ready for it to come to these places, which is cool and invigorating to know that, hey, LoveLoud has gone beyond the borders of Utah, whether it’s just the press and people like you, who’ve brought it to the masses. Or people who saw the documentary on HBO, or word of mouth. And so it’s cool to see that it’s translating beyond the borders of Utah.

Baltin: Two obvious questions. One, where are the other places you would like to see it grow? Reynolds: Austin is the first city in Texas, but I think Texas is large, and Texas needs LoveLoud. Throughout the South, I’d love to bring this to like Louisiana, there are a lot of places in the Bible Belt.

I’d love to bring it to Nebraska, where I served my mission. My Mormon mission was served in the small country towns in Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, Omaha, Kansas, Iowa. I think, the Midwest, those are all the places that I’m more focused on.

Baltin: And then the next obvious question, as a music geek, who are the artists you would love to have play? Reynolds: Oh, man, I’d love to get Elton John out. I’d love to get Sam Smith, Gaga. I’m going to start shooting for the moon just to sell as many tickets as possible and raise as much money as possible [chuckle] Yeah, I think that’s a good start.

Yeah, that’ll be next year’s lineup. Madonna. I’d love to see Elton, that’d be amazing.

Seeing Elton John on a stage in Texas or something at LoveLoud would be crazy. That’d be amazing. Follow me on Twitter .

Steve Baltin Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.