By Geoffrey Rowlands
Imagine Dragons might still have been playing a mix of rock covers and their own songs in the less popular casinos of Las Vegas had it not been for a chance meeting with Alex Da Kid.
The 29-year-old British-born, Los Angeles-based, producer is known for his work with artists such as Dr Dre, B.o.B., Nicki Minaj, Eminem and Rihanna. But the former Bristol City footballer was excited by the challenge of producing an alternative rock band.
“Alex began working with us in the summer of 2011,” revealed Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, 25. “We’d been doing okay before then winning several Battle of the Bands competitions but I guess we needed someone with Alex’s production expertise to turn our good songs into great songs.”
The band’s obvious talent and potential saw Alex sign Imagine Dragons to his KIDinaKORNER label and Interscope Records.
“That was a great day for us,” remarked Dan’s lifelong friend, guitarist Wayne Sermon. “We worked so hard playing hundreds of gigs over a three-year period without ever really seeming to get anywhere. Signing the contract was an amazing feeling.”
Andrew and Brittany Tolman had left the band before their association with Alex Da Kid. Dan, Wayne and bassist Ben McKee decided to recruit just one replacement, drummer and viola player Dan Platzman.
“I’d known Wayne and Ben since we studied together at the Berklee College of Music,” Dan Platzman explained. “I was lucky to join the band as we began to make progress in our career so I missed the difficult times suffered by the other guys.”
The first fruits of their labour with Alex Da Kid was a six-song EP, Continued Silence. The stand out track, It’s Time, is an inspirational song which Dan Reynolds wrote in his kitchen during a bout of depression.
“Changes were happening in my life,” he recalled. “I was struggling with depression and anxiety so I wanted to write something as a kind of personal pick-me-up. I’m pleased that so many other people have connected with the song and it’s become special for them.”
It’s Time also struck a chord with advertising executives and TV producers. The song has been used to soundtrack intros for numerous televised sports events and in commercials for a variety of programmes and products. It also received what nowadays seems to be the ultimate accolade, a cast performance in the Glee television show.
“We’ve certainly benefitted from the media exposure,” Ben commented. “New bands can always use this kind of publicity for their music so we were delighted to have It’s Time used in so many promos.”
The buzz around Imagine Dragons saw their debut album, Night Visions, shoot straight to second spot on the Billboard 200.
“None of us expected that kind of success,” Dan Reynolds admitted.
“We didn’t just rely on the media promotion, we kept touring and performing but we didn’t think we could get such a big hit.”
The band already have a collection of songs prepared for their next album.
“We’re always writing,” Dan continued. “Even on tour we’ll work on our laptops. Many songs which sound great at first don’t seem so good after a day or two. But we’ve got quite a few which we’re very pleased with so our second album should follow sooner rather than later.”