Just last summer, Megan Moroney had never even played a show. Fourteen months later, she's headlining a sold-out tour.

The country singer/songwriter kicked off The Lucky Tour on Sept. 20 in New York City, with 22 dates sprinkled throughout the fall until wrapping in her native Georgia on Dec. 10. Though her first headlining tour was in April, The Lucky Tour is an indication of where her stardom is headed — bigger and busier.

"My whole life is completely different now," Moroney says. "Everything is happening, and I'm on the road 24/7. Last year, I would put out a song and I'd play shows a couple weeks at a time and then have some time off, but we're planning so far ahead now. It's a lot of work, but it's what I want to do."

Moroney's rapidly growing success was first fueled by the lovestruck, college football-themed hit "Tennessee Orange," but she's kept the momentum going with her debut album, Lucky. While her country-pop stylings are right in line with the genre's mainstream stars, Moroney's witty, strong-willed songwriting  and husky voice feel like the makings of a superstar.

Moroney's staying power has already been proven from what she's achieved in 2023: "Tennessee Orange" hit No. 1 on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase Country Airplay chart in June, won Moroney her first award in April (CMT Breakthrough Female Video Of The Year), and earned her both New Artist Of The Year and Song Of The Year nominations for the 2023 CMA Awards, to name a few.

But even for a girl who went from never touring to having a No. 1 song in just over a year, Moroney insists that she hasn't lost sight of her purpose.

"I try to just take things a day at a time. I have random goals, but I try not to put too much pressure on myself for specific goals," Moroney adds. "It's how I got to 'Tennessee Orange' — if I just keep my head down and keep working hard, good things will happen."

Before Moroney appears at the GRAMMY Museum for a SPOTLIGHT series event on Oct. 10, hear from the singer about six of her most memorable career milestones she's reached — so far.

Making Her Grand Ole Opry Debut — February 11, 2023

I was in the studio, we were tracking "Kansas Anymore." And I look over, and Jamey Johnson walks in. I figured he was maybe recording and just coming to say hi, because our tour with him had ended not too long before that. And he's like, "Hey, I got somebody on FaceTime."

He had Deana Carter on the phone, and Deana was like, "How would you like to make your Grand Ole Opry debut?" Obviously I completely freaked out.

Then the day of, I had my family come in. It was just a very overwhelming feeling. I remember during soundcheck, when I stepped into the circle, I just started crying. And I was like, Why am I crying? [Laughs.] Like, I knew it was a really big deal, but I definitely didn't plan on crying. 

And that's why, when I made my debut, I tried not to talk too much. I was like, "And this is my song." Because I knew if I talked too much, I would just cry, and I was like, I don't want to do that at the Opry.

I had played bigger venues before, but there's just something about playing the Opry the first time where I was so nervous. Right before I get on stage, Vince Gill introduced himself to me, and I was like, Oh, perfect. He's watching, so don't screw up!

I played "Hair Salon" and "Tennessee Orange." It was great. I noticed a lot of people came there just for me — I can always tell, too, because everyone has Tennessee stuff on. And it was very cool to have my family there. And a bunch of my friends also showed up. 

I think they said there was a standing ovation, but I was offstage at that point. I didn't get to see it, but heard about it. [Laughs.]

Winning Her First Award — April 2, 2023

I was terrified. Public speaking is scary to start with, but also being on television, I was so nervous. And I remember my publicist being like, "You know if you do win, you need to at least sort of have an idea of what you're going to say." And I was just like, "I'm not going to prepare a speech, I'm not gonna win."

I just remember walking off stage and I was like, Did I just speak English? I completely blacked out. I had no idea what I said. I called my mom and I was like, "Hopefully I did not embarrass myself." But obviously, it was very cool to win an award for the music video.

The CMTs were the first award show that I attended as an artist. [At] the CMA Awards in November, I was just a host on the red carpet, interviewing other artists. I fortunately got a ticket to the CMA Awards, but I was like, you know, in the back. 

It was just crazy. Shania Twain is sitting near me, Megan Thee Stallion is in front of me — I'm just like, What? I was already like, This is crazy, I don't need to win. I'm having a great time. I don't know how to give a speech, I'm not well-spoken. Like, I literally write songs about my boyfriend — now I have to go give a speech? [Laughs.]

It's just crazy and hard to believe that it's happening. It feels great, obviously, because I feel like Nashville has been supportive and they see the work that I'm doing and they look at it for what it is and how I wanted it to be received. Making a fan base is one thing, but to also have the support of Nashville, like, "We see what you're doing, and we're recognizing it," it's really cool.

Releasing Her Debut Album — May 5, 2023

The night album came out was the first night of the Brooks & Dunn tour.

We were in Kansas City and I had my team there, and some of my Columbia [Records] people showed up from New York to surprise me. It was so crazy to finally have it out because it had been on my phone for so long. You spend so many hours and put your heart into these songs, and then it comes out, and you're like, Okay, now what?

One [reaction] that meant a lot to me was Olivia Rodrigo DMing me and saying that she loves the songs. I had posted her "vampire" song on my story, and I tagged her, and she responded and was like, "Oh my gosh, your songwriting is so inspiring!" That was really cool, definitely a standout moment of my album coming out.

Overall — I also try not to look at negative things — my fans, they've been receiving it the way that I hoped they would. Like, no one took "Sleep On My Side" too seriously, and "I'm Not Pretty" is not supposed to be a bitchy song; it's supposed to be more of a confident anthem.

"Girl In The Mirror," I've been able to see at live shows [that] that one is having the most impact on my fans. And I think it does have the most important message of all the songs on the whole record. Girls bring signs to my shows that say "You made me love the girl in the mirror." There's little girls that are, like, 7 years old with shirts that say, "You can't love the boy more than the girl in the mirror." It's hitting all age groups. 

I think [with] music, you have to say something, or what's the point? It doesn't matter what you're trying to say, but it needs to do something for people. That song definitely helped me writing it, and I've seen it help my fans. One of my favorite moments in the live show is everyone singing it with me — and I don't ask them to sing it with me. Everyone's just screaming it. I have songs like that from other artists that I feel that way about, so it's cool to have fans connect with that song.

Playing CMA Fest With Her Brother — June 11, 2023

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Last year, I got to play CMA Fest for the first time, and I played it with my brother because, honestly, he did it for free. [Laughs.] We were on one of the smallest stages, if not the smallest, in the Music City Center. It's basically the stage that people only showed up because they wanted air conditioning, because it was one of the only indoor stages.

Then this year, when CMA Fest came around again, I got to play the Riverfront Stage and Nissan Stadium, and I invited my brother back. Last year, we were like, "We're gonna make this tradition, because that was fun." And then this year, I found out I was playing the stadium, and I was like, "Well, we said it was a tradition. You've never played a stadium and neither have I, but we're going to do this together." So my brother and I played Nissan Stadium together — we did "I'm Not Pretty" and "Tennessee Orange."

He was playing guitar and singing harmonies. Him and my dad kind of taught me how to play guitar. So we grew up playing together, but now he's an attorney, so he has, like, a legit job and can't just quit to tour with me, even though I would love that. 

The whole thing was special. He texted me a couple of days after when he was back home, and he was like, "Did we really just play in a stadium?" 

I've been used to touring and playing in front of people. So I was definitely nervous, but it was manageable. But for him, I'm like, "You have a normal job. I don't know how you just went out in front of that many people and just played."

That's up there as the most meaningful moments of this year. Just to watch the videos and see my face and his face in Nissan stadium. I'm like, What is this? We used to post videos of us on Instagram together in our living room, and I just never would have thought that we would be in a stadium together.

Earning A No. 1 Song With "Tennessee Orange" — June 20, 2023

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When I wrote this song, I was happy with it. I was like, This is different than anything I've written because it's kind of a love song and I'm not good at writing those. But I was [also] like, I wrote this song that I can relate to, but like I don't even know if people in like, California, or someone that doesn't care about [college] football are even going to understand..

When the fall came around and it was about to be football season, and an opportunity with Spotify came, we were like, Well, we've got this football song. I definitely didn't write it and was like, This is gonna be the one. 

When I announced that it was coming out, which was probably like two weeks before, I started promoting it on TikTok. When I posted the initial video, people were making it a trend to show their significant other and they were like, "I met somebody" [with] cute pictures behind the sound. And I teased the bridge and everyone was making TikToks to that. So it was blowing up before the song actually came out. 

The night it went No. 1 was actually the last day of the Brooks & Dunn tour, so it was really just an exciting day in general. We really did not know if it was gonna go No. 1 — I had to mentally prepare myself to not be No. 1, because I didn't want to upset myself too much. The radio team was honest in the fact that there's huge songs that we're competing against. 

We really didn't know for sure until 3 a.m. when it actually was official. I was exhausted because we'd been on this run. So at midnight, I went to sleep, and I was like, "Y'all wake me up at 3 if it goes number one. If I don't get woken up, I'm just gonna not talk to anyone tomorrow." [Laughs.] 

My team and my band came in my room on the bus with orange wigs on, and they scared the life out of me. Then the next day, we went to Broadway to celebrate. I got to hear an artist singing my song on Broadway for the first time — that was really cool, because I remember moving to Nashville and being like, "Wow, if someone is playing a cover of your song on Broadway, you've made it."

I got on stage with her — I was a little intoxicated. [Laughs.] I posted a TikTok video of it. That was a fun day.

Headlining A Sold-Out Tour — Sept. 20 to December 10, 2023

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We're literally going from New York to California and everywhere in between. The more headlining shows I play, I feel like the crazier and more passionate my fans get. They show up in handmade merch, and they'll dress like me. So I feel like the fall tour will be even more crazy, because it seems to just be getting crazier.

I love opening because you can make new fans, but when everyone is there for you, it's definitely a different sense of comfortability. My first headlining show was in Georgia, it was in Statesboro. So my family got to be there too. And "Girl In The Mirror" came out a couple of hours before that, and they sang "Girl In The Mirror" back to me. It was the first time I heard them chanting my name. I was just like, This is absurd.

One part of the show that I think I'll always have on my headliners is where I play a couple of songs where it's just me and a guitar. And I like doing that because when I'm writing a song, it's usually just me and a guitar. So I like to recreate that environment for my fans.

One show that really sticks out is a show that I played recently at the Iowa State Fair. I think there were 6,000 people there for me. They were singing every single song — like, the least-streamed song on the album is "Sad Songs For Sad People," and they screamed every word of that. 

To have that many people who care about my music will always beat every other moment, because [I know] what I'm doing is connecting with people. It makes me want to keep creating the same kind of music that does that for people.

Alana Springsteen Isn't Just Living Her Teenage Dream. She's Speaking To An Entire Generation.

With the arrival of July, half of 2024 is already behind us. It's been a remarkable, prolific year in music, with notables like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and even Paul McCartney's band, Wings, making brand new comebacks. The artists releasing albums in the coming months will have to strive to keep up the pace — but judging by July's upcoming blossoms, this won't be an issue.

The month will start strong with Megan Moroney's sophomore LP, Am I Okay?, Sturgill Simpson (now Johnny Blue Skies)'s Passage du Desir, OneRepublic's Artificial Paradise, and John Summit's debut, Comfort in Chaos. Later on, 5SOS's drummer Ashton Irwin will bring forth the second part of his sophomore solo, Blood on the Drums, alt-R&B star BLK ODYSSY will unveil the concept album 1-800-FANTASY, and rock legends Deep Purple will come forward with their twenty-third LP, =1. Alt-pop duo Cults will return with their fifth album, To The Ghosts, and 2023's revelation Ice Spice will also drop her long-awaited debut, Y2K!.

Below, GRAMMY.com crafted an exciting list with 15 unmissable albums coming out July 2024. 

Almost a decade ago, country rockstar HARDY found a napkin with the word "quit" in his tip jar. In 2024, the napkin became history as the Philadelphia singer named his upcoming record after it. "Thank you for inspiring me to be great. I guess sometimes holding a grudge is a good thing," wrote HARDY on social media.

Quit!! is HARDY's first LP fully embracing rock music, and follows 2023's the mockingbird & THE CROW. Comprising 13 tracks, the album features Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith, Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, and rising star Knox. HARDY also shared a slew of singles ahead, including "Six Feet Under (Caleigh's Song)" and "Psycho." 

The genre-bending artist has just headlined CMA Fest in Nashville, Tennessee, and is currently touring the U.S. throughout the summer. 

More than 10 years after winning "The Voice Season 3," Cassadee Pope has journeyed plenty of roads — from pop punk to country, and now back again. Her upcoming studio album, Hereditary, is due July 12 and marks her first release after deciding to leave country music.

Pope said in a statement that Hereditary "offers a soundtrack to navigate the complexities of life with authenticity and courage." Her first full-length work since 2021's Thrive, the album is also "an emotional rollercoaster ride through the ups and downs of life, love, and self-discovery," where each track is imbued with history. The title Hereditary, according to the statement, "captures the essence of our roots, the echoes of our past, and the quest to carve our own path."

In preparation for the release, Pope shared singles "Eye Contact," "Three of Us," and "I Died" with Daisha McBride. The Hey Monday alum will also launch a North American tour with The Foxies and Natalia Taylar, starting July 11 in Anaheim, California. 

Following the breakout success of her 2023 debut record, Lucky, professional emo cowgirl Megan Moroney will be back in just a few weeks with her sophomore effort, Am I Okay? According to a statement, the album provides "an up-close look at the life-changing pain of heartbreak and the glory of moving on." 

Moroney is said to "light up" each of the LP's 14 tracks with her "signature balance of raw emotional honesty and warmhearted sensitivity." "I think after every song, [a] fair question would be, ‘Is she OK?' Whether it's good or bad," Moroney told ABC audio about the title of the project. "At the beginning, you're like, 'Am I OK?' And then, by the end, it's like, ‘Oh, I don't think she is.'" 

The "Tennessee Orange" singer already shared four tracks from the album, including "No Caller ID," "Man on the Moon," "Indifferent," and "28th of June." Currently, Moroney is opening for Kenny Chesney's Sun Goes Down tour. 

Sturgill Simpson (Johnny Blue Skies) — 'Passage du Desir' (July 12)

Sturgill Simpson will mark the beginning of a new era under the moniker Johnny Blue Skies, after fulfilling his promise to release only five studio albums under his own name with 2020's projects Cuttin' Grass Vol. 2. His first oeuvre is the LP Passage Du Desir, set to come out on July 12.

The album includes eight songs, all produced by Johnny Blue Skies and David Ferguson, and was recorded at both Clement House Recording Studio in Nashville and the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London. Passage Du Desir also marks his first project since 2021's The Ballad of Dood and Juanita.

Fans will be able to meet Johnny Blue Skies for the first time on a lengthy tour titled Why Not? this fall. Some of the stops include Nashville, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, two nights in Toronto, and Boston. 

OneRepublic — 'Artificial Paradise' (July 12) 

OneRepublic's upcoming album, Artificial Paradise, was inspired by the digital paradigm that we live in now. "So many of these songs were written in the last couple years while we navigated a world full of artificial stories and constructs and paradise," shared frontman Ryan Tedder on Instagram. "All around the world and people's digitally broadcasted lives and the lives that we create for ourselves and the stories that we tell ourselves and others." 

According to Tedder, the album comprises 15 tracks written over the last eight years "that didn't quite make sense together." Hence, previously released singles like "I Don't Wanna Wait" with David Guetta, "Nobody" off the anime series Kaiju No. 8, and "West Coast" are already well known by fans.

Artificial Paradise is the GRAMMY-nominated group's first release since 2021's Human, and precedes a three-day weekend of shows in Colorado Springs, CO, and a string of festival appearances including Summer Sonic Tokyo in Japan, Lollapalooza Berlin in Germany, and Rock in Rio in Brazil. "Amidst all of that artificiality, we are trying to find real connection and real love, and a real story," concludes Tedder. 

To put forward his debut album, Comfort in Chaos, dance music phenomenon John Summit had to dive deep into himself. "John Summit is the performing act, but when I write music I get more vulnerable," he shared in a statement. "While writing this album, I had to go from being in the mindset of John Summit to being John Schuster, my real name." 

Comfort in Chaos arrives after a run of hit singles included in the tracklist, namely "Eat the Bass," "Go Back" with Sub Focus and Julia Church, and the Hayla-featuring duets "Where You Are" and "Shiver." Described as his "most introspective" and "emotional" work to date, Summit took the LP's 12 nifty tracks to expand his Chicago house foundations into genres like garage and drum & bass.

After stellar headline shows at Coachella and sold-out performances at Los Angeles' BMO Stadium and New York City's Madison Square Garden, 2024 is already a pivotal year for the Illinois-born sensation, and Comfort in Chaos arrives to consolidate his impact. As for summer and fall, Summit is booked for 26 shows and festival appearances scheduled around the world, with more to be announced. 

If you're in need of some early 2000s nostalgia, Mexican singer Girl Ultra — real name Mariana de Miguel — is coming out with her fourth EP, blush, on July 12. Inspired by R&B, club music, and trip hop sounds of the new millennium, the album comprises seven tracks that follow de Miguel's "need for experimentation" and lush artistry.

"I wanted short energetic tracks, and in lyrical terms, I was trying to find very precise messages about sadness, femininity and lust that inhabit these current times," she explained further in a statement. Singles "blu," "blush," and "rimel" exemplify that atmosphere, tackling beauty rituals with a touch of melancholy and yearning. Overall, blush is described as a plunge "into the complex dynamics of self-image and sexuality with a poignant touch of bitterness." 

After opening for Julieta Venegas in her hometown of Mexico City and performing at Coachella this year, Girl Ultra is set to support Chromeo and The Midnight on a U.S. tour this fall. 

As the popular saying goes, "third time is the charm" — and so singer/songwriter Clairo (a.k.a Claire Cottrill) decided the title of her third studio album. Charm will arrive on July 12, and was produced by Clairo and Leon Michels of El Michels Affair.

With the announcement, Clairo shared the delicate single "Sexy to Someone," as well as a tracklist with 11 songs. Like her previous LP, 2021's Sling, Charm was recorded in New York's Diamond Mine Recording and Allaire Studios, but this time she tracked it live-to-tape.

In September, Clairo will kickstart separate five-day residencies in both Los Angeles and New York. Further concert dates are expected. 

Since 2018, Orquesta Akokán have brought mambo to the spotlight, honoring its roots and infusing it with fresh twists. "Akokán" is a Cuban Yoruba word meaning "from the heart," and such is the thread underlining all of their work. Following their 2018's eponymous debut and 2021's 16 Rayos, the Cuban music enthusiasts are now ready to put forward Caracoles, out July 12.

For their third LP, producer Jacob Plasse and composer Michael Eckroth combined talents with renowned Cuban singer/songwriter Kiko Ruiz. The result is a danceable, uplifting record that fuses classic and modern traditions. According to a press release, "yes, it's mambo, with its prototypical instrumentation and structures, but these songs belong one hundred percent to 2024." As Ruiz said, Caracoles can "...vibrate your soul, which is precisely what the world needs right now."

"I love to make full length albums, but also the idea of the listener digesting it in two parts initially, forming their own interpretation," said Ashton Irwin, drummer of pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS), in a press release about his sophomore solo album. "It's important to me, as a fan of music, to have a comprehensive body of work to fully dig into the artist's perspective."

Following 2020's Superbloom, Blood On The Drums is divided in two installments: Side 1, dubbed The Thorns, came out on June 12, and Side 2, The Roses, is set for release on July 17. Totaling 16 tracks, the LP blends 80s-inspired melodies with classic rock, experimental pop, and more, as it traverses Irwin's highs and lows. "I was thinking about the people I left behind, the people I miss, the family that I had to leave when I was young," the Australian musician shared. "Thinking about the addictions I've been through. The way I evolved as a young man who never had a father."

The title of the album is intended to be "a metaphor for how much I've given my music," said Irwin. To celebrate the release, he will play a single show at Los Angeles' The Belasco on July 18. 

Highly Suspect — 'As Above, So Below' (July 19)

The Massachusetts rockers of Highly Suspect are gearing up to release their fifth full-length album, As Above, So Below. Following 2022's The Midnight Demon Club, the band opted to tone down the electronic elements and embrace a more psychedelic, stoner rock sound, as can be heard on pre-release track "Summertime Voodoo."

"If my life is a book, then this album is the first chapter that truly addresses the central conflict," frontman Johnny Stevens said in a press statement. "The recognition of an ego, the problems it's caused — and the birth of its death. ‘As Above, So Below.' If I'm being real, I hit rock bottom again. After another close call with death, I feel wide awake. I don't know how the book ends yet, but I'm very engaged in the plot now. I'd rather it not end at all."

To celebrate, Highly Suspect will play the new album in its entirety in an intimate, seven-city U.S. Tour, kicking off on July 24 in Memphis, Tennessee and wrapping up on August 2 in Brooklyn. 

Deep Purple — '=1' (July 19)

Few bands get to release 23 albums, and for that fact alone, Deep Purple deserve praise. It does help that they are rock legends in their own right, therefore, =1 comes as a sweet, inspiring surprise.

Paired with acclaimed producer Bob Ezrin once again, =1 sees the British band evoke their classic sound "without relying on nostalgia," according to a statement. They promise to bring "rip-roaring rock n' roll" in 13 energetic tracks, and a taste of what's to come can be seen in singles "Portable Door" and "Pictures of You." It is also the band's first album with guitarist Simon McBride, who joined the band after member Steve Morse left due to personal circumstances in 2022.

The title =1 symbolizes the idea that, in a complex world, everything eventually equals one. In that communal spirit, Deep Purple is set for an extensive tour, starting with European dates in July, North and South American shows in September, and back with more European dates throughout November. 

"The album is a concept album where we get into the world of Afro-surrealism with a high school kid who's madly in love with a popular girl, but she really has no idea he exists," explained BLK ODYSSY about his upcoming album, 1-800-FANTASY, in an interview with BET. "He understands that she's out of his league but he is dedicated to proving to her that he's worthy of her attention and her love."

1-800-FANTASY follows that story while dipping into themes of mental health and self-control. "He creates these characters in his head to justify his crazy actions that he goes through to get her attention," BLK said, adding that that's where the album's "angsty sound" comes from. So far, a preview of that atmosphere can be seen in singles "XXX" with Wiz Khalifa, and a live performance of "Phase" at A Colors Show.

Born Juwan Elcock in New Jersey, he cites Kendrick Lamar, D'Angelo, and Outkast as influences to his own brand of alt-R&B and hip hop. "Whether it's me as an artist, or me as a producer, it is a very cinematic sound," he shared. "And it's a very theatrical sound, I like to take elements from what the human perceives as real life and put it in my music."

BLK will promote the album in his The Fantasy House tour this summer, starting off in North America and following up with European dates. 

One of last year's biggest revelations, GRAMMY-nominated rapper Ice Spice will finally release her debut LP, Y2K!. Titled as a nod to her birthdate (1st January 2000), the long-awaited effort comes after 2023's acclaimed EP Like..?, and was co-produced by longtime collaborator RIOTUSA.

Ice Spice has been keeping the 10-song tracklist a mystery, though, and so far shared only three singles: "Think U The Shit (Fart)," "Gimmie A Light" (which samples Sean Paul's similarly titled "Gimme the Light"), and "Phat Butt." In an interview with "The Today Show", she also revealed to have locked in a "crazy collaboration," and to have experimented with "a lot of different sounding beats that I haven't really been heard on much."

Starting July, the Bronx native will be busy with a handful of performances at European Festivals, followed up by a 17-date North American tour in August.

CULTS — 'To The Ghosts' (July 26)

Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion have been making soft alt-pop music as the duo Cults for over a decade now. July brings forth yet another of their magical offerings: fifth studio album To The Ghosts, out via IMPERIAL on July 26.

The first ideas for the album sprung up during the COVID-19 pandemic, "when they wrote music on weekdays from 10am-5pm with no deadlines or distractions," says a press release. To The Ghosts was recorded at Oblivion's apartment, and co-produced by trusted collaborator Shane Stoneback. The New York duo shared singles "Crybaby" and "Left My Keys" in advance. Of the latter, Oblivion stated that "With this being To the Ghosts, ‘Left My Keys' is dedicated to the ghost of your high school memories with an element of fondness."

Cults will kick off a headline North American tour in August, followed by a month-long stint as the opening act for Vampire Weekend's Only God Was Above Us tour.

"Right now in 2021, everyone's doing everything," Chris Martin remarked to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe while promoting Coldplay's ninth album, Music of the Spheres. "You can like Olivia Rodrigo as much as you like AC/DC and no one thinks that's weird. And that's musical utopia for me ... It's miraculous. So why would you want to stay in one box?"

It's this willingness to break the boundaries of the traditional guitar band setup that's helped Coldplay maintain relevance for the best part of 25 years.

The Londoners first caught attention at the turn of the century riding the post-Britpop wave. But while most of their peers failed to sustain their early momentum as the decade progressed, the "Yellow" hitmakers flourished.

In the studio, Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion continually challenged the notions of indie rock, tapping up everyone from Brian Eno to Max Martin to help fulfil their creative vision. Simultaneously, they also grew in confidence on the live stage, their ability to emotionally connect on a grand scale with equally grand songs eventually challenging U2 as the world's must-see stadium act.

The stats speak for themselves, too: more than 100 million album sales, 10 consecutive UK No. 1s, and seven GRAMMY wins. And they're still very much at the top of the game, as 2024's Moon Music reached pole position in 16 countries and their latest tour set the record for the highest attendance of all time.

Viral kiss cams aside, the Music of the Spheres World Tour sold 11.4 million tickets as of press time, the most of any artist in history. And to close out their momentous run, they'll play 10 sold-out shows at London's Wembley Stadium from Aug. 22 to Sept. 8.

As the band wrap up their record-breaking trek, here's a look at the all-conquering quartet's musical evolution.

The Indie Favorite

Coldplay might now be renowned as chart-topping, LED-flashing stadium rock giants. But their debut album's artwork alone highlighted how they started out in much more humble fashion. Iconic as it became, the front cover was taken on a disposable Kodak camera, with the spinning yellow globe costing 10 English pounds. And the sounds within were equally low-key.

Largely co-produced with Ken Nelson, Parachutes could occasionally get loud (see the jagged indie-rock of "Shiver"). But highlighted immediately by hushed opener "Don't Panic," it was undeniably defined by the double whammy of Buckland's ethereal chiming guitars and Martin's intimate tones.

Standout "Trouble" remains one of the latter's finest vocal displays, his initial world-weary resignation giving way to impassioned pleas before showcasing the kind of fragile falsetto that made Jeff Buckley a cult hero. Breakout hit "Yellow," recent TikTok favorite "Sparks," and "We Never Change" all harnessed Martin's uncanny ability to heighten the emotions with sentiments that were almost willfully oblique.

As a result, Coldplay hoovered up the post-Britpop audience that had been left bewildered by Radiohead's experimental Kid A, ultimately spearheading Parachutes to the UK No. 1 spot, worldwide sales of at least eight million, and their first GRAMMY for Best Alternative Music Album. A new group of sensitive stars were born.

The World-Beaters 

Perhaps burned by Oasis manager Alan McGee referring to them as bedwetters, Coldplay abandoned the politeness and timidity of their debut for follow-up A Rush of Blood to the Head, a much more confident LP that suggested they had one eye firmly on stealing U2's "biggest band in the world" crown.

Loud and proud opener "Politik" immediately made it clear they meant business. And from the surging "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" to the nervy existentialism of "A Whisper," the second consecutive Best Alternative Rock Album GRAMMY winner had a similar sense of urgency throughout.

There were still plenty of quieter moments, of course. The acoustic country rock of "Warning Sign" paid homage to Johnny Cash. Martin audibly pined for his lost love on the stunning, swelling ballad "The Scientist." And Record Of The Year-winning "Clocks" possessed one of the decade's most hypnotic piano motifs.

The quartet had to work hard, though, to stay on top of indie-rock's new premier league with their third studio effort, X&Y. By this point, the similarly melancholic Keane and Snow Patrol had started to snap at their heels, while a second wave of Britpop, including Razorlight and Kaiser Chiefs, were offering a much rowdier alternative.

That perhaps explains why the record had such a difficult conception: the band not only discarded more than 50 songs they believed weren't up to scratch, but sacked regular producer Nelson in favor of their mixer Danton Supple.

Still, the behind-the-scenes troubles weren't particularly evident on another self-assured affair designed for mass consumption. Buoyed by the gleaming "Speed of Sound" and gospel-tinged "Fix You," X&Y went on to top the charts in 32 countries including the U.S., became the best-selling album of 2005 worldwide, and earned Coldplay their first Best Rock Album GRAMMY nomination.

While the group largely stuck to their winning formula, there were hints of the reinvention that lied ahead. Maverick Brian Eno provided the synths on "Square One," while there were inspired samples of Kraftwerk's "Computer Love" and the theme to Stanley Kubrick's A Space Odyssey. Coldplay have repeatedly dismissed the album as their weakest since its 2005 release, but it still stands up to most of their peers' best.

The Creative Leaps

"I don't care if we sell a million less records," Martin declared while promoting Coldplay's fourth LP, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends — a statement that hinted the band had ditched the formula that propelled them to the top of the charts. In the end, the album ended up shifting similar numbers, securing their first Album Of The Year GRAMMY nomination, and spawning their first No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic.

Viva La Vida and Death To All His Friends isn't quite as revolutionary as its Les Misérables -inspired cover art (and the band's matching uniforms) implied. Bittersweet melodies, universal platitudes and epic woah-oh choruses are still very much the order of the day. However, with Eno — the man who took Coldplay's heroes U2 to another musical plain — fully at the helm, the group's template is given a much richer texture.

There are flourishes of worldbeat, art rock and orchestral pop throughout, with seven-minute epics "Yes" and "Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love" giving chances for Martin to further show off his newfound baritone and each bandmate to flex their musical muscles. The biggest curveball, however, from a group renowned for their abstract lyrical themes is "Violet Hill," a booming protest song apparently aimed at the evils of Fox News ("When the future's architectured/ By a carnival of idiots on show"). This was still Coldplay, but not quite as we knew them.

They pushed the conceptual levels even further with its follow-up, Mylo Xyloto, a rock opera that depicted a love story amid a war against color and sound on a totalitarian planet named Silencia. On paper, it sounded like the kind of post-apocalyptic opus you'd expect from the world of '70s prog. Instead, it was a melting pot of electronica, new wave and R&B-tinged pop every bit as colorful as its graffiti cover art.

This is where Coldplay truly distanced themselves from their indie-rock roots and made a concerted bid to maintain chart relevance. The percussive banger "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" and soaring festival anthem "Paradise" gave them back-to-back Top 20 hits in the U.S. for the first time in their career, while the Rihanna-featuring "Princess of China" kickstarted their penchant for superstar collaborations.

By the end of its campaign, they'd added a further five nods to their GRAMMY tally. And if you're wondering how all the dystopian drama ended, well, of course, the two lovebirds saved the day.

The Breakup Album

The recruitment of superstar DJs Avicii and Madeon, not to mention innovative beatmaker Timbaland, suggested that Ghost Stories would be a maximalistic hands-in-the-air affair. Conversely, it proved to be the most downbeat and stripped back album of Coldplay's career thus far.

Penned in the wake of Martin's split from actress Gwyneth Paltrow, the Best Pop Vocal Album GRAMMY nominee eschewed the band's trademark optimism for songs of despair and heartbreak, with only the slow-building EDM-adjacent "A Sky Full of Stars" providing a sense of euphoria. "There's only so far you can go without becoming pompous and a bit overblown," Champion acknowledged about removing the playful excesses of their previous two records.

Ghost Stories might be short of songs you can sing along to in the shower, but it's the four-piece at their most evocative. Based on an unreleased soundscape from electronic maestro Jon Hopkins, "Midnight" is a gorgeous piece of beatless ambience with ghostly melodies that appear to drift in and out of the ether. Elsewhere, the beautifully meditative "Magic" remains one of the band's most interesting builds, its initially unassuming charms slowly unfolding with each listen.

Gossip hounds looking for clues into all the divorce drama would have been found wanting — although drawing upon far more personal themes, Martin's lyrics still keep specifics at arm's length. But with its intimacy, wistfulness and inherent sense of loss, Ghost Stories is still worthy of joining the canon of pop's great breakup albums.

The All-Star Epics

Following the muted palette of Ghost Stories, Coldplay went full-on Technicolor for their seventh album, A Head Full of Dreams, literally — both in the accompanying tour that established their penchant for pyrotechnics, lasers and glow-in-the-dark wristbands, and with a couple of on-the-nose track titles like "Kaleidoscope" and "Colour Spectrum." And they utilized a whole host of star names to further heighten the razzmatazz.

Having previously worked with Jay-Z on an alternative version of "Lost!," the quartet tapped his other half Beyoncé to provide vocals on three numbers including the soaring "Hymn for the Weekend." Noel Gallagher, the proud rocker who you wouldn't necessarily expect to gravitate toward such a famously polite outfit, beefs up the guitars on "Up and Up."

There are also contributions from Scandi-pop favorite Tove Lo, gospel legend Merry Clayton, and perhaps most surprisingly of all, Martin's Oscar-winning ex-wife. Proving that their split was of the amicable kind, Paltrow pops up on her own piano-led tribute number "Everglow," in which Martin gushes "This particular diamond was extra special" on the opening verse.

While that song is firmly rooted in the Coldplay of old, hit factory Stargate — who has worked with Rihanna, Katy Perry and pretty much every other major chart act of the 21stcentury — continually pushed the Brits into new shinier pop territory on the rest of the album. Had A Head Full of Dreams turned out to be the band's swansong as Martin purported, they'd have gone out on one dazzling high.

As it turned out, Coldplay wasn't done, returning with Everyday Life four years later. But while that album traded star power for genre exploration (more on that later), they went back to the collaborative approach for 2021's AOTY GRAMMY-nominated Music of the Spheres. The quartet roped in Selena Gomez on the sobering ballad "Let Somebody Go," musical wunderkind Jacob Collier and We Are KING on the a cappella "Human Heart," and K-Pop sensation BTS on the infectious "My Universe."

But perhaps the most notable appointment was Max Martin, the hitmaking machine with 24 U.S. chart-toppers and counting to his name. Hailed by the band as a "true wonder of the universe," the Swede stamped his melodic mark throughout an unwaveringly optimistic record that pondered the existence of humanity in outer space.

With each of its nine full-length tracks designed to represent a fictional planet, satellite or star, Music of the Spheres certainly committed fully to its intergalactic theme — so much so that lead single "Higher Power" was beamed into the International Space Station. The majestic closer "Coloratura" (which recalls Pink Floyd in their celestial prime), the gleaming astral electronica of "Infinity Sign," and the handful of ambient instrumental interludes also helped immerse listeners in their lands of make believe. Yet it's the killer pop hooks and considered collaborative spirit that sent this sci-fi spectacular sky high.

The Boundary Pushers

Recorded in places as far-flung as Los Angeles, Tuscany and Johannesburg, Coldplay's eighth LP, Everyday Life, was inevitably informed by its surroundings. "Arabesque" is a swaggering burst of desert blues boasting three gifted members of Fela Kuti's dynasty. "Bani Adam" pairs a medieval Persian poem with neo-classical piano and African choral music. And like Vampire Weekend before them, "Orphans" takes the syncopated worldbeat of Paul Simon's Graceland and gives it a 21st century sheen. Everyday Life's unique worldwide premiere, a full live performance against the backdrop of Jordan's Amman Citadel, made total sense.

Split into two sides — Sunrise and Sunset — the creatively restless double album also found room to sample Janis Joplin, Alice Coltrane and the late Scottish indie cult hero Scott Hutchison. And the quartet were so keen to show off their new-found freewheeling spirit they even included a demo. "I haven't finished that one yet," Martin admits on the stripped-back folk of "WOTW/POTP."

It's not just musically where Coldplay expanded their horizons, though. Previously famed for their aversion to all things socio-political, the band suddenly tackled everything from firearm control ("Guns") to the systematic racism within the American police force ("Trouble in Town"). Meanwhile, the hymnal title track, Buddhist-referencing doo-wop of "Cry Cry Cry," and finger-clicking gospel of "BrokEn" saw Martin delve much deeper into themes of faith and spirituality than ever before. And in a first for the band, there's not just one but three uses of profanity.

Despite proudly deviating from their winning formula, Everyday Life still gave Coldplay an eighth consecutive UK No. 1 and a second GRAMMY nod for Album Of The Year.

2024's Moon Music might not have been as globe-trotting — although it does feature talents from Argentina, Chile, Palestine, and Nigeria — but it was no less eclectic. It veered from Balearic electronica ("AETERNA") and The Beatles-esque pop ("ALL MY LOVE") to sprightly disco-funk ("GOOD FEELINGS") and sweeping symphonies ("ONE WORLD") during a loose narrative journey once again based in deep space.

Perhaps the album's most impactful track is "WE PRAY," a defiant burst of alternative hip-pop which brings together Burna Boy, Little Simz, Elyanna, and Tini for a life-affirming ode to the power of prayer, and the acoustic "JUPITER," an "it gets better" message of hope to a teenage girl struggling with her sexuality.

"There's never been an easier time to give up, and so this is a record about not doing that," Martin explained about its glass half-full approach. Indeed, Moon Music cemented Coldplay's evolution from masters of indie melancholy to pop's ultimate spirit-lifters.

In August 2024, singer Lila Iké was performing in a rain-soaked Brooklyn park before a small but enthusiastic crowd who had gathered to see the biopic Bob Marley: One Love. Nearly a year later, she stood before tens of thousands of fans at Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay. 

That the singer found herself among the top-billed acts at Jamaica's premiere festival (in a year that saw Vybz Kartel crowned king of dancehall, no less) was not lost on Iké. Her short but powerful set marked the first time in six years that she graced the Sumfest stage, and her first time as a solo act — a particularly important milestone for the rising star. 

"You’ve got to do Sumfest before you're really considered a big artist in Jamaica," Iké tells GRAMMY.com from her home in Kingston. "The first time I did it, it was [supporting] Protoje. So six years later, it was a full circle moment for me."

The Sumfest performance — which saw Iké clad in metallic jewel tones, offering a mix of melodic reggae tunes, ballads and a gospel track — announced that Iké had arrived. Five years after Iké's debut EP introduced her to international audiences and a slew of singles cemented her as a reggae act to watch, the 31-year-old will release her debut album on Aug. 22.  Written and produced over multiple years, Treasure Self Love is an ode to Iké's personal and artistic growth.

 "It's about love, it's about emotions, it's about mental health. Some of it is just celebrating [what] I've been able to achieve over the years and what music has been able to do for me," she says.

Music has taken Lila Iké from her home in Manchester Parish to studios with GRAMMY nominees ("Greatest Gift," Iké's 2023 pairing with Jorja Smith, has over 11 million streams on Spotify). A self-taught singer born to a religious family, Iké began writing songs in secret and later shared them on Facebook under an alias. Iké eventually relocated to Kingston — without the approval of her mother — where she hustled to cultivate her musical identity. After several years of performing at jam sessions, Iké caught the ear of Protoje, who signed her to his In.Digg.Nation label in 2017; the two have been close collaborators ever since. 

Treasure Self Love will also be released via In.Digg.Nation and reflects Iké's own multitudes. "Fry Plantain" feat. Joey Bada$$ brings sex appeal to an average Sunday morning at home; H.E.R. collab "He Loves Us Both" wonders if love can be contained. Lead single "Romantic," featuring fellow Sumfest performer Masicka, updates a 1993 dancehall classic by Patra.

While Lila Iké has been making her way in reggae for nearly a decade, she is truly stepping out to claim her space with Treasure Self Love. She spoke with GRAMMY.com about owning her identity, trying new things, and which of her lyrics she'd want on a T-shirt.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Your debut EP, The ExPerience, was a bit of an introduction to your life; what was your mindset going into this album? Do you feel like you're arriving as a different person or a different kind of artist?

I think I'm growing. If we speak about arriving, it's like arriving to where exactly? I feel like every artist is consistently, continuously evolving into better versions of themselves. [Treasure Self Love is] a journey of learning to love myself, understanding that each and every one of us should be able to treasure ourselves and value ourselves.

Every time I make music, every time I get to another level, every time that I've ticked off an accomplishment or overcome a particular milestone, it's just a reminder to just continuously evolve, to continuously work on getting better and especially to just learn myself because you really don't know what you're capable of until you do it.

Are there any big lessons that are reflected in the songs on this album?

I've learned to not doubt or limit myself, to always be open to what inspiration can produce. I've also learned to channel more of my emotions into the music, as outside of being an artist, I'm also just a regular human being who experiences challenges and great things. So it's finding a balance and finding a way to use that in the music because then that's what makes you more relatable to people.

Is there a song that you're particularly proud of that reflects that humanity?

"Serious" is one of those songs that is very honest. It's a very powerful message as well. I was very vulnerable in that song, sharing some of the things I go through mentally.

I’m also just proud of it [because] I was very much involved in how the song sounds. It took the longest for me to get to a place in the mix that I was comfortable with. There was a lot of things that other people were missing that I was like, "No, you all have to listen. I can hear this and that." So it also showed me the artistry and the dedication that it takes to really put the music on the level that you want it to be.

Tell me a little bit more about the production and creative process for Treasure Self Love; was it different from that of your EP?

We started creating some of the songs from the EP in COVID times; more people had more time to just sit with the music and work and each song, not thinking that you have this great deadline to meet.

The difference with this project is that I was working with people that I wasn't necessarily familiar with… I met them through my connection with RCA at the time when I was on that label. It was a bit challenging at first because it takes a while for me to get comfortable to do the more vulnerable songs.

I remember texting Protoje in the session like, "I need to come up with something." And he's like, "You got this. You don't have to feel like you have to be the best and the most talented person because you're with somebody that doesn't know you and has never experienced your artistry in person before. Just relax and get it done."

I've been very invested in bringing [this album] together because I had taken so much time to work on it. The time that it took me to get it done really made me create a deeper connection with the music, the relationship with the production and vocals and everything.

I imagine it must take a really strong artistic vision to hone years of experience into one project.

For sure. There were a lot of songs that got cut. It took me putting my foot down because there are other people that I work with — Protoje, Ineffable and my circle of friends and musical friends — who are like, "No, what are you talking about? This song absolutely has to be on it." But it really takes the artist's personal vision for their work to say, "I don't think I should put more than 11 songs on it. I don't think I should put this song, I should substitute this song for this one."

It takes more attention to detail, more understanding of what the story you're trying to tell is, what's the theme, and all of that. And mostly I enjoy that process. The next time I have an album to do, I won't stress myself that much.

The first line on this album is, "All my enemies scattered before me." That's a pretty powerful statement to open with — is there anything to that?

I wrote that song when I was going through a situation [where] I was just watching a lot of people's ideas and opinions about me and my life play out in front of me. And I never necessarily addressed it. I was like, You know what? Let me just use this song to express how I feel.

I'd also love to hear about "Romantic" and working with Masicka. Why did you want to re-record Patra's "Romantic Call"? 

I was at the studio in London with Juls, the producer, and he was playing me a bunch of different beats. It was November in London — it's dark, it's cold. My emotions were just heightened where I wanted to be a bit more vulnerable. That's around when I was making "Serious" and "Brighter Days" and all of these songs, so I wasn't feeling too party-party.

I remember he played me that particular instrumental and there was a saxophone lead-in that grabbed me; he just had it on a loop for a while. And just before it was time for us to wrap up the session, something popped in my head. And for whatever reason it was that Patra song — I'm on the romantic call. I just pre-styled it and twisted in my own words. 

I came back home and was more focused on the other, more emotionally packed songs on the project. And I remember Protoje was like, "Yo, this song have a vibe. People haven't necessarily heard you like this before." And I rocked with it for a while, wrote the verses. 

At first there wasn't a feature. And because I had met Masicka, worked with him for a song on his project, I was like, "I have this song, I think you'd be dope for it."

I sent it to him and even he was like, "I love hearing you like this. I'm going to deal with it for you." And he sent me back his verse about a week or two later and it was just like, "We have to put this song out as a single." 

Your press materials state that you wanted to pay tribute to dancehall queens and other women in music that paved the way. At Sumfest, you told the audience about the importance of feeling empowered to be sexy, but conscious and self-respecting. Could you speak on those themes and what that means to you?

People create their own narrative on who you are and what is expected of you. I like to think about myself as somebody that you can expect the unexpected from because I don't box myself in. I'm learning myself every day — there are a lot of things that I said I would never do that I did; a lot of things that I say I would never eat that end up becoming my favorite food.

[In] the music video [for "Romantic"], I'm wearing a wig. I'm all dolled up. I'm more in my feminine energy. I won't say that every single time I'm presented like that — femininity is fluid — but a lot of people had different opinions of it. They're like, "Oh, she's trying to be a sexy dance artist now. What about the roots?"

And so that's what I was expounding on, which is not the first time I've said it. I like doing my hair, I like doing my nails, I like wearing makeup every now and then. I do dress really sexy sometimes, but most of the time I'm reserved or I'm in baggy stuff or whatever. At the end of the day, we're women and we're expressive and you can want to look like a Barbie one day and the next day you just want to look like you're homeless. [Chuckles.]

But that should not define your mentality and it shouldn't define your consciousness. Some of the people that I've met that are some of the most conscious and deep and spiritual people, they don't present people who are normally seen like that. After hearing people's opinion on ["Romantic"], I wanted to just say that.

At Sumfest, I looked in the crowd and I saw one of my favorite young dancers right now in dancehall. Her name is Rebel and as her name suggests, she's rebellious. She practically go out not wearing much clothes at all, but when you listen to her speak, I see where she's coming from.

I just wanted to remind young ladies that you can love Rastafari culture. You can love consciousness. You can be smart and still look like a dancehall queen. You're just expressing yourself, nothing is wrong with that.

What was it like to perform your own set at Sumfest?

It was a bit nerve-racking at first. Sumfest is a big deal in Jamaica. You’ve got to do Sumfest before you're really considered a big artist in Jamaica. 

The first time I did it, it was [supporting] Protoje six years ago. And it was around the time I just started working with him and he's  like, "You should walk out to my song 'Second Chance.'" It was still new to me being in front of so much people, and I'd get really nervous and just not even interact with the crowd.

So six years later, it was a full circle moment, especially to play before him and Toni Braxton. I was like, All right, I need to ensure that I give these people a really great show.

One of [my band’s] closest friends, another drummer passed away just before we went on stage. So they got that news right before we went on and everyone was crying and it was a really heavy thing. But I was like, "Guys, let's just do this one for him. Everything you're feeling right now, let's see if we can just translate that in the music." It was unfortunate that they had to be bearing that pain while we're doing it, but I like to think everything happens for a reason. 

Since you've brought up Protoje a few times, I would love to hear a little bit about where your relationship is with him now.

We have a lot of songs together. But Protoje is, at this point in my life, a mentor that plays a lot of different roles. Some days he has to be a father figure to be like, "Okay, Lila, don't do that or do this." Some days, he's like a best friend that I can speak to about just everyday life situations, relationships, whatever it might be. Most of the times he's just my musical guru. We just get it. We have similar tastes in music, we write together, we vibe together. There's a lot of things, like musical history, that I've learned from him.

He's been that consistent musical guide for me ever since I came into the industry. He's the one who literally discovered me and was like, "You just tell me what is it that you're trying to achieve in music and I'll help you to the best of my ability because I just feel like reggae music needs you and needs your voice and needs your energy." And ever since that day in 2016 or so, we've been really close and have a great working relationship and he's supported me in a lot of ways.

Even the song that we have now for my project ["All Over The World"], I walked in on him recording that song for his project and I was like, "Nah, I love this song. I need this for my project."

I love that the song was going to be for his project. In my notes, I have that "All Over the World" sounds different than the rest of the record.

It's also a throwback song as well. It's an original Barrington Levy and the Rascalz, a rap group from Canada. At first I was deliberately just trolling Barrington, if I'm going to be honest, because I find his vocals so unique and so special. I don't know what it is about Jamaican artists, but especially back in the day when they collaborate with an American rapper, they tried to emulate the American accent. And so when I first heard Protoje working on it, I was like, You know what? I'm going to go sing the hook exactly like Barrington.

It really speaks about how much being an artist and reggae music has done for me. I'm about to go to Brazil for the first time; I don't think I'd ever visit a lot of places had it not been for the music. So the song "All Over the World" is really just us celebrating making positive music with positive messages that has brought us all over the world.

You told The Fader a couple of years ago that when you're dead and gone, you want to be the female Bob Marley, with your lyrics and quotes on T-shirts. Is there a line on this record that you think would be shirt worthy or timeless?

There's a song that I have called "Love in a Lovely Way." I say it in Patois, but I'm going to say it in English right now: "Love that doesn't change and it stay the same/ love that's so pure it shines a light, love that's so sure it saves my life." That song is a very special one.

For over three decades, Deftones have been more than just a cornerstone of the alternative metal scene — they've been its visionaries.

The GRAMMY-winning quartet — comprised of frontman Chino Moreno, guitarist Stephen Carpenter, turntablist Frank Delgado, and drummer Abe Cunningham — carved out their own unique space during a time when nu-metal reigned supreme. Now, 36 years later, Deftones' 10th LP proves that the group remains as genre-defying and untouchable as ever.

Set for release on Aug. 22, Private Music marks Deftones' first new album in five years, following 2020's Ohms. Reuniting with longtime collaborator and GRAMMY-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz, the band leans into the sonic territory they've honed over decades, previewing the LP with two singles that show their wide-ranging abilities: the blistering "My Mind Is A Mountain," which taps into their heavier side, and "Milk Of The Madonna," which features shoegaze-inspired guitars, rhythmic drums, and Moreno's soulful yet razor-sharp voice.

According to a press release, the album meditates on the "beauty and peril of nature, the challenge of cultivating a positive mindset and visions of a journey beyond the physical realm." Seemingly capturing Deftones at their most expansive, the album, as the statement adds, is "at once a psychedelic voyage and a skull-rattling wallop" — and ultimately, "the latest peak in a catalog filled with immersive, emotive triumphs." 

Emerging from the backstreets of Sacramento in the late '90s, Deftones carved out a singular place in heavy music by blending aggression with atmosphere. Influenced by a wide range of artists such as Bad Brains, Metallica, Depeche Mode, and The Smiths, as well as genres like funk and hip-hop, the band's rhythmic foundation and genre-fluid mindset allowed them to create music as visceral as it was hypnotic.

Their 1995 debut, Adrenaline, quickly became a key album of the nu-metal movement, driven by detuned riffs, hip-hop-inspired beats, and Chino Moreno's shapeshifting vocals that ranged from primal screams to whispered melodies. But it was 1997's Around the Fur and 2000's White Pony that cemented Deftones' legacy. While Around the Fur marked their commercial breakthrough and saw them incorporating shoegaze textures into their heavy sound, White Pony fully embraced sonic experimentation, with the band swapping raw aggression for ambient synths and surreal lyricism, showcasing Deftones' fearlessness in evolving.

Over the next two decades, Deftones continued to evolve without abandoning their core identity. Their 2003 self-titled LP saw them return to their heavy metal roots after proving they can musically go in any direction they wanted with White Pony; 2006's Saturday Night Wrist captured the straining tension the band was going through, shaped by a gruelling creative process. 

2010's Diamond Eyes marked a rebirth for the band following the passing of original bassist, Chi Cheng, and also served as a nod to their earlier sound, drawing comparisons to Around the Fur. 2012's Koi No Yokan was seen by Moreno as a sonic high point, offering a cohesive balance between heaviness and melody. With 2016's Gore, the band deliberately subverted expectations, leaning into dissonance and unpredictability. In 2020, Deftones reunited with longtime producer Terry Date for Ohms, a return to form that revisited their alternative metal roots while sounding newly invigorated.

With Private Music, Deftones are ready to remind everyone why and how they became the masters of balancing beauty and brutality. In honor of a new chapter, a decade-defining discography, and a band that refuses to sit still, check out six tracks that are essential to the DNA of Deftones.

"Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" ('Around the Fur,' 1997)

Pulled from the band's second album, Around The Fur, "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" sees the Sacramento quartet at their most cinematic. Opening with a distorted guitar riff and blending into a shoegaze shimmer, "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" creates a sound that is crushing while Moreno sings about wanting to disappear and escape. His vocals are soft, androgynous and filled with desperation and desire.

The track showcased how they had mastered the quiet-loud, soft-heavy dynamics that would go on to become a Deftones signature. There is no denying it is utterly timeless in its beauty and brute force.

Serving as the first single from Deftones' genre-defining album White Pony, "Change" sees Moreno at his most hypnotic, yet restrained, over haunting guitars and a throbbing bassline. "I watched you change/ Into a fly/ I looked away/ You were on fire," the frontman sings, highlighting a new songwriting direction that featured abstract storytelling rather than autobiographical lyrics.

The song is sensual, sultry and unsettling, marking a shift in Deftones' sound that saw them lean into atmosphere over aggression. The band's most commercially successful and well-known track, "Change" solidified their reputation as alternative metal shapeshifters.

Bursting with glistening guitars and a piercing sense of melancholy, "Cherry Waves" is one of Deftones' more soft, slow-burning tracks. Though it may lean on the slower side of things, the track still features fluid guitars and striking drums with a smooth rolling bassline played by late Deftones bassist Chi Cheng. 

The song sees Moreno at his most vocally vulnerable, a sense of quiet devastation with each note he hits. It's an effortless blend of hauntingness and romanticism that highlights how heaviness isn't always spearheaded by volume.

Taken from Deftones' sixth album, Diamond Eyes, "Beauty School" opens with a rhythmic drum pattern that showcases the influence funk and hip-hop beats have had within their work. The drum beat is paired with a crisp guitar riff, laying the groundwork for the grandeur chorus featuring Moreno's vivid lyrics: " I watch you taste it, I see your face/ And I know I'm alive/ Your shooting stars from the barrel of your eyes/ It drives me crazy/ It drives me wild."

"Beauty School" is a dreamy and atmospheric standout within Deftones' discography, especially being included in Diamond Eyes, which marked a new era for the band as their first LP after Cheng's passing. The track serves as a perfect marker to signify how they pushed themselves to become something deeper than another heavy metal band.

After Deftones pushed their sound in several different directions between Diamond Eyes and 2020's Ohms, Private Music signals a return to their roots but with a refined edge — and the album's lead single, "My Mind Is A Mountain," shows just that.

With a raging guitar riff, pounding drum beat and Moreno's delicate yet assertive vocals, "My Mind Is A Mountain" blends elements that have been central to Deftones' DNA from the beginning. But this time around, they elevated what they do best: tight, aggressive riffs, spacious production and emotionally charged vocals, resulting in an album that feels confident and deliberate. 

"My Mind Is A Mountain" ends with a heavenly and melodic breakdown, highlighting how Deftones have managed to perfect the balance between beauty and brutality. Not only does the first taste of Private Music hint that they're still driven by that dichotomy nearly four decades on, but it proves that Deftones' shoegaze-laced take on heavy metal is truly one of a kind.