by The Explosive Chemistry: An In-Depth Look at Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon’s Fateful First Meeting
The story of how Imagine Dragons’ frontman Dan Reynolds and guitarist Wayne Sermon first met has become the stuff of legend amongst fans. While the broad strokes are well known – Wayne catching one of Dan’s shows at a small Utah venue and convincing him to form a band – there are lesser known details that add intrigue, serendipity and depth to their origin story.
Let’s dive deeper into the crucial encounter that lit the fuse for one of the biggest bands in the world today.
A Chance Meeting Sets the Stage
Dan Reynolds wasn’t even supposed to be playing at the Velour Live Music Gallery in Provo, UT on that fateful night in 2009. He was filling in last-minute for a friend, the main act having canceled due to illness.
Wayne Sermon, a Berklee College of Music graduate and seasoned guitarist, happened to be catching the show with no knowledge of who Dan was. Initially unimpressed by Dan’s indie rock band at the time, something about the frontman’s raw talent and vocals hooked Wayne.
This meeting had all the overtones of a lucky break. Dan getting the gig due to a friend’s misfortune, Wayne stopping by the Mormon-run venue and coffee shop somewhat spontaneously, and instantly being drawn to Dan’s voice despite not liking his indie style.
“I wasn’t into the music at first,” Wayne later admitted, “But when I heard Dan sing I was just really blown away.”
While chance did play a role, there was also a hidden connection between these two young musicians.
A Mutual Contact Sets the World in Motion
Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon’s paths had nearly crossed a year prior, unbeknownst to either of them.
In 2008, Dan had become friends with guitarist Andrew Tolman while playing shows around Provo, UT. Andrew was a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where one of his good friends had been none other than Wayne Sermon.
When Wayne first saw Dan singing at Velour, he recognized Andrew’s name associated with Dan’s band. This common link, and Wayne’s strong reaction to Dan’s voice, made him determined to connect.
“There was something about this guy,” Wayne said. “I was like, I need to pursue this.”
After the show, Wayne and Dan met out back and immediately hit it off. Wayne asked Dan if he’d consider starting a new band rooted in a more mainstream, pop-centric sound. Dan agreed, and soon took Wayne’s advice to move to Las Vegas and dive in full-time.
This connection through a mutual contact proves crucial through a bit of six degrees of separation. It laid a foundation of commonality between the ambitious musicians.
Birthing the Dragon: A Nerve-Wracking First Jam Session
Soon after relocating, Dan and Wayne got together in Wayne’s bedroom studio to compose their first song together. The pressure was on to create something special.
As Wayne fiddled with electronic beats and his array of instruments, Dan struggled to find a melody and lyrics that gelled. The session started slowly, but gained steam as Dan focused in on the phrase “it’s time.”
“I wasn’t sure if we would ever write a song again after that,” Reynolds admitted later.
After hours of work, nerves and false starts, they finally landed on the song that became Imagine Dragons’ breakout smash “It’s Time.” More of a proof of concept than refined track, it nonetheless showcased the unique fusion of styles that defined their signature alt pop/rock sound.
Wayne’s fearless sonic experimentation perfectly complemented Reynolds’ bold vocals and lyrics. As the frontman later said: “Wayne is fearless in production. He’ll pick up a guitar or a xylophone or a weird 808 beat.”
This initial studio session highlights the early synergy between the two artists. The tension of creating their first track raised the stakes, but forged their creative partnership.
The Path to a Record Deal Has Twists and Turns
Buoyed by nailing “It’s Time,” Dan and Wayne proceeded full steam over the following months. They recruited drummer Andrew Tolman, an easy choice given his Berklee connection with Wayne. Longtime Reynolds friend Daniel Platzman rounded things out on bass.
After playing local Vegas shows, the band – now named Imagine Dragons – caught their big break when they placed first in a Battle of the Bands competition. The grand prize was a recording session with Grammy-winning producer Alex Da Kid.
Alex was duly blown away, later telling Billboard: “There was something so special about them — they were incredible live, and the singer had such a unique voice…They seemed like the only band that had everything — great songs, a look, showmanship.”
By the end of 2011 they’d signed with Alex Da Kid’s KIDinaKORNER label and Interscope Records. Propelled by the success of “It’s Time,” their 2012 EP “Continued Silence” and debut album “Night Visions” soon followed.
The spotting of their talent by Alex Da Kid shows how Dan and Wayne stood out both recorded and performing live, the explosive chemistry from their first meeting continuing to intensify.
The Rest is Rock History
From their fateful initial songwriting session and breakout success of “It’s Time,” Imagine Dragons were soon catapulted to stardom. “Radioactive” topped the charts in 2013, dominating rock, pop and alternative stations alike.
To date they’ve sold over 75 million records worldwide, built a rabid global fanbase, and become advocates for causes like LGBTQ rights.
Dan Reynolds acknowledges none of it would have happened without Wayne Sermon walking into Velour that night back in 2009 and having the vision to combine their talents.
“He believed in me before anyone else really did,” Reynolds told Yahoo in 2013. “And he took a chance on me.”
A Cosmic Connection Forged in Salt Lake City
Imagine Dragons may be forever linked with their adopted hometown of Las Vegas, but it was Salt Lake City where the seeds were planted.
The chance meeting at Velour Live Music Gallery could easily have not happened. Indeed, the venue where Dan was singing the night Wayne walked in had strong ties to the Mormon community both musicians were raised in.
Velour Live Music Gallery was opened in 2007 by Corey Fox, a Mormon who envisioned the space as a home for local artists. What began as a small coffee shop progressed to a hot spot for Provo’s indie music scene.
A backdrop of the Mormon culture they were both immersed in pervades the site of Reynolds and Sermon’s explosive first encounter. As Reynolds said later: “I don’t think we could have started anywhere else.”
The venue was also a hub for Berklee College attendees like Andrew Tolman, who later introduced his friend Wayne Sermon to Velour. The connections of Berklee musicians moving back to Utah proved integral.
Without this musical petri dish of Velour Live Music Gallery, it’s unknown if Reynolds and Sermon’s paths would have intersected. The venue fostered a community that allowed their cosmic crossing of paths.
Two Genres Collide: Wayne Sermon’s Fearless Sound
When Wayne Sermon witnessed Dan Reynolds perform for the first time as he filled in at Velour, he was immediately struck by the power and range of his voice. What didn’t resonate was Reynolds’ indie rock style.
“I went up to him after the show,” Wayne recalled, “And said ‘You have an amazing voice, but the music doesn’t match it.’”
Wayne proposed Dan join him in starting a new project with a more mainstream, pop-centric sound. He already had visions for fusing genres by blending banjos, electronic elements and 808 beats.
As Imagine Dragons took form, Wayne became the musical mastermind constructing their one-of-a-kind sound. This fearless splicing of musical influences perfectly supported Reynolds’ towering vocals.
Reviewing their 2012 album “Night Visions,” Sputnik Music observed: “Sermon combines conventional pop/rock guitar playing with the electronic ambiance and twinkling noises that have dominated the pop charts in recent years.”
From the downbeat dance groove of “It’s Time” to the hip-hop percussion of “Radioactive” to the bluesy banjo plucking of “Amsterdam”, Sermon followed his eclectic muse. Reynolds and drummer Daniel Platzman also cite Sermon’s humble leadership style in allowing every member to shine.
That approach was galvanized when Wayne first witnessed Dan Reynolds on the Velour stage. In that moment, he heard the possibilities of merging their worlds: a fusion of genres that birthed Imagine Dragons’ signature style.
A Shared Worldview: Mormon Values and Imagine Dragons’ Message
Imagine Dragons have long championed outsiders. Songs like “It’s Time” call for embracing individuality, while “Follow You” preaches unconditional loving support. The band is also vocal supporters of LGBTQ communities.
While their openness appears vastly different from Mormonism’s conservative image, Reynolds and Sermon’s spiritual backgrounds did shape their worldview. Mormon tenets like compassion, self-reliance and devotion to community underpin Imagine Dragons’ lyrics.
Reynolds himself remains an active Mormon, crediting his faith for the band’s success. As he told the Mormon Channel, his spirituality fuels Imagine Dragons’ uplifting themes: “We speak a message of empowerment. Of rising above depression, rising above insecurity.”
The values Reynolds and Sermon cultivated in the Mormon church guided the band’s trajectory following that first meeting at Velour Live Music Gallery. Imagine Dragons spread messages of empowerment shaped by the duo’s spiritual roots. Even if their openness seems counter to Mormon conservatism, that community facilitated their destiny.
Of course, the band’s embrace of the LGBTQ community and other progressive causes does push them well beyond the Mormon mainstream. But the seed was planted at that newly opened coffee shop in Provo.
Destiny Calling in the Form of a Berklee Grad
Berklee College of Music boasts countless Grammy-winning alumni. Surprisingly, among the most famous is guitarist Wayne Sermon of Imagine Dragons.
After graduating Berklee with a degree in music production and engineering, Wayne was advised by mentors to spend a year working in the field. He returned to his hometown of Provo, UT where that fateful stop at Velour Live Music Gallery changed everything.
Berklee’s mark on Imagine Dragons doesn’t stop there. Drummer Andrew Tolman also attended the prestigious music school. Tolman became friends with Sermon while there before playing shows back in Utah where he met Dan Reynolds.
In fact, it was Tolman who introduced Wayne to Velour Live Music Gallery where Reynolds happened to be filling in. Andrew Tolman was later the obvious choice as drummer when Imagine Dragons formed.
The Berklee College bond between Sermon and Tolman proved instrumental in facilitating that first meeting of Reynolds and Sermon. It also imbued the band with a higher caliber of musicality from the start that helped them stand out.
Looking back, it seems Reynolds and Sermon’s first encounter – and ensuing success – was destiny calling in the form of a Berklee musician. That initial introduction could easily have never happened without Berklee’s role in fostering their creative community.
The Path to “Radioactive”: First Song Sets the Stage
It makes sense in retrospect that the first song Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon ever composed together would launch Imagine Dragons into the stratosphere. That initial studio session was the kernel of their creative destiny.
The band was propelled into stardom on the success of their 2012 Grammy-winning smash “Radioactive.” The song has gone on to become the highest-certified rock song in RIAA history, moving over 24 million units.
“Radioactive” may seem the more obvious career-defining track. But it was preceded by the first nervous collaboration between Reynolds and Sermon – “It’s Time” off their 2010 EP “Hell and Silence.”
That initial get-together in Wayne’s bedroom studio in Las Vegas was hardly smooth sailing. As pressure mounted to birth a hit song, both artists struggled to find a groove.
After hours of failed starts, Reynolds landed on the hook “It’s time to begin, isn’t it” as Sermon shaped the electronic, hip hop-inflected production.
More proof of concept than polished chart-topper, “It’s Time” nonetheless became their debut single and a breakout alternative hit. It also lays the blueprint for the genre-splicing style that “Radioactive” perfected to achieve stratospheric success.
Dan Reynolds himself marks “It’s Time” as a career-defining work: “That was the first time we captured the vision for Imagine Dragons…it was raw and primitive by design.”
Everything starts with a spark. For Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon, it was the fateful meeting at a Provo coffee shop that lit their creative fire. The connections between them and eventual bandmates from that night seeded something special.
The explosive chemistry when they first hesitantly jammed together in Las Vegas compounded inspiration into innovation. With each new track and show, the chain reaction intensified – from
