Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, speaks openly about his “complicated” relationship with Mormonism; details here

Dan Reynolds grew up in a conservative Mormon household. He attended Brigham Young University and served as a missionary in Omaha, Nebraska for two years. However, in his early twenties he experienced a change and today, at 36, he has been out of Mormonism for several years.

In a recent interview with PEOPLE, musician Reynolds discussed his religious beliefs, particularly Mormonism, and his decision to leave the church while his family remained active. He expressed concern about the potential negative impact of religion on LGBTQ+ youth.

Dan Reynolds: Family, commitment and personal growth

Reynolds emphasized his love and closeness to his family, without harboring resentment, even though he sometimes felt alone with them. On this new path, he emphasized the importance of discovering one’s own truth and learning to love oneself.

Dan Reynolds founded the LOVELOUD Foundation in 2017 to serve young LGBTQ+ people, demonstrating his commitment to advocacy beyond traditional church teachings. This reflects his personal journey and ongoing efforts to balance his faith with family ties in a compassionate way.

The Eyes Closed singer, whose latest album Loom is out, has spoken openly about his lifelong struggle with religion, growing up as the seventh of nine children of Ronald and Christene.

Reynolds’ attitude to raising children and expectations of a music tour

Reynolds stated that in his twenties and early thirties, he was “really angry” at religion and believed he had been duped. He mentioned that he suffered personal harm as a result, but he also acknowledged the positive impact it had on his family, who are all healthy and happy.

He added that he doesn’t get upset about it anymore as he gets older. If something works for someone, he said, then that’s great and unique, and he doesn’t want to stand in the way of that. Still, he made the decision not to take his four children – son Valentine, 4, and daughters Arrow, 11, Gia and Coco, 7 – to church with his ex-wife Aja Volkman.

He explained that his main goal is not to manipulate his children. The singer stressed that he does not want to dictate their spiritual path. Reynolds noted the range of tempos and emotions on the record and said he believes the next tour will be their best live performance yet.

He said they were rehearsing right now and he was confident the tour would be both joyful and therapeutic. This expresses the appropriate amounts of melancholy, wildness and happiness. Reynolds thought touring this record would be a fun experience.