Jokes Song Feel Again Believer Imagine Dragons Meaning

How Health Issues Fabricated Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds a 'Believer' Again: 'I'k Appreciative of the Pain in My Life'

Reynolds' health has made a consummate 180 since get-go existence diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis, and it'due south evident Imagine Dragon's new single "Believer"

Enquire Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds where he was mentally, physically and emotionally the last few years and he'll tell you the root of his frustrations: Ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory arthritic disease. In fact, listen to the band'southward "fairly dark" sophomore album, Smoke + Mirrors, and you'll hear Reynolds' pain in the lyrics.

The vocalist opened upward to PEOPLE exclusively in November 2016 near his "debilitating" aches and depression too every bit being in a "bad place" prior to remission. But these days, Reynolds' overall health has fabricated a complete 180 — and it'south evident in the Las Vegas quartet's latest single "Laic."

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"It really has been a very salubrious year for me. But information technology didn't come without work, a lot of physical and mental work," the 29-year-old tells PEOPLE about his positive outlook every bit of late. "A.S. requires you to live a more than disciplined life, and once I establish the right remainder of that I've really been great for a twelvemonth."

The title of their 2015 album embodied Reynolds' melancholy and confusion away from the limelight, similar to the significant of the popular idiom. "Right at the beginning of Smoke + Mirrors was really when A.S. was rearing it's head in a big way," he recalls. "It was the commencement of the illness in a lot of means for me and learning to manage it. And so physically I was in a quite a lot of pain, and mentally I was in a very bad identify as well."

Fast forward to the present, Reynolds credits A.South. as the inspiration for new music.

"I'one thousand grateful for it," he says. "Looking back in this last year from a identify of health y'all're able to have greater perspective and I've had more perspective to see that a lot of the swell things in my life are due to struggle."

Dan Reynolds

Credit: Courtesy This AS Life Alive!

Example in point: the anthemic lyrics he penned for "Believer" are reflective of his current country. "You made me a, you made me a believer, believer / (Pain, pain) / You break me downwards, you build me upward, believer, believer."

And the personal meanings behind the single comparably paint Reynolds every bit a phoenix rising from the ashes.

"A lot of my greatest strengths are due to my greatest weaknesses or flaws or physical ailments. It brought me discipline, gratitude and pity. The song is about how pain made me a believer," he reflects. "It's made me a believer in myself, it's made me a believer in my fine art and work. I wouldn't have my fine art if it wasn't for pain. It takes somewhat of a healthy place to capeesh information technology because when y'all're in the midst of it you lot don't appreciate it. You're merely upset."

He adds: "The significant of the song is really reflecting on specific things in my life that were painful, whether it was anxiety and dealing with crowds, feeling overwhelmed by that or the success of the band, disease, going through low—anything that was a source of pain in my life. And simply rising above that, finding a place of perspective where I could be appreciative of the pain in my life and arrive my greatest strength."

"The artwork for 'Believer' actually encompasses everything for me in a lot of ways. This picture of a man walking in a dark vast space and arriving at a place of color and vibrant brilliant color," Reynolds teases. "That's where I recall I am right at present and that'south where the album leans towards. Smoke + Mirrors was kind of a night place for me. 'Believer' kind of indicates that. The fine art is an indicator for what's to come in a lot of ways."

Crowd PLEASER

Merely a new perspective is non nearly an antitoxin for the incurable A.S.

"I have a month that would be great, like no hurting for a month then I might accept a week where I start to experience a flare-up," Reynolds reveals of his condition. "But for the most part this last year, I've had it under control via my diet and practice. It's unlike for everybody, I've establish the rest inside that the last year that's worked for me, but next calendar month I could have a really bad outburst and become dorsum to my rheumatologist and say 'Hey what practise I need to practice to get back to a place of health?' "

A go-to place for A.Southward. resource is Reynolds' initiative called This AS Life Alive!, an online, interactive talk bear witness for patients with A.S., hosted by patients with A.South. "For me when I was diagnosed, I was Googling everything and I couldn't find a specific source that I could turn to for community, for noesis, and non to experience so lonely with this affliction," he describes of his reasons to partner with the Spondylitis Clan of America (SAA) and Novartis.

Every bit for the advice he hopes will resonate with people who are or have been in the place he was one year ago: "Both physical and mental illness tin exist debilitating in a lot of ways and the near important affair is: 1.) you're non alone in it, at that place's millions of people who are facing the same thing, [and] 2.) at that place is ever light at the end of the tunnel."

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Furthermore Reynolds stresses, "With depression or A.Due south., it'due south non but a pit for the rest of your life or this downward screw. It's the beginning of something that is going to crusade you to accept to grow to brand changes. While it tin seem dour right when you're diagnosed, in that location are direction plans so that's why it'due south so important for it not to remain a hidden disease and that awareness is raised."

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Source: https://people.com/music/imagine-dragons-dan-reynolds-believer-ankylosing-spondylitis/

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