Mormon Musicians
Mormon musicians come in all forms. From Brandon Flowers of Killers fame – also a Church member – and Neon Trees’ low-key punk music, Church members have made waves worldwide through music.
Musically, Latter-day Saints have long fostered an iconic cinematic and neoromantic aesthetic. Crawford Gates created an unforgettable score for the Hill Cumorah pageant with tonal harmonies interspersed with dramatic chromaticism and exoticist modality – something most other cultures take for granted.
Brandon Flowers
Sydney Dahle is a fourth-year student at Utah State and Lifestyles Content Manager of the Statesman newspaper. In her free time she enjoys writing hymns in Mormon style as well as researching other religious music traditions.
Brandon Flowers, best known as the Mormon singer-frontman of The Killers, helped revive new wave music that had fallen out of fashion during the 2000s with their debut album Hot Fuss. Brandon took inspiration from many 80s synth pop bands such as U2, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys and Bruce Springsteen to craft his musical compositions.
The Book of Mormon highlights music as an effective medium to express our thanksgiving to God, but also acknowledges its potential misuse for evil purposes. Recognizing this scriptural perspective can assist us in making wise media choices today.
Neon Trees
Neon Trees are an alternative rock band from Utah formed in 2005 by Tyler Glenn, Chris Allen and Branden Campbell. Their name derives from an In-N-Out Burger sign which inspired Glenn to form the group.
Habits is Habits’ debut album and showcases their blend of ’80s pop and bombastic alt-rock choruses, with “Animal” being an irresistibly catchy love song that’s sure to get people up and dancing!
Glenn recently made headlines when he came out as gay to Rolling Stone magazine, prompting many people to question his Mormon faith and questioning its meaning for him personally. Now in a video for “Trash,” Utah singer Glenn takes aim at his former faith by walking past torn and torn scriptures used during LDS temple ceremonies and defacing sacred signs used during LDS temple ceremonies – making an ironic point against it all!
Band rose to fame when Ronnie Vanucci of The Killers saw them perform at a small Las Vegas club and fell in love with their sound; convinced them to open for him that spring. Since then, they’ve spent most of 2010 touring all across Nevada alongside Thirty Seconds to Mars and Mutemath.
Vocal Point at Temple Hill
BYU’s Vocal Point A Cappella Group captivates audiences worldwide with their blend of harmony, humor and remarkable vocal percussion – perfect for crowd pleasing performances across rock, pop, country jazz and hymn genres alike! Vocal Point captures audiences worldwide.
Dave Boyce and Bob Ahlander founded Vocal Point at BYU after becoming aware of contemporary a capella groups from other universities. Their goal was to bring that sound into BYU.
Mack Wilberg served as their mentor, organizing auditions by providing flyers to men’s chorus members. Once they had narrowed it down to nine men, they knew they were on the right path.
Vocal Point went on to compete in the international finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella after winning regional competition and then performing at BYU’s Homecoming Spectacular the next year, followed by their inaugural devotional service and album recording sessions with James, as well as Tabernacle Choir Christmas concerts on Temple Square, alongside many renowned musicians whose message they spread worldwide.
James the Mormon
Provo rapper James Brandt Curran is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a missionary spirit. Using the moniker “James the Mormon” to spread his beliefs, recently released an EP which bested hip-hop/rap artists such as Drake and Kendrick Lamar on iTunes chart.
Neon Trees, an energetic pop-rock band comprised of four Church members and opening act for The Killers, also showcased his music at performances. He believes the Church embraces all genres of music; some of his fans even came out for performances and learned about religion!
Gladys Knight, known for her soulful singing and decades-long music career. Other Mormon singers are men such as Brandon Flowers from The Killers who was raised as part of a Mormon family and went on missions. Additionally, each year the Church releases an album called Especially for Youth that features various artists.