I was in a low state dealing with depression for a year straight and then I came home, reconnected with family and friends, did self-help and reached out to a therapist. “Believer” means a lot to me because it really signifies a big step for me as a human being as well as a step forward sonically from Smoke + Mirrors. What does that song mean to you and why do you think it’s connecting with listeners? In its 19th week on the Billboard Hot 100, “Believer” holds steady at No. I love Justin and I count him as one of my most dear friends. So he helped me melodically to be a sounding board. We got in the room and I told him it was important to me to write all my lyrics, and he was super rad about that. I had never really co-written before, so I had some anxiety about it. My wife Aja Volkman sings for a band called Nico Vega who used to tour back in the day with Justin’s band Semi Precious Weapons, so we were friends with him to begin with.
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How did you sync up with songwriter Justin Tranter for your song “Believer” and how was it working with the go-to hitmaker who has also co-written popular tunes with Justin Bieber (“Sorry”) and Selena Gomez (“Hand to Myself”)? In this Q&A with Billboard, Reynolds discussed working with BMI’s 2017 Pop Songwriter of the Year Justin Tranter on Imagine Dragons’ Hot 100 hit “Believer,” writing about love on the band’s third studio album Evolve (out now) and launching the Love Loud festival to combat bigotry and teach acceptance to religious families because “to be gay is beautiful and right and perfect.” “It’s incredible we have allies like him who are speaking up because we need our allies, especially as rights of LGBTQ people come under attack, to say we stand with you, we support you and we will fight for you regardless of who you are or who you love.”
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“Dan Reynolds is showing people that regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity they are worthy,” Trevor Project CEO Amit Paley told Billboard at TrevorLIVE on June 19.