Dan Reynolds: That's why the singer wants to step down this year
He has a wife and children, is internationally successful with his band Imagine Dragons. But frontman Dan Reynolds (31) has been struggling with health and personal problems in recent years. Now he pulls back and allows himself a break for himself and his family.
In 2018, the US musician spent with his band in 14 months 130 concerts on five continents. There will probably be only a few gigs this year. There are several reasons for this: Reynolds wants to spend more time with his family. And does he want to fight for something that affects him - his chronic illness?
Child number four is on the way
Main reason for his retreat: Dan Reynolds becomes father again. A big surprise. After all, he has only been back with his wife Aja Volkman (32), the mother of their three children, for a few months now. The couple met in 2010 in Las Vegas. After the marriage in 2011, a year later, daughter Arrow Eve was born, in 2017 the twins Gia James and Coco Rae.
In April 2018, the two separated, but want to try again: Since early 2019, they are again a couple - and soon fourfold parents. In a TV appearance, Reynolds recently announced: "We'll get a little boy in October." The name is still secret.
Reynolds suffers from chronic autoimmune disease
The second reason for the break is the chronic autoimmune disease Ankylosing Spondylitis, in which the 31-year-old Reynolds has been suffering for over ten years. The incurable disease is also known as ankylosing spondylitis, short AS. It begins slowly with back pain, which is getting stronger. "It felt like someone was drilling in my nerves," the singer said in an interview with the US magazine People.
"I could not sleep, I could not perform, I could not move," says Reynolds. In the emotional song "Believer" of the third studio album "Evolve" he processes the disease and the associated pain. What made him especially angry: For his daughters, he could not be there as desired. "I could not comfort her at night and thought I would be a terrible father." Today, Reynolds lives painless and feels healthy like never before.
Dan Reynolds wants to use his personal experience with ankylosing spondylitis to clear up the disease and encourage others: "I want to make AS known so that other people can be helped faster." Together with a pharmaceutical company, he launched an educational campaign in the USA. People with back problems can find out in a short quiz if they have signs of ankylosing spondylitis and should consult a rheumatologist.
Often the diagnosis comes very late
The treachery of ankylosing spondylitis: Early treatment is extremely important, but the disease is often recognized late. Patients go from doctor to doctor with their complaints, and like Reynolds many years wait for the right diagnosis and suitable therapy. What got Dan Reynolds back on his feet and on stage is a mix of exercise training, physiotherapy and a healthy diet. Patients often use antirheumatics or biologics with the active ingredient secukinumab.
How long Reynolds will kick is not known. By the end of 2019, at least only four appearances of the Imagine Dragons are planned. And at the latest from the birth of his son in October, the fourfold father will probably have a lot to do at home.
