More than the coveted gramophone, Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds is going to take center stage during the Grammys in a bid to spread awareness on smoking.
An anti-smoking campaign was the most recent evidence of Reynolds' sincerity toward the glaring and pressing issue nowadays. The 30-year-old singer had partnered with Truth, a group of young people that aims to inform everyone about the dangers of smoking.
The preview clip furnished to Billboard showed some statistics about smoking and the people affected by this.
"They should be ashamed of themselves. It has to stop," Reynolds, who is in the video, said.
The infomercial further stated the harrowing moves by tobacco-producing companies in order to make cigarettes more addicting. It also revealed that these companies had been targeting those that belong to the low-income-generating people, which Reynolds described as "heartless."
"They're taking someone who is already set up to have a difficult life ahead of them, and putting them back even 10 steps further," Reynolds said.
Perfect Choice
Meanwhile, the youth group that tapped Imagine Dragons' vocalist revealed why he fitted the role. Truth Initiative's chief marketing officer, Eric Asche, described Reynolds as "passionate" on his efforts to help address societal problems.
Asche further explained that Reynolds and the group had the same spirit and fervor toward challenging and pushing the norms in the society.
Timely Placement
The advertisement will air during Grammys on Sunday, Jan. 28, the time when most musicians and artists meet for a night of celebration of the people in the industry.
As so, airing of the advertisement in the awards night would reach more people that are bounded by the stigma that needed to be changed. Reynolds noted how smoking has become a norm in the industry he is in.
"I love everything about [it], except the drug use. And cigarettes seem to go hand in hand with rock and roll aesthetically, and this needs to change," he added.
Grammy Nominations
Meanwhile, "Walking the Wire" and "Demons" singer Imagine Dragons is nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album for Evolve. Even if their songs had been a hit proven by the ranks on Billboard, the group admitted that the Grammy nominations were still a shocker.
In 2014, Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" had also been nominated for Record of the Year. The same song landed them a victory for Best Rock Performance.
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