Music speaks to people in a way that breaks down boundaries that words and actions sometimes can't.
People who have never dealt with depression think it's just being sad or being in a bad mood. That's not what depression is for me; it's falling into a state of grayness and numbness.
But I really believe that you don't do music because you want to, you do it because you have to.
It does not mean you're broken to have depression and anxiety. I would encourage you to speak out. Don't hold it inside. Talk to friends. Talk to parents. If it's available, go to a therapist.
I've spent a lifetime trying not to offend people - that's one thing that Mormons are really good at is smiling and shaking your hand and doing everything they can to not offend you. And I have gotten to this point in life where I don't want to live that way anymore.
When I was 18, I applied to go to BYU like my six brothers ahead of me - I have eight boys and one girl in my family.
Mormonism truly was a part of my every decision since the day I was born. It taught me to serve others and to feel comfort about the next life. Who doesn't want to live for eternity and have a 'mansion in heaven'? It sounded like a rad deal to me when I was in my teenage years.
I promise to be the best missionary I can - a Mormon missionary for the LGBTQ community - and to hopefully use this privilege I've been given to give them a voice.
Your life is always worth living.
LoveLoud isn't just for the youth, but also their families and friends. They can attend and become educated on how to truly love and accept our LGBTQ youth.
There was nothing more I wanted to do than to see my dad react well to my music. I still do. I send him my demos all the time.
I always like to leave art and music open to interpretation.
I really don't want my daughters to know me for being that guy who sings songs.
I'm about as privileged as you can get. I'm a white, male, heterosexual front man of a rock band.
I've followed Tegan and Sara's music for quite a while, and I've been a fan of them and what they do and what they stand for. We've run into each other at one or two festivals over the years, and I kind of fanned out on them.
Now, there's parts about Mormonism that I love and appreciate. And as far as things that I was embarrassed about, I just don't feel it anymore.
I always would dream of making music videos. Whenever I make music, I always have a visual in my mind. I always see things.
There's not a day that goes by that I don't get an email from someone who is angry with me and tells me they're not going to let their kid listen to Imagine Dragons anymore.
I'm tired of living the vanilla, non-offensive life. I think that's a really sad way to spend my life, and I lived it like that because that's what I was brought up in, taught to not rock the ship.
One of my best friends was gay and Mormon, and I saw how conflicted he was. It was the first time my faith didn't align with my mind and heart and the first time I was being taught something at church that I was like, 'Hey, this doesn't seem right.'
