Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band L.A.P.D. Their current lineup features Shaffer (guitar); Arvizu (bass); Brian "Head" Welch (guitar); Jonathan Davis (vocals), and Ray Luzier (drums), who replaced Silveria in 2007. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Korn made a demo tape, Neidermayer's Mind, in 1993, which was distributed free to record companies and on request to members of the public. Their debut album Korn was released in 1994, followed by their commercial breakthrough, Life Is Peachy, in 1996. The band first experienced mainstream success with Follow the Leader (1998) and Issues (1999), both of which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The band's mainstream success continued with Untouchables (2002); Take a Look in the Mirror (2003); and See You on the Other Side (2005).
A compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol. 1, was released in 2004, spanning a decade of singles and concluding the band's recording contract with Immortal Records and Epic Records. They signed to Virgin Records, releasing See You on the Other Side in 2005, and an untitled album in 2007. The band's other recent albums, Korn III: Remember Who You Are (2010) and The Path of Totality (2011), were released via Roadrunner Records, with The Paradigm Shift (2013) being released via Prospect Park and Caroline Records. The Serenity of Suffering (2016) saw their return to Roadrunner Records, through which The Nothing was released on September 13, 2019. Their latest album, Requiem, was released via Loma Vista Recordings on February 4, 2022.
As of 2021, Korn had sold more than 40 million records worldwide. Several of their releases have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Fourteen of the band's official releases have peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200, eight of which have peaked in the top five. Korn has earned two Grammy Awards out of eight nominations and two MTV Video Music Awards out of 11 nominations. Several of their music videos received substantial play on MTV's Total Request Live, and were among the first to get retired from the show, including "Got the Life" and "Freak on a Leash".
-Wikipedia
Members:
Jonathan Davis
James Shaffer
Reginald Arvizu
Brian Welch
Ray Luzier
Name Origin:
They were first called L.A.P.D., which stood for 'Love and Peace Dude', and then later 'Laughing as People Die'. They were also briefly known as Creep. They reformed as Korn after adding Jonathon Davis.
When thinking of the new name, someone suggested "corn", but the band rejected it. James Shaffer had the idea to spell the name with a "K" instead of a "C", and a backwards "R", so the band's name would appear as "Koᴙn".The logo was designed by Jonathan Davis.
David Silveria explained: "The music makes the name, because Korn's a dumb name. But once we get established, it makes the name cool."
From: Bakersfield, California, United States
Genre(s):
Nu metal,
alternative metal
Active From: 1993-present
Associated Acts:
L.A.P.D.,
Sexart,
Jonathan Davis and the SFA,
StillWell,
Fear and the Nervous System,
Army of Anyone,
Love and Death,
Fieldy's Dreams,
Killbot,
JDevil
Awards:
1998
Rolling Stone Magazine's Best Hard-Rock/Metal Band of the Year.
Quotes:
I'd be a producer. I produced a band "Videodrone" on Elementree Records. And I've been doing remixes. I did a remix for Trik Turner.
-Jonathan Davis
Some producers write songs for bands, but we write our own music, so the producer has nothing to do with that.
-Jonathan Davis
Videos? Videos are important because millions of people watch TV and we can only tour and play so many places. But if you've got a video, then you're able to air it and millions and millions of people will see it.
-Jonathan Davis