Music of Utah has long been influenced culturally by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). The local music scene thrives. The musical history of Utah, and much of its current distinctiveness, is owed to artists from a variety of beliefs.

Contemporary Utah music scene

Utah has produced some popular recording artists since 2000. Its local music scene features some nationally recognized bands, mostly based in Provo and

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

Notable bands include

Neon Trees Neon Trees is an American rock band from Provo, Utah. The band received nationwide exposure in late 2008 when they opened several North American tour dates for the band The Killers. Not long after, the band was signed by Mercury Records. Their f ...

, Fictionist,

Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their si ...

, The New Electric Sound,

The Moth & the Flame The Moth & The Flame, sometimes known by initialism TMTF, is an American alternative rock band based in Los Angeles, California. History ''The Moth ⅋ The Flame'' album (2011–2012) The Moth & The Flame released their eponymous debut album ...

, King Niko and

The Brobecks Dallon James Weekes (born May 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as a member of Panic! at the Disco from 2009 to 2017, performing in the band as a bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, ...

. Many genres are represented, including rock,

indie folk Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The genre has it ...

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

, singer-songwriter,

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, fe ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

, punk rock, goth,

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

, hip hop,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

Reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, Ska and

religious music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as ritual. Relig ...

Hip Hop & R&B

JTM released his debut ''I'm Not a Rapper'' in 2016 which reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers chart and No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' R&B/Hip-Hop chart. UT-born producer KC Supreme has received multiple Multi-Platinum awards as well as multiple ''Billboard'' #1 awards. His production credits include Trevor Daniel,

Lil Uzi Vert Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous fashion, im ...

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that current ...

Juice Wrld Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was a leading figure in the emo rap and ...

Lil Tecca Tyler-Justin Anthony Sharpe (born August 26, 2002), known professionally as Lil Tecca, is an American rapper and singer. He rose to mainstream fame with the release of his 2019 single "Ransom", which peaked at number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

Rich The Kid Dimitri Leslie Roger (born July 13, 1992), professionally known as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper. He released his debut studio album, '' The World Is Yours'', on March 30, 2018. His second studio album, '' The World Is Yours 2'', was relea ...

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...

, T-Pain,

Trippie Redd Michael Lamar White II (born June 18, 1999), known professionally as Trippie Redd, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is one of the most prominent members of the SoundCloud rap scene, which gained mainstream acclaim in the late ...

Kevin Gates Kevin Jerome Gilyard (born February 5, 1986), better known by his stage name Kevin Gates, is an American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur. He is currently signed to Bread Winners' Association with a partnership with Atlantic Records. His debut ...

Megan Thee Stallion Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion (pronounced "Megan the Stallion"), is an American rapper and songwriter. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of her ...

, Yk Osiris,

Rico Nasty Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly (born May 7, 1997), known professionally as Rico Nasty, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Maryland. She rose to prominence in 2018 with singles such as "Smack a Bitch" and "Poppin". While in high schoo ...

Lil Tjay Tione Jayden Merritt (born April 30, 2001), known professionally as Lil Tjay, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence in 2017 with his song "Resume", and then the release of his breakthrough song "Brothers" which led h ...

, 24k Goldn, Yung Pinch,

Quando Rondo Tyquian Terrel Bowman (born March 23, 1999), professionally known by his stage name Quando Rondo, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He was signed to YoungBoy's Never Broke Again record label and Atlantic Records. He initially gained ...

, Fredo Bang,

Iann Dior Michael Ian Olmo (born March 25, 1999), known professionally as Iann Dior (stylized in all lowercase), is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer based in Texas. He is most notably well-known for his 2020 hit single " Mood", a collaboration with 24kGo ...

, YNW Melly, blackbear,

Summer Walker Summer Marjani Walker (born April 11, 1996) is an American R&B singer. In 2017, she signed to Love Renaissance and Interscope Records. The following year, she released the mixtape '' Last Day of Summer,'' which spawned the single "Girls Need L ...

Don Toliver Caleb Zackery "Don" Toliver ( ; born June 12, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He released his first major label mixtape, ''Donny Womack'', in August 2018. He is known for his singles " No Idea" and " After Party", from his de ...

Lil Skies Kimetrius Christopher Foose (born August 4, 1998 ), better known by his stage name Lil Skies, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania signed to All We Got Entertainment through Atlantic Records. His three hi ...

, etc.

Rock

Utah has enjoyed a substantial rock music scene.

Sky Saxon The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

, frontman and founder to influential 1960's

Garage Rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

and

Proto-Punk Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music played mostly by garage bands from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock movement. The phrase is a retrospective label; the musicians involved were generally not originally associated w ...

band

The Seeds The Seeds were an American psychedelic garage rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965, best known for their highest charting single " Pushin' Too Hard". The band's classic line-up featured frontman Sky Saxon, guitarist Jan Savage ...

, was born and grew up in

. Before finding international success with

, he recorded and released a string of

Doo-Wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

singles under the name ''"Little Richie Marsh"'' and founded Salt Lake bands ''"The Electra-Fires"'' and ''"The Soul Rockers".'' More contemporarily,

Post-Hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has be ...

band

The Used The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, that formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Stei ...

(

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

-owned

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

) was formed in

Orem Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah M ...

in 2001. The Used have released two gold-certified albums in the United States.

(formerly

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

) formed in Provo, Utah in the early 2000s. In 2010, their single, "Animal," reached number one on the Billboard

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart. Neon Trees have released two multi-platinum singles domestically. Sisters Meg and Dia Frampton, formed

Meg & Dia Meg & Dia is an American rock band formed in 2004. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton before becoming a five-piece act (renamed Cowards Courage and released the CD ''Straight Out of a Story Book in Las Vegas'') where they started, w ...

Draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period, ...

and until recently were signed to Warner Music Group-owned label,

Doghouse Records Doghouse Records is an American record label currently based in New York City.Alan O'Connor, ''Punk Record Labels and the Struggle for Autonomy''. Lexington Books, 2008, p. 41Google Books/ref> The company was founded by Dirk Hemsath in late 1987 ...

Royal Bliss Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

, from

signed with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

in 2007. Fictionist, from Provo was signed with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

between 2011 and 2014.

(

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner ...

) formed in Provo in 2008, and later moved to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

after winning battle of the bands competitions at Velour Music Gallery (Provo, UT) and Brigham Young University. The band's single "Radioactive" earned a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance. They have received four diamond certified singles domestically to date and are widely regarded as one of the most popular contemporary rock artists in recent years.

Folk

Folk music constituted some of the earliest music in Utah. Songs were usually sung without accompaniment because of the scarcity of

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

s in the region. Although often employing the same traditional tunes as

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

elsewhere, Mormon settlers sometimes altered lyrical themes in reference to their own lives and religious convictions.

Peter Breinholt Peter Breinholtis a recording artist in the Salt Lake City, Utah local music scene. Breinholt spent the first ten years of his life in Devon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, where his father Robert H. Breinholt taught at the Wharton Sch ...

, a Salt Lake City native, found success in the 1990s as a

Singer-Songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted thr ...

following the self-release a series of tapes, largely by word of mouth. Initially centered in and around The University of Utah's underground music scene, Breinholt's music eventually proliferated through the state and surrounding

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

region. As of 2023, his debut LP, ''Songs About the Great Divide'' was the fastest selling independently released album in the state's history. Currently a music professor at

Snow College Snow College is a public community college in Ephraim, Utah. It offers certificates and associate degrees in a number of areas, along with bachelor's degrees in music and software engineering and a four-year nursing program. Snow College is par ...

, Breinholt has since released seven full lengths albums and performed with

Jon Schmidt Jon Schmidt (born 1966) is an American pianist and composer. Classically trained, he branched into New Age music in his 20s and has developed a classical crossover style that blends classical, contemporary, and rock and roll. He has released eigh ...

, Masa Fukuda, Steven Sharp Nelson, Paul Cardall and the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ...

. In 2002, he performed at the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internationa ...

. Newgrass artists Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand had a country music hit single in 2005, "Dream Big." while they were signed to

. Provo based folk singer-songwriter Joshua James had moderate success in 2007 when his album ''The Sun is Always Brighter'' reached number 1 on the

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

Folk Album chart. Provo songwriter Isaac Russell left his deal with Utah-based Northplatte Records to sign with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

only to later return to Northplatte Records.

Neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumenta ...

rock group Parlor Hawk were featured by iTunes Indie Spotlight as one of the "Best of 2010 Singer-Songwriter Albums" and earned an

Independent Music Award The Independent Music Awards (IMAs) is an international awards program created by Music Resource Group (MRG) in 2000 to recognize self-distributed recordings and releases from independent record labels. The IMAs honor works in over 100 categorie ...

for "Saddest Song" in 2012.

The National Parks ''The National Parks: America's Best Idea'' is a 2009 television documentary miniseries by director/producer Ken Burns and producer/writer Dayton Duncan which features the United States National Park system and traces the system's history.

formed in 2013 in Provo, UT. Their debut album reached No. 13 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts and single "As We Ran" has been streamed more than 25M times on Spotify. Ogden based folk singer-songwriter Sammy Brue signed to

New West Records New West Records is a record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia. It had offices in Burbank, California, and Beverly Hills, California. The label was established in 1998 by Cameron Strang "for artists who perform real music ...

and released his debut album in 2017.

Pop

In 2007,

David Archuleta David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop singer. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition, leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, he becam ...

rose to the national spotlight as a major contestant in the seventh season of

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

. His debut pop album on

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...

was certified gold by the RIAA. Provo-based songwriter

Mindy Gledhill Mindy Gledhill (born March 7, 1981) is a singer-songwriter from Eureka, California who is best known for her songs "I Do Adore" and "Anchor". She is also known for her guest vocal work for DJ Kaskade. Background Gledhill spent most of her yout ...

's 2010 pop album ''Anchor'' became a hit abroad including seven songs charting on the South Korean charts and tours in SE Asia. The album sold more than 15,000 copies.

Metal

Salt Lake City has also fostered a thriving

Metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

scene for some time. The city is home to Progressive act Katagory V. The band has released four LPs and signed with

Nightmare Records Lance King (born November 23, 1962) is an American heavy metal music singer and songwriter specializing in melodic progressive power metal. He has sung with many groups over the last 35 years and started the record label Nightmare in 1990 to ...

in the U.S. and later Burning Star Records in Europe. Katagoty V has appeared at notable heavy metal festivals in the U.S. including the

ProgPower USA ProgPower USA is a progressive and power metal festival held annually in the United States since 2001. Its upcoming edition, ProgPower USA XXI is scheduled to take place on June 1–4, 2022. The festival's band selection process focuses on qual ...

festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Salt Lake City

deathcore Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore. The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore breakdowns. While there are some precursors to the concept of death metal fused with met ...

band

Chelsea Grin Chelsea Grin is an American deathcore band from Salt Lake City, Utah. Formed in 2007, the group have released two EPs and five full-length albums. Since 2018, no original members remain in the band. Chelsea Grin was originally founded under ...

, is also a prominent name in the genre, having currently released four LPs and two EPs. Successful in the

sludge Sludge is a semi-solid slurry that can be produced from a range of industrial processes, from water treatment, wastewater treatment or on-site sanitation systems. For example, it can be produced as a settled suspension obtained from conventiona ...

and

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

genres,

is also home to bands

Eagle Twin Eagle Twin is an American metal band formed in Salt Lake City, Utah by singer/guitarist Gentry Densley and drummer Tyler Smith. Eagle Twin's music could be broadly classified as doom metal or sludge metal, but also touches on progressive rock, ...

and Subrosa. Even more notable is

's underground

Hardcore Punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

scene, including bands like Insight, Wake of an Arsonist, Crowkiller, Cherem, and Aftermath of a Trainwreck.

A cappella

Utah has an

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

music scene. Some groups include

Voice Male Voice Male is a six-man contemporary a cappella group based in Utah. The group performs covers of contemporary popular songs as well as traditional Latter-day Saint music and some original material. Voice Male formed at Utah State University in 1 ...

Octappella Octappella is a seven-man contemporary a cappella group based in Utah. The members first sang together in college. Since forming Octappella, they have released three albums and were featured performers at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games. The ...

, Rifftide, UVU's Voiceline, BYU's

Vocal Point BYU Vocal Point is a nine-member, male a cappella group at Brigham Young University (BYU). Founded by two students, Bob Ahlander & Dave Boyce, in 1991, Vocal Point is under the direction of Emmy award-winning director and former member, McKay Cr ...

an
Vocalocity

Classical

Paul Cardall (Stone Angel Music) has independently released various recordings that have debuted No. 1 on 11

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

charts with 43 other additional chart debuts. The pianist is the first Utahn to receive the Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Instrumental Album of The Year

Gospel Music Association The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership co ...

in 2019.

Jenny Oaks Baker Jenny Oaks Baker (born Jenny June Oaks; May 27, 1975) is a Grammy nominated American violinist and former member of the National Symphony Orchestra. She has released eighteen studio albums, several of which have topped or nearly topped ''Billboar ...

(Shadow Mountain Records) is a former

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National Mem ...

violinist in Utah who received a nomination for

Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (previously: Best Pop Instrumental Album) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording arti ...

in 2011.

Lindsey Stirling Lindsey Stirling (born September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, songwriter, and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007. Stirling pe ...

(Bridgetone) is a violinist/dancer. Her debut album was certified Platinum in Germany and Austria, while her single "Crystalize" was certified gold in the United States.

The Piano Guys The Piano Guys is an American musical group consisting of pianist Jon Schmidt, cellist Steven Sharp Nelson, videographer Paul Anderson, and music producer Al van der Beek. Originating in Utah, they gained popularity through YouTube, where in ...

(Sony) have released three consecutive No. 1 albums on the U.S. Classical albums charts.

Indie

as well as the adjacent Provo have both fostered popular indie rock scenes, with notable artists including

The Backseat Lovers The Backseat Lovers is an American alternative rock band that formed in Provo, Utah in 2018. The band's 2019 single, "Kilby Girl" reached number 39 on the '' Billboard'' Rock & Alternative Airplay chart. The band released their major label de ...

, The Aces,

Ritt Momney Jack William Rutter (born October 12, 1999), better known as Ritt Momney, is an American singer from Salt Lake City, Utah. His stage name is a spoonerism of American politician Mitt Romney, who was the Republican nominee during the 2012 United ...

, Uzi and Ari,

, Fictionist,

Choir Boy ''Choir Boy'' is a coming-of-age play by American playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney. The play premiered in September 2012 at the Royal Court Theatre, London, before going on to play productions at New York City Center, Alliance Theatre, Geffe ...

Meg and Dia Meg & Dia is an American rock band formed in 2004. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton before becoming a five-piece act (renamed Cowards Courage and released the CD ''Straight Out of a Story Book in Las Vegas'') where they started, w ...

, King Niko, Joshua James, Allred, and The New Electric Sound.

Indigenous music

Music from the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

The state's most famous musical group is The

Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

. Named after the

Salt Lake Tabernacle The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, in the U.S. state of Utah. The Tabernacle was built from 1863 to 1875 to house meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

Temple Square Temple Square is a complex, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediately ...

, Utah, the 300+ member choir is world-famous. The choir performs at least weekly at the Tabernacle for a

radio program A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

called "

Music and the Spoken Word Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect o ...

". The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square was first recorded in 1910 has released more than 100 albums. Billboard Magazine declared that they were the year-end Top Charting Traditional Classical Albums artist of 2012. The choir has been awarded the National Medal of Arts, a GRAMMY Award, and even been inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

Utah music events

The Ogden Music Festival, 3-day outdoor festival featuring bluegrass, blues, folk & rockabilly is held the first weekend in June at Ogden's

Fort Buenaventura Fort Buenaventura, located in west Ogden, Utah, United States, was the first permanent Anglo settlement in the Great Basin. Built just east of the Weber River in 1846 by Miles Goodyear, the fort and its surrounding lands were purchased by Mormon ...

with on-site camping. The Park City & SLC Music Festival and Autumn Classics Music Festival, formerly the Deer Valley Music Festival, the Park City International Music Festival and Autumn Classics Music Festival, is held in Park City and Salt Lake City. These are projects of the Park City Chamber Music Society (PCCMS). PCCMS founded the original

Deer Valley Music Festival The Deer Valley Music Festival is the summer home of the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera. It occurs each summer in July and August in Park City, Utah at the Deer Valley Resort, St. Mary's Church, Temple Har Shalom, and salon performances in local home ...

and the name was changed to Park City International Music Festival after a number of years. Founded in 2001, The Salt Lake City Jazz Festival is the largest annual

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

showcase in the state. The Utah Symphony was founded in 1940 by

Maurice Abravanel Maurice Abravanel (January 6, 1903 – September 22, 1993) was an American classical music conductor. He is remembered as the conductor of the Utah Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years. Life Abravanel was born in Salonika, Rumelia Eyalet, Ottom ...

and performs at

Abravanel Hall Abravanel Hall is a concert hall in Salt Lake City, Utah that is home to the Utah Symphony, and is part of the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts. The hall is an architectural landmark in the city, and is adjacent to Temple Square and the ...

, a

modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may ...

in downtown Salt Lake City. The symphony merged in 2002 with the Utah Opera Company, which was organized in 1978. The Utah Valley Symphony is a community orchestra organized in

Utah County, Utah Utah County is the second-most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Utah. The county seat and largest city is Provo, Utah, Provo, which is the state's third-largest city, and the largest outside of Salt Lake County. As of ...

in 1959.

Notable musicians from Utah

;Producers *Finn Bjarnson – Grammy nominated * Kim Candilora II (KC Supreme) - Multi-Platinum Member of Internet Money. *

Nate Pyfer Nate Pyfer is an American record producer and songwriter/composer. Pyfer has collaborated with Kaskade and producer Finn Bjarnson on a number of projects including co-writing the Grammy nominated single "Atmosphere" on the eponymous album. Nat ...

– Grammy nominated ;Individuals * Paul Cardall *

– Grammy nominated * Dan Truman of Diamond Rio – Grammy Winner *

Kaskade Ryan Gary Raddon (born February 25, 1971), better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. ''DJ Times'' voted Kaskade "America's Best DJ" in 2011 and 2013. ''DJ Mag'' named Kaskade fifty-first on its 200 ...

– Grammy nominated * Hugh McDonald *Paul Richards of

California Guitar Trio California Guitar Trio (CGT) is a band of three guitar players founded in Los Angeles in 1991 by Paul Richards, Hideyo Moriya, and Bert Lams around the concept of playing acoustic guitars in the New Standard Tuning taught by Robert Fripp on Guita ...

*Wayne Sermon of

– Grammy Winner *

Branden Steineckert Branden Steineckert (born April 21, 1978) is the drummer for the punk rock band Rancid and a founding member and previous drummer of the Used. Biography Steineckert is an avid soccer fan and supporter of Real Salt Lake, a Major League S ...

Dallon Weekes Dallon James Weekes (born May 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as a member of Panic! at the Disco from 2009 to 2017, performing in the band as a bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, ...

;Groups * Arcangelo il Demoni *

Get Scared Get Scared was an American post-hardcore band from Layton, Utah, United States, formed in 2008. After their formation they released their first EP ''Cheap Tricks and Theatrics'' in 2009. A self-titled EP followed several months later in 2010. ...

Osmonds The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group ...

, including Donny and

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television host, and a member of the show business family the Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a country and pop ...

– Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee

Donny Osmond Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host, and former teen idol. He first gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gol ...

had a No. 1 Hot 100 hit with "

Go Away Little Girl "Go Away Little Girl" is a popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded by Bobby Vee for Liberty Records on March 28, 1962. The lyrics consist of a young man asking a young attractive woman to stay away from him, s ...

" in 1971. *

SheDaisy SHeDAISY () was an American country music vocal group from Magna, Utah. The group consisted of sisters Kristyn Robyn Osborn (born August 24, 1970), Kelsi Marie Osborn (born November 21, 1974), and Kassidy Lorraine Osborn (born October 30, 1976). ...

– Grammy nominated *

* Uzi and Ari *

* The National Parks (band) *

Michael Barrow & The Tourists Michael Barrow & The Tourists is an American folk rock band from Provo, Utah. The five-member band consists of Michael Barrow (guitar and lead vocals), Zach Collier (keyboards), Reed Perkins (drums), Alessandro Improta (Bass), and Mac Wright (le ...

Record labels

Although no major record labels are based in Utah, there are several small independent labels, such as Northplatte Records, Acid Cult.

The End Records The End Records is a record label in Manhattan that specializes in rock, heavy metal, indie, and electronic music. Early years (1998–2005) The End Records was founded by Andreas Katsambas in Pasadena, California, with the goal of helping sm ...

is an independent metal and rock label that has signed some

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

and

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

groups. It was formed in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

, CA and relocated to Salt Lake City and is currently based in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York.

Venues

Northern Utah

;Notable venues in the Salt Lake Area include: * The Depot ;Notable venues in the Provo Area include: *

Velour Live Music Gallery Velour Live Music Gallery (often just Velour) is a music venue, on University Avenue, in Provo, Utah. Velour is owned by Corey Fox. It acts as an all-ages music venue catering to an eclectic mix of genres. It is also a smoking and alcohol free e ...

;Notable venues in the Park City Area include: * Park City Live – 427 Main St.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Utah American music by state