Group

Nine Inch Nails

From: Cleveland, United States
Since: 1988–present
Rating: ★ 4.1 (44 votes)
Releases: 318

industrial rock
industrial
alternative rock
electronic
industrial metal
electro-industrial
rock
nu metal

About

Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed by singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, film composer and producer Trent Reznor in 1988 in Cleveland, Ohio. Reznor was the sole permanent member of the band until his frequent collaborator, English musician Atticus Ross, became an official member in 2016. The band's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), was released via TVT Records. After disagreements with TVT over how the album would be promoted, the band signed with Interscope Records and released the EP Broken (1992), followed by the albums The Downward Spiral (1994) and The Fragile (1999).

Following a hiatus, Nine Inch Nails resumed touring and released their fourth album With Teeth (2005). Following the release of the next album Year Zero (2007), the band left Interscope after a feud on pricing and distribution of the album. Nine Inch Nails continued touring and independently released Ghosts I–IV (2008) and The Slip (2008) before a second hiatus. Their eighth album, Hesitation Marks (2013), was followed by a trilogy which consisted of the EPs Not the Actual Events (2016) and Add Violence (2017) and their ninth album Bad Witch (2018). The band simultaneously released two further installments of the Ghosts series in 2020: Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts. In 2024, Nine Inch Nails announced a number of new projects through their multimedia company With Teeth; the following year, they embarked on the Peel It Back Tour and released the soundtrack to Tron: Ares.
When touring, Reznor typically assembles a live band to perform with him under the Nine Inch Nails name. This live band has varied over the decades, with various members leaving and returning; the current lineup consists of Reznor and Ross alongside Robin Finck (who initially joined in 1994), Stu Brooks (who joined in 2026), and Josh Freese (who initially joined in 2005). The band's concerts are noted for their extensive use of thematic visual elements, complex special effects, and elaborate lighting. Songs are often rearranged to fit any given performance, and the melodies or lyrics of songs that are not scheduled to be performed are sometimes assimilated into other songs.
Nine Inch Nails has sold over 20 million records worldwide and been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning for the songs "Wish" in 1993, "Happiness in Slavery" in 1996 and "As Alive as You Need Me to Be" in 2026. Time magazine named Reznor one of its most influential people in 1997, while Spin magazine has described him as "the most vital artist in music". In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Nine Inch Nails No. 94 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Nine Inch Nails was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, having first been nominated in 2014 (their first year of eligibility) and again in 2015.

From Nine Inch Nails on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Heard on the radio

Closer The Downward Spiral
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Members

Trent Reznor 1988–now · original member lead vocals, background vocals, saxophone, bass, percussion, synthesizer, piano, guitar, keyboard
Robin Finck 1994–1996, 1999–2000, 2008–2009, 2013–now additional, background vocals, violin, synthesizer, guitar, keyboard, lap steel guitar
Atticus Ross 2004–now background vocals, bass, synthesizer, keyboard
Josh Freese 2005–2008, 2025–now additional, drums (drum set), marimba
Stu Brooks 2026–now additional, background vocals, electric bass guitar, electric guitar, keyboard
Ron Musarra 1988–1988 · former additional, drums (drum set)
Chris Vrenna 1988–1990, 1992–1997 · former additional, percussion, drums (drum set), sampler, keyboard
Nick Rushe 1989–1989 · former additional, keyboard
Gary Talpas 1989–1989 · former additional, keyboard
Richard Patrick 1989–1993 · former additional, guitar, background vocals
David Haymes 1990–1990 · former additional, keyboard
Lee Mars 1990–1991 · former additional, keyboard
Jeff Ward 1990–1991 · former additional, drums (drum set)
Martin Atkins 1991–1991 · former additional, drums (drum set)
James Woolley 1991–1994 · former additional, background vocals, synthesizer, keyboard
Danny Lohner 1993–2003 · former additional, background vocals, bass, synthesizer, guitar, keyboard
Charlie Clouser 1994–2001 · former additional, background vocals, percussion, synthesizer, theremin, keyboard
Kevin McMahon 1996–1996 · former additional, guitar, background vocals
Keith Hillebrandt 1997–1999 · former additional, piano, keyboard
Dave Ogilvie 1997–1999 · former additional, keyboard
Jerome Dillon 1999–2005 · former additional, drums (drum set), guitar
Alex Carapetis 2005–2005 · former additional, drums (drum set)
Aaron North 2005–2007 · former additional, background vocals, guitar
Jeordie White 2005–2007 · former additional, background vocals, bass, synthesizer, guitar, keyboard
Alessandro Cortini 2005–2008, 2013–2026 · former additional, background vocals, bass, synthesizer, guitar, keyboard
Justin Meldal‐Johnsen 2008–2009 · former additional, background vocals, bass, synthesizer, guitar, keyboard
Ilan Rubin 2008–2009, 2013–2025 · former additional, drums (drum set), keyboard, percussion, background vocals, bass, cello, guitar
Adrian Belew 2013–2013 · former additional, background vocals, marimba, guitar
Joshua Eustis 2013–2013 · former additional, guitar, background vocals, bass, mandolin, percussion, marimba, keyboard, erhu
Lisa Fischer 2013–2013 · former additional, background vocals
Sharlotte Gibson 2013–2013 · former additional, background vocals
Pino Palladino 2013–2013 · former additional, bass