Nickelback is a Canadianrock band formed in 1995 inHanna, Alberta. Throughout its history, it has consisted of lead guitarist and lead vocalistChad Kroeger, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalistRyan Peake, and bassistMike Kroeger. It went through several drummer changes between 1995 and 2005 beforeDaniel Adair joined.
The band signed withRoadrunner Records in 1999 and reached a mainstream breakthrough in 2002 with the single "How You Remind Me", which reached number one in the United States and Canada. Its parent album,Silver Side Up, would go on to be certified 8× Platinum in Canada.[1] Nickelback's fourth album,The Long Road, was released in 2003 and spawned five singles, including Canadian number one "Someday", which also reached No. 7 on theBillboard Hot 100.[2]
In 2005, the band's best-selling album to date,All the Right Reasons, produced three top-10 and five top-20 singles on theBillboard Hot 100, including "Photograph", "Far Away", and "Rockstar", the latter of which was their biggest success in the United Kingdom.[3] Nickelback released eight singles from their sixth albumDark Horse (2008), including the United States top-10 track "Gotta Be Somebody". In 2011, the seventh albumHere and Now topped the charts in Canada.[4] The band has since releasedNo Fixed Address (2014),Feed the Machine (2017), and most recently its 10th albumGet Rollin' (2022).
Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful Canadian rock bands, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.[5] In 2009,Billboard ranked it the most successful rock group and the seventh-most successful artist of that decade; "How You Remind Me" was the best-selling rock song and the fourth-best overall.[6] In 2023, Nickelback were inducted into theCanadian Music Hall of Fame.[7][8]
History
Formation (1995)
The band was formed in the early 1990s as a cover band called Village Idiot[9]by brothersMike andChad Kroeger; their cousin Brandon Kroeger andRyan Peake rounded out the band. The band later changed its name to Nickelback, which originated from thenickel in change that band memberMike Kroeger gave customers at his job atStarbucks; he would frequently say, "Here's your nickel back."[10][11]The band performed covers of songs fromLed Zeppelin andMetallica.Chad Kroeger then asked his step-father to loan him CA$4,000 so that the band could record their first demo, a seven-trackEP of original material, calledHesher (1996).[12][13]The band spent half the money to record the EP, while Kroeger spent the other half onmagic mushrooms[9] to resell.
Curb andThe State (1996–2000)
In 1996, the band recorded and released their first full-length album,Curb. "Fly" was included on bothHesher andCurb and was the first single produced by Nickelback. In 1997, Brandon Kroeger left the band and was replaced by Mitch Guindon; however, Guindon soon departed as well. While initially reported due to him starting work at a car company, Guindon's departure came due to him "not [being] meant for the road". Chad Kroeger stated that his skin was not able to handle cold weather and they convinced him to leave.[14] In Summer 1998, Ryan Vikedal joined the band.
RoadrunnerA&RRon Burman toldHitQuarters that one of hisWest Coast scouts sent him the self-released album and, suitably impressed, he travelled to Vancouver to see them perform live. Although an unknown property in the industry at the time, the venue was packed out. In Burman's words: "I immediately got the chills! I thought their song 'Leader of Men' was a smash hit."[15] Off the stage he was impressed by their industry and initiative in managing their career. Despite this, it still took Burman three months for him to convince his label bosses to approve the signing, a decision that would mark Roadrunner's first move into mainstream rock.[15] Nickelback signed a record deal with EMI andRoadrunner Records in 1999.
The State was released by Nickelback in 2000 byRoadrunner Records andEMI Canada, followed by its release in Europe in 2001. It spawned 4 singles: "Old Enough", "Worthy to Say", "Leader of Men" and "Breathe", the last two being Top 10 rock hits. The album was the band's first album to be certified gold status and it later went into platinum status in 2008, after the success of their later albums.[16] The album entered theBillboard 200 at number 130 and peaked at number 3 in the Billboard Top Heatseekers albums chart and peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Top Independent albums chart.[17]
Silver Side Up andThe Long Road (2001–2004)
Around 2001,Chad Kroeger started "studying every piece, everything sonically, everything lyrically, everything musically, chord structure. I would dissect every single song that I would hear on the radio or every song that had ever done well on a chart and I would say, 'Why did this do well?'" Kroeger said that Nickelback's single "How You Remind Me" sold so well because it was about romantic relationships, a universal subject, and contained memorable hooks.[18]
To record their third albumSilver Side Up, Nickelback collaborated with producerRick Parashar. The album was written before the release ofThe State and was recorded at the same studio.[19] The album was released on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The album peaked at number two on theBillboard 200 with over 177,000 copies sold in its first week and peaked at number one at the Canadian albums chart, making it the band's first album to do so.[20][non-primary source needed] The single "How You Remind Me" was a number one single on the Mainstream and Modern rock charts, as well as the pop chart.[citation needed] It also peaked at number two onAdult Top 40 and became theBillboard Hot 100 number one single of the year for 2002. The next single was "Too Bad", which also reached number one on the Mainstream Rock Chart.[citation needed] The final single from the album was "Never Again", which also hit number one on Mainstream Rock.[citation needed]
In 2002, Chad Kroeger collaborated withJosey Scott on theSpider-Man theme song, "Hero". This recording also featuredTyler Connolly, Mike Kroeger,Matt Cameron, andJeremy Taggart. In 2002, Nickelback released their first DVDLive at Home. On August 19, 2002, an incident occurred while the band was performing at theIlha do Ermal festival inPortugal. While performing the second song of their set, Chad Kroeger was sprayed with a full bottle of water hurled from somewhere within the audience. After finishing the song, Chad asked the crowd, "Do you want to hear some rock 'n' roll or do you want to go home?" A person in the audience then threw a rock at Chad's head. The band then left stage, with Chad and Vikedal givingthe finger to the audience as they left. The band's label, Roadrunner, posted video footage of the entire incident on their website.[21][22]
In 2003, Nickelback releasedThe Long Road. The album was certified3× Platinum by theRIAA in March 2005 and it had sold 3,591,000 copies as of April 2011.[23] It has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and, in 2003 alone, the album sold 2 million copies worldwide.[24] It debuted at No. 6 on theBillboard 200. This was their first album produced byJoey Moi, a former classmate of the band's.[25]
The Long Road was ranked No. 157 onBillboard's200 Albums of the Decade.[26] It spawned five singles. The lead single was "Someday".[27] The band also released "Feelin' Way Too Damn Good" as a single, which peaked at number three on the Mainstream Rock Charts. "Figured You Out" was also released as a single and topped the Mainstream Rock Charts for 13 consecutive weeks.
All the Right Reasons (2005–2007)
After wrapping up the band's tour in support ofThe Long Road on New Year's Day 2005, drummer Ryan Vikedal was fired after a royalty dispute. He was later replaced by3 Doors Down's drummerDaniel Adair.[28] Kroeger later sued Vikedal to prevent him receiving any further royalties from Nickelback's music, though the lawsuit was later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.[29][30][31] Nickelback promptly went into the studio with their new drummer from January through May 2005. The sessions resulted in their fifth studio album,All the Right Reasons which was released on October 3, 2005. It peaked at number one on theBillboard 200 with 323,350 copies in its first week in the United States, as well as producing five U.S. Hot 100 top 20 singles: "Photograph", "Savin' Me", "Far Away", "If Everyone Cared" and "Rockstar". Three of these becameU.S. Hot 100 top 10 singles.[32] Also, the album peaked at number one on the Canadian albums chart. The album sold more than 12 million singles and over 9 million ringtones. The album also made Nickelback the first band inNielsen BDS history to have 5 singles on theCHR charts. It included appearances by Billy Gibbons ofZZ Top, who played a guitar solo on the song "Follow You Home" and sang backing vocals on "Rockstar"—and a posthumously sampled appearance by Chad Kroeger's friendDimebag Darrell fromPantera, culled from guitar outtakes.All the Right Reasons had sold over 7 million copies in the U.S. to June 19, 2010.[33]
Nickelback in May 2006
The band spent much of 2006 and 2007 touring across the globe. In the fall of 2006, the band opened forBon Jovi on the European leg of theHave a Nice Day Tour.[34] Over 2 million fans attended Nickelback's shows during those two years.[35][non-primary source needed]
The band played atSturgis, South Dakota to over 35,000 people at the 2006Sturgis Bike Rally. The performance was filmed with 15 high-definition cameras. They released the DVD and Blu-ray of it in 2009, several years after the performance.[36] In November 2006, the band won anAmerican Music Award for best pop/rock album, surprising the band itself. "We just kinda showed up because we were supposed to give one of these away tonight," Chad Kroeger said after receiving the award. He added that he had thought theRed Hot Chili Peppers would win the award.[37]
Dark Horse (2008–2010)
After taking much of 2007 off, the band started recording a new album in earnest. In July 2008, the band signed withLive Nation for three touring and album cycles, with an option for a fourth.[38] On September 4, 2008, it was announced that the first single from the upcoming album would be "If Today Was Your Last Day", to be released on September 30, 2008. This announcement was however never confirmed: Roadrunner Records actually chose to release another song, "Gotta Be Somebody", as the first single. It became Nickelback's 5th and so far final single to hit the No. 1 spot on the U.S.Adult Top 40 chart.[39] The new album, produced byMutt Lange and titledDark Horse, was released on November 18, 2008.[40] "Something in Your Mouth" was released as the second single to rock radio only on December 15, 2008, where it reached number one. "If Today Was Your Last Day" was eventually released as a single after all on March 31, 2009: it became the third single from the album. Four more singles were released later in 2009, "I'd Come for You", "Burn It to the Ground" and "Never Gonna Be Alone" released in September and "Shakin' Hands" as the seventh single on November 16.[41] Its eighth single, "This Afternoon", was released on March 23, 2010.Dark Horse was certifiedplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 9, 2008, only three weeks after its North American release.[citation needed] All eight singles were major hits which finished at or near the top of at least one high-profile chart.
On November 26, 2008, the band announced the tour for the support of the album.Live Nation produced the tour and the band kicked off inNashville, Tennessee, withSeether, andSaving Abel as their opening acts.[42] The band then announced that they were about to tour in the UK withBlack Stone Cherry as their opening act.[citation needed] The band then announced the second leg of the tour of North America with the opening acts beingHinder,Papa Roach, and once again,Saving Abel.[citation needed] The band then went on tour around Australia and New Zealand withSick Puppies as their supporting act.[citation needed] For the second leg of the Europe tour, the band played with their opening actDaughtry.[43] The third leg of the North America tour kicked off withBreaking Benjamin,Sick Puppies andShinedown opening up for the band.[44] The band concluded their tour with the fourth leg in North America which includedBuckcherry andThree Days Grace.[45] The tour was very successful and the band sold over 1.6 million tickets with 146 shows.[46]
Nickelback at the 2009 Juno Awards
The album also remained in the top 20 on the Billboard 200 for weeks after its release.[47][48] The album was certified two times platinum in April 2009, and had by April 2010 sold over 3 million copies in the U.S.[48] However, critical reception of the album has been mostly mixed to negative.[49] In 2009, the band won threeJuno Awards for Juno Fan Choice Award, group of the year, and album of the year;[50] the band performed their single "Something in Your Mouth" at the ceremony.[51] In 2010, Billboard year end charts listedDark Horse as the top-selling rock and metal album of the year.[52] The band was also listed at the top selling hard rock artist.[53] On January 29, 2010, they released a Tap-Tap rhythm game for on theApp Store, contrary to the band's prior comments against other music related video games such asGuitar Hero.[54]On February 28, 2010, Nickelback gave a performance at the beginning of the concert portion of the2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, performing "Burn It to the Ground". In October 2010 Nickelback finished theirDark Horse Tour.[55][non-primary source needed]
Here and Now (2011–2013)
Chad Kroeger said in an interview with Billboard.com in September 2010 that songwriting for the next Nickelback album was planned to commence as early as February 2011 with "about four tunes" already in mind.[56] Adair mentioned that the band wanted to go back to the musical style ofAll The Right Reasons, which he described as "more organic".[57]
Nickelback announced their new album,Here and Now, on September 8, 2011, along with its two lead singles, "Bottoms Up" and "When We Stand Together". Kroeger said "We're four people who love making music, the way we like to make it. We entered the studio this year with a vision, and it all came together. We're extremely happy with the results, and can't wait to share them with our fans." The album was released on November 21, 2011, with the band calling it "Nickelblack Monday", a play on Nickelback and Black Monday.[58] Two singles were released to radio stations on September 26, and September 27 for purchase oniTunes.[59]Here and Now peaked at number two on theBillboard 200, selling 226,714 copies in its first week of release, withChristmas byMichael Bublé taking number one by a margin of only 419 copies.[60]
As part of promotion for the album, Nickelback was booked to perform at the halftime shows for both anNFL Thanksgiving Day game atFord Field in Detroit on November 24, and the99th Grey Cup inVancouver on November 27.[61] Also, as a promotion the band played toJimmy Kimmel upon the album's release.[62] The band is nominated for 4Juno Awards in 2012, and scheduled to perform at the ceremony.[63][non-primary source needed] Nickelback announced their Here and Now Tour on January 11, 2012, they are going to tour withSeether,Bush andMy Darkest Days.[64][non-primary source needed] The band released a music video for their fourth single off of the albumLullaby.[65] The band officially announced the compilation albumThe Best of Nickelback Volume 1 through social media on October 3, 2013.[66] Frontman Chad Kroeger had previously stated in an interview that the greatest hits album was to feature songs from previous albums along with new songs[67] but the unveiled track listing ultimately contained only previously released material.[68][non-primary source needed]
No Fixed Address andFeed the Machine (2014–2018)
According to an interview with Chad Kroeger onCFOX-FM, the band planned to release their eighth studio album before the end of 2014. The lead rock single was also announced, "Edge of a Revolution", was released in August 2014. The track was described as a "departure" for Nickelback and a political song.[by whom?] Frequent collaboratorChris Lord-Alge returned to mix some of the tracks on the album. It was also announced the band had signed toRepublic Records.[69] The lead single from the album is titled "Edge of a Revolution", and was scheduled to be sent for adds on Rock radio and be released to iTunes on August 18.[70][71][72] The lead pop single, and second overall, was announced to be "What Are You Waiting For?", and was released in September.[citation needed] "What Are You Waiting For?" was released as a single on digital retailers on September 9, 2014.[73] On August 22, 2014, Nickelback announced the album's title to beNo Fixed Address, and released it on November 17, 2014.[74][75]
No Fixed Address Tour was their fifth headlining concert tour, in support ofNo Fixed Address. The tour was announced on November 5, 2014, as well asThe Pretty Reckless,Pop Evil, andLifehouse as the support act for the majority of the shows in North American whileMonster Truck was support act in Australia and Europe (2016).[76][77] The second North American leg of the tour had to be canceled when lead vocalist Chad Kroeger required surgery for a cyst on his voice box. The entire leg of the European tour was postponed until Autumn 2016.[78][79][80]
Nickelback performing in Sydney, Australia in February 2019
On August 19, 2016, Nickelback released a cover ofDon Henley's song "Dirty Laundry" to streaming services.[81] On January 23, 2017, a new single, "Feed the Machine" was announced to be released on February 1, alongside specific details of a 2017 tour.[82] On January 25, Nickelback signed withBMG Rights Management to release their ninth album, also titledFeed the Machine.[83] The album was released on June 16, 2017.[84] The band released their second single from the album, "Song on Fire", on April 28, 2017.[84] Shortly after the release of the album, the band began a 44-city tour on June 23, 2017, in North America, co-headlined withDaughtry,Shaman's Harvest andCheap Trick as supporting acts.[85]
Get Rollin' (2019–present)
In early 2019, band members spoke of recording a tenth studio album, thoughChad Kroeger conceded there was no timetable or rush for the band to complete it.[86] BassistMike Kroeger spoke of his personal desire to move in more of a heavy metal direction, or wanting to do an album ofSlayer cover songs.[87]
In a July 2021 interviewMike Kroeger commented when asked about the band's progress on new music saying "That is happening right now, music is being composed and recorded up inCanada. We were out there, and something came up and our producer had to take some time off. So I took that opportunity to return home toLos Angeles with family and spend a little time at home but I'll be headed back up there in a couple of weeks to pick it up again." When asked about a potential timeframe for a release date, Kroeger said "it'll be done when it's done", explaining that the band would rather not be confined to a timescale for fear of making "a shitty record". "Release dates are primarily arrived at by business interests, like record labels and whatever. We don't have one of those", he said. "We've been managing ourselves for about a year. So, the answer is no. We're doing it on our schedule, at our own pace, and it'll be done when it's done. 'Cause we've blown up deadlines in the past lots of times. Because we feel that you can make a good record and be late, but you can't, or you shouldn't, make a shitty record to be on time. So we won't be pressed for time.[89][90]
In August 2022, Nickelback began posting small snippets and teasers of new music via their official social media accounts with the date "09.07.2022" being branded on the posts.[91][92][93]
On August 26, 2022, students attending school atSimon Fraser University inBurnaby,British Columbia received a newsletter stating they were invited to attend and participate in a video shoot Nickelback would be hosting on August 30, 2022, for their single, outside the Convocation Mall on campus.[94][95][96][97]
The album title was revealed to beGet Rollin'.[94][98][99] The lead single "San Quentin" was released on September 7, 2022.[94][98][99] The second single "Those Days" was released on October 5, 2022,[100] followed by a music video on October 26.[101] The band embarked on its "Get Rollin' Tour" with opening actsBrantley Gilbert andJosh Ross. They performed on thirty-eight dates in Canada and the United States from June 2023 to August 2023.[102]
We recorded [lyrics such as] ‘You look so much cuter with something in your mouth,’… I mean these songs, you guys play these songs on the radio! I think it is hilarious. [...] Anybody that thinks that we take this band seriously is hilarious cause were just four goofballs sitting there going, ‘Can you imagine if they play this on the radio?’ Then you guys play it on the radio.
Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, as quoted by Liberty Dunworth ofGuitar.com (November 14, 2022)[1]
Nickelback has been subjected to numerous jokes and a vocal negative response for some audiences,[122][123][124][125] some of which is attributed to the perceived derivative, repetitive and formulaic nature of their music,[126][127][128] as well as their over-use ofhedonistic themes involvingstrippers,sex,prostitutes,drugs, andalcohol consumption.[129] In the 2010s, Nickelback became the subject ofinternet memes that criticized their music, a status that the band came to embrace.[130][131][132] Several sources, includingCBC News andThe Daily Telegraph, named Nickelback the "most hated" band of the internet world.[124][125]Stereogum's Tom Breihan described Nickelback as "the most widely disrespected rock band of the 21st century."[133] In May 2013, the readers ofRolling Stone magazine named Nickelback the second-worst band of the 1990s, behind onlyCreed.[134] In November 2011, users of the music-oriented dating siteTastebuds.fm voted Nickelback as the number one "musical turnoff".[135] However, Chad Kroeger commented in a 2014 interview that the criticism helped him "grow a thick skin", and that without it, they would be "this just whatever band".[136]
Some have criticized the band's lyrics asmisogynistic. Christopher Rosa ofVH1 said in 2015: "Not only are they bad, but they sound like they came straight from a horny 18-year-old boy's mind. Seriously, where's the sophistication? Where's the class? All that we have here is misogyny—gross, tone-deaf misogyny that is particularly cringe-worthy in 2015."[137] However, in a review for the band's ninth albumFeed the Machine,AllMusic reviewerStephen Thomas Erlewine noted that they had mostly done away with the crude and vulgar lyrical content they had become known for, and praised the band for evolving their sound.[138] In 2015, a marketing expert surveyed 225 popular songs and found that Nickelback had the "most sophisticated" lyrics among the rock music artists included in the study.[139]
Various musicians, such asChris Martin,[140]Timbaland,[141] andKeyshia Cole,[142] have publicly shown support for the band. Following their 2008 albumDark Horse,Chart Attack credited the band's success to knowing their target audience: "Chad Kroeger is a genius because he knows exactly what people want and precisely how far he can go. He turned out an extremely racy album that's loaded with songs about gettin' drunk and doin' it all without breaking any taboos, and with enough love andmoral authority to grease its passage into the mainstream. Rejoice, North America. This is your world."[143]Billboard praised the band in a review ofDark Horse by saying: "The bulletproof Nickelback provides affordable fun that promises good returns in hard times."[144]
Journalist Sage Lazzaro claimed that Nickelback's negative reputation began when the band signed toRoadrunner Records and was disliked by the label's followers, which at the time was known forheavy metal music. She also wrote that a frequently-aired 2003 commercial forComedy Central'sTough Crowd with Colin Quinn contributed to this spreading when it insulted Nickelback and the commercial gained mass exposure.[124] In 2014, Angelica Leicht ofHouston Press conferred the title of "the reigningbutt-rock band always and forever" on Nickelback.[145] During 2018, the band was defended in a teaser trailer for the filmOnce Upon a Deadpool by thetitle character. In response, Nickelback released a video in 2024 defending the sequelDeadpool & Wolverine from criticism.[146] The band is profiled inHate to Love: Nickelback, a 2023 documentary film by Leigh Brooks which focuses on the band's reputation.[147]
Band members
Current members
Chad Kroeger – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar (1995–present)
Ryan Peake – rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals (1995–present), keyboards (2002–present)[148]
Mike Kroeger – bass, occasional backing vocals (1995–present)
