Kings of Leon was formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The founding and current members include brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, along with their cousin Matthew Followill.
Kings of Leon released their debut album Youth & Young Manhood on July 7, 2003, in the UK and on August 19, 2003, in the US. Their debut album, along with their sophomore release Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004) and their 3rd album Because of the Times (2007) helped the band achieve initial success in the UK. Those three albums earned them nine Top 40 UK singles, two BRIT Awards in 2008, and all three peaked in the top five of the UK Albums Chart. In fact, their third album reached No. 1 in the UK.
It was Kings of Leon’s fourth record, Only by the Night (2008), that earned them chart success in the US. The album’s singles “Sex on Fire”, “Use Somebody”, and “Notion” all hit number one and it became their first platinum-selling album in the United States. Only by the Night was certified platinum nine times in Australia making it the best-selling album of 2008 in that country.
Kings of Leon released their fifth album, Come Around Sundown, on October 18, 2010. Following touring in support of that album, the band decided to take a brief hiatus which turned into a 3-year break. They came back in 2013 with the release of their sixth album, Mechanical Bull. Followed by their seventh album, Walls, in 2016 and their most recent release When You See Yourself, on March 5, 2021.
Kings of Leon has 12 Grammy Award nominations, including 4 wins.
Fun Fact: Their names aren’t their names. Well kinda. All of the Kings go by their middle names. Singer Anthony “Caleb” Followill, drummer Ivan “Nathan” Followill, guitarist Cameron “Matthew” Followill, and bassist Michael “Jared” Followill.
Discography
