Nine Inch Nails – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts

Nine Inch Nails Biography

Nine Inch Nails, shortened as NIN and stylised as NI, is an industrial music band from Cleveland, Ohio, established in 1988. Trent Reznor, a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, was the band’s only regular member until the addition of Atticus Ross, an English musician and longtime collaborator, in 2016. Pretty Hate Machine, the band’s debut album, was released by TVT Records in 1989. The band signed with Interscope Records and released the EP Broken after a disagreement with TVT on how to promote the album (1992). The Downward Spiral (1994) and The Fragile (1999) were critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums.

On October 21, 1988, as part of the Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series, Nine Inch Nails performed for the first time at the Phantasy Theater in Lakewood, Ohio. Reznor wanted to release one 12-inch record on a modest European label in 1988 after supporting Skinny Puppy. The demo work was well received by several labels, and Reznor signed with TVT Records. Nine demos, together known as Purest Feeling, were published in altered form on the first studio album, Pretty Hate Machine, in November 1989.

The band returned to America under pressure from TVT to deliver a follow-up to Pretty Hate Machine after a bad European reaction opening for Guns N’ Roses. Reznor disputed the classification of Nine Inch Nails as a commercially oriented band and demanded his label terminate his contract after discovering they were interfering with his project, but they refused his request. Reznor retaliated by surreptitiously recording under numerous aliases in order to evade involvement from record labels. He obtained a record deal with Interscope Records and founded Nothing Records after a conflict with TVT.

Nine Inch Nails began touring in 2005 after a sabbatical and released the album With Teeth (2005). After a conflict, the band left Interscope following the release of Year Zero (2007). Before taking a second break, Nine Inch Nails resumed touring and independently released Ghosts I–IV (2008) and The Slip (2008). Hesitation Marks (2013) was followed by a trilogy that included EPs Not the Actual Events (2016) and Add Violence (2017), as well as their ninth LP Bad Witch (2018). Nine Inch Nails released two further Ghosts installments in 2020, Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts, on the same day.

Reznor usually puts together a live band to accompany him on tour under the name Nine Inch Nails. This live band has changed throughout the years, with several musicians leaving and returning; the most recent lineup includes Reznor and Ross, as well as Robin Finck (who joined in 1994), Alessandro Cortini (who joined in 2005), and Ilan Rubin (who joined in 2009).The band’s concerts are known for their extravagant lighting, intricate special effects, and thematic visual components. Songs are frequently changed to match any given performance, and melodies or lyrics from songs that aren’t slated for performance are occasionally incorporated into other songs.

Nine Inch Nails have sold over 20 million albums and have been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning in 1992 and 1996 for the songs “Wish” and “Happiness in Slavery.” Reznor was named one of Time magazine’s most important individuals in 1997, and Spin magazine called him “music’s most vital musician.” Nine Inch Nails was ranked No. 94 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest artists of all time in 2004. Nine Inch Nails were nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the first time in 2014, their first year of eligibility, and were nominated again in 2015 and 2020 (the latter resulting in an induction).

Nine Inch Nails Discography

Ghosts VI: LocustsSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Ghosts V: TogetherSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Bad WitchSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Hesitation MarksSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
The SlipSpotifyAppleYouTube
Ghosts I–IVSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Year ZeroSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
With TeethSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
The FragileSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
The Downward SpiralSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Pretty Hate MachineSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Were Nine Inch Nails Famous For?

Nine Inch Nails are an American rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. The band’s first album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), was a commercial and critical success. It spawned several hit singles, including “Head Like a Hole” and “Sin”. The band’s second album, The Downward Spiral (1994), entered the Billboard 200 album chart in 1994 at number two and is now seen as one of the most influential records of the 1990s. The album was supported by the singles “March of the Pigs”, “Closer” and “Hurt”. Nine Inch Nails’ third album, The Fragile (1999), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the singles “Into the Void” and “Starfucks Industrie”.

What Was Nine Inch Nails First Hit?

“Head Like a Hole” was the first hit single by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. It was released in 1989 as the lead single from their debut album, Pretty Hate Machine. The song peaked at number nine on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The song was included in the video game Rock Band 3 as a downloadable single. In 2010, it was ranked number one on Pitchfork Media’s “Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s” list. In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked it at number 453 on their list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

What Genre Is Nine Inch Nails?

Nine Inch Nails is an industrial rock band that was formed in 1988. The band’s musical style has been described as a blend of industrial music and rock, and their lyrics often deal with themes of violence, despair, and mental illness. Nine Inch Nails has released eight studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, and nineteen singles. The band has sold over 20 million records worldwide.

How Many Famous Albums Nine Inch Nails Had?

Nine Inch Nails has had six studio albums: Pretty Hate Machine (1989), Broken (1992), The Downward Spiral (1994), The Fragile (1999), With Teeth (2005), and Hesitation Marks (2013). They have also released two live albums, And All that Could Have Been (2002) and Beside You in Time (2007), and a greatest hits album, Greatest Hits (2008).

Most Searched For Nine Inch Nails Songs

CloserSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
HurtSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
The Hand That FeedsSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Head Like A HoleSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Every day Is Exactly The SameSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
We’re In This TogetherSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
The Perfect DrugsSpotify
WishSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon