Nirvana Biography

Nirvana was an American band, one of the most emblematic for the Grunge genre. The band is best-known in the following formula: Kurt Cobain (singer, guitarist, founder), Krist Novoselic (bass) and Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals). Nirvana changed the course of music history, with only 3 studio albums released until Cobain‘s suicide in 1994. The group was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

Career Beginnings

The two original members, Cobain and Novoselic lived in Washinton during their childhood years. Cobain used to listen to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Eventually, the two met each other and the hardcore punk scene, though bands such as Black Flag. In 1987, after realising they don’t fit in the corporate, consumerist world, Cobain and Novoselic formed Nirvana. They began playing gigs and recorded their first single, a cover of Love Buzz. In 1989, the group released their debut album, Bleach to very positive reactions. One year later, their follow-up single, Silver, reached the US Alternative Songs chart.

Success and Final Months 

Nirvana truly stood out in 1991. It was when they released their second album, Nevermind, that the hype and appreciation, which still surround Nirvana, began. The album spawned 4 hits,  Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come as You Are, Lithium and In Bloom. Most noteworthy, Smells Like Teen Spirit, the song written in the style of the alternative rock band Pixies, topped the charts from numerous countries. Moreover, it became a sort of anthem for the generation of “apathetic kids”.

However, Cobain was not content with that result, believing that it clouded other, more serious messages the band had to send. During that period, he married Courtney Love and the two became Sid Vicious and Nancy type of couple. In the fall of 2013, Nirvana released their third and final album. In Utero topped the Billboard 200 and received a 5x Platinum certification. It was a huge improvement quilty-wise but preserved the band’s engaging style, with hits such as Heart-Shaped Box and Rape Me. Still, after a series of worrying events which took place in the course of 5-6 month, Cobain was found dead of a self-inflicted gun wound.

Photo source: Factmag