Linkin Park Biography

Linkin Park is a Grammy awarded American rock group which gained stardom in the early 2000s. Their debut album, Hybrid Theory, was an extraordinary success. It spawned singles like In the End and got certified Diamond. Their second album, Meteora, topped the Billboard 200 and included hits like Somewhere I Belong,  and the infamous Numb, and the top-selling. Faint. Consequently, Billboard included Linkin Park in their Best Artists of the Decade chart in 2011. Their music style is versatile and adaptable and has varied from nu metal to pop. However, most of their songs are alternative rock.

2000 – 2007

Hybrid Theory (2000) | Meteora (2003) | Minutes to Midnight (2007)

Linkin Park was founded in 1996 and suffered several name and line-up changes before encountering success. They were rejected many times before managing to sign with a label and release their first album, Hybrid Theory. The disc received unexpected critical acclaim, actually being the best selling album of 2001. In the early years of their career, the band gained a Grammy Award (for Crawling) and two nominations. Additionally, MTV offered them two awards as well (for In The End). Overall, the group went from struggle and rejection to major commercial success in just a few years.

After the success of their debut album, Linkin Park did not stop impressing. After a massive tour around the US, they started working on their second album, Meteora. The album received international recognition and topped several charts. Moreover, it sold about 3 million copies and included some of Linkin Park’s most popular hits. In 2004 the band received the Artist of the Year and Song of the Yea (Numb) Radio Music Awards. During that period, the band also released a joint production with rapper Jay-Z, the remix album Collision Course. Later, in 2006, the rock group released Minutes to Midnight. Its first single, What I’ve Done dominated the charts. The following singles were also popular, most noteworthy Bleed It Out and Leave Out All the Rest.

2010 – 2017

A Thousand Suns (2010) | Living Things (2012) | The Hunting Party (2014) | One More Light (2017)

While working with genius composer Hans Zimmer on the soundtrack the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Linkin Park was also preparing for a new album. A Thousand Suns came out in 2010 and had a more experimental sound. The first single, The Catalyst, remained the most popular from the album. In 2011 the band was nominated for a total of 6 Billboard Awards. Their 2012 album, Living Things, as the name suggests, was more about people and personal interactions. It spawned one hit song, Castle of Glass.

The Hunting Party, the band’s sixth album marked a return to their loud, heavier rock sound. It was released in 2014 and was received high commercial success. Linkin Park’s most recent release is the pop song, Heavy, featuring Kiiara, which promotes their upcoming album, One More Light. 

Photo credit: Discogs.com