Bon Iver

Bon Iver began with a three-month winter spent in isolation in a cabin in western Wisconsin, where Justin Vernon recorded most of the material that became For Emma, Forever Ago. Released independently in July 2007, the debut introduced a project Vernon had founded in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the year before. Its name came from the French greeting “bon hiver,” meaning “good winter,” which Vernon encountered on the 1990s television series Northern Exposure.

Initially a solo vehicle for Vernon, Bon Iver developed into a full band. Its lineup has included Vernon on vocals and guitar; Sean Carey on drums, keyboards and vocals; Michael Lewis on vocals, baritone guitar, guitar, violin and saxophone; Matthew McCaughan on drums, bass and vocals; Andrew Fitzpatrick on guitar, keyboards and vocals; and Jenn Wasner on guitar, keyboards and vocals.

The group’s self-titled second album, Bon Iver, won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. Bon Iver followed it with 22, A Million in 2016, an album that received critical acclaim, then released I, I in 2019. I, I was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2020 Grammy Awards. The band’s fifth and most recent album, Sable, Fable, arrived in 2025.