Muse

From a school band in Teignmouth, Devon, Muse grew into a stadium-scale English rock act whose albums have moved between melancholic alternative rock, classical arrangements, electronics and hard-edged riffs. Formed in 1994, the trio consists of Matt Bellamy on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards, Chris Wolstenholme on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Dominic Howard on drums and percussion.

Muse's 1999 debut, Showbiz, introduced Bellamy's falsetto and a darker alternative rock sound. The follow-up, Origin of Symmetry (2001), expanded the band's instrumentation and drew on romantic classical influences, while helping build its reputation for energetic live shows. On Absolution (2003), Muse pushed the classical element further, including string arrangements on “Butterflies and Hurricanes”. It became the first of seven consecutive Muse albums to reach number one in the UK.

Black Holes and Revelations (2006) opened the music to electronic and pop elements, including the single “Supermassive Black Hole”, and brought wider international success. The Resistance (2009) and The 2nd Law (2012) addressed government oppression and civil uprising as the band's concerts reached major stadium audiences. The 2015 album Drones, a concept record about drone warfare, returned to a harder rock sound and became Muse's first album to top the US Billboard 200.

The group continued to alter its palette with Simulation Theory (2018), which foregrounded synthesisers and took inspiration from science fiction and the simulation hypothesis. Will of the People (2022) brought together genres and themes heard across earlier records. Their tenth album, The Wow! Signal (2026), drew on space, the possibility of extraterrestrial life and Bellamy's split from his wife.

Muse have received two Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards, five MTV Europe Music Awards and eight NME Awards. In 2012, the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors presented the band with the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement. As of 2022, Muse had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.