Bon Iver Biography

The American indie folk band known as Bon Iver was established in 2007 by founding member and songwriter Justin Vernon. Bon Iver rose to prominence after earning a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2012, five years after Vernon began writing new, original music to help him recoup from a series of break-ups and an illness. During this cathartic period, Vernon prepared much of the music for Bon Iver’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, which released in 2008.


The album earned significant critical acclaim and rose into the top forty on charts in Australia, Denmark, and Ireland, spawning the singles “Skinny Love,” “For Emma,” “re: Stacks,” and “Blood Bank.” The album set the stage for Bon Iver’s big breakthrough – Bon Iver, Bon Iver – which released in 2011. This time, Bon Iver charted in the top five internationally, rising to the number four spot in the United States. The album featured the singles “Calgary,” “Holocene,” “Towers,” and “Beth/Rest” and earned Bon Iver multiple Grammy Award nominations, including nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year (for “Holocene”) and a win for Best New Artist. The album also earned Bon Iver two Brit Award nominations, for International Breakthrough Act and International Male Artist.


Bon Iver is clearly an act on the rise and one to watch in the coming years. In live performances, Bon Iver consists of Justin Vernon alongside Matthew McCaughan, Sean Carey, and Michael Noyce, although Vernon himself writes and arranges most of the music on his own. Bon Iver’s third album — 22, A Million — arrived in late 2016 and rose to the number two spot in the United States and into the top five internationally in multiple countries. The album also earned Bon Iver a second Grammy Award nomination, for Best Alternative Music Album.