NIRVANA

Nirvana changed the musical landscape with their raw sound and uncompromising artistic vision. Their influence continues to resonate with new generations of musicians and fans worldwide.

NIRVANA

Nirvana was an American rock band formed in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. The band consisted of Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar), Krist Novoselic (bass), and Dave Grohl (drums). Grohl joined the band in 1990, replacing a series of drummers, most notably Chad Channing.
Emerging from the Pacific Northwest grunge scene, Nirvana became one of the most influential and important rock bands of the early 1990s. The band dissolved following Cobain’s death in April 1994.

Cobain and Novoselic met while attending Aberdeen High School. They formed Nirvana in 1987 and released their debut album Bleach on the independent record label Sub Pop in 1989. The album showcased their heavy, sludgy sound influenced by punk rock and heavy metal.

After signing with major label DGC Records, Nirvana released their second album Nevermind in 1991. The album’s lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” gained massive popularity, bringing the Seattle grunge movement into the mainstream and challenging the dominance of hair metal and pop music. Nevermind sold over 30 million copies worldwide.

In 1993, Nirvana released their third and final studio album In Utero. Produced by Steve Albini, the album featured a rawer and less polished sound than its predecessor. Despite initial concerns from their label, In Utero was both a critical and commercial success.
Nirvana performed for MTV Unplugged in November 1993, showcasing acoustic arrangements of their songs and covers. The performance was released as MTV Unplugged in New York in 1994 after Cobain’s death, winning a Grammy Award.

Kurt & Krist Playing in Nirvana

Albums

Bleach (1989)
Nevermind (1991)
Incesticide (1992, compilation album)
In Utero (1993)
MTV Unplugged in New York (1994, live album)
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996, live album)

Nirvana’s music combined elements of punk rock with heavy metal, characterized by dynamic contrasts between quiet verses and loud, distorted choruses. Cobain’s songwriting featured melodic pop sensibilities with abrasive noise, paired with introspective, abstract, and often personal lyrics.

Nirvana is one of the best-selling bands of all time, with over 75 million records sold worldwide. The band has been credited with bringing alternative rock to the mainstream and ending the dominance of hair metal in the early 1990s.

Their impact on music and culture extends beyond their commercial success. Nirvana challenged gender norms, promoted feminist ideals, and maintained an anti-establishment stance despite their mainstream popularity. Their influence continues to be felt in rock music, fashion, and youth culture.

In 2014, Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Their music continues to resonate with new generations of listeners, cementing their place as one of the most important rock bands in history.

Nirvana – Come As You Are

Come As You Are: The Definitive Story “Come As You Are” stands as one of Nirvana’s most recognizable and enduring songs, released as the second single from their breakthrough album…

Kurt Cobain Converse
Kurt Cobain Converse Collection

Converse has given Kurt Cobain his own signature collection of shoes. Now available and shipping worldwide at Converse.com, Converse is currently producing a limited-edition series of Kurt Cobain footwear as…

Nirvana Lake of Fire
Nirvana – Lake of Fire

Lake of Fire: The Definitive Story Lake of Fire: Who Originally Wrote and Sang Nirvana’s Unplugged Cover? Nirvana’s Lake of Fire” has become one of their most enduring cover songs,…

Family Values – SPIN Magazine

Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love have weathered a media storm this year, fueled by rumors of the couple’s prenatal indulgences. Longtime friend Jonathan Poneman finds them hopelessly addicted to their…

Court & Kurtney

June 22 1992 – Belfast UK; They’re the Adam and Eve of the New World Order the First Couple of the rock ‘n’ roll underclass. For Kurt Cobain and Courtney…

Kurt Donald Cobain Biography

Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – c. April 5, 1994), was an American musician, best known for his roles as lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Seattle-based rock…

In My Head I’m So Ugly

June 1992 – Los Angeles CA US; In the frankest and most comprehensive interview he’s given since “Nevermind” blasted Nirvana into the rock super league Kurt Cobain talks to Everett…

Go For The Grunge

September 11 1992 – Seattle WA US; The year was 1986. A new voice was emerging as the seeds of decline amidst Reagan’s Decade of Greed began to sprout and…

Good Clean Fun – Metal Forces Magazine

Carl Williams Investigates America’s Latest Import, Nirvana One of the most popular musical styles of the moment in this country is the “Sub Pop” sound, crossing over its audience from…

Montage of Heck Mixtape
Montage of Heck Mixtape Audio

https://vimeo.com/35576701 BRETT MORGEN’S DOCUMENTARY on Nirvana’s frontman, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, takes its name from what might just be the weirdest mixtape ever. The half-hour audio collage, which a…

Dark Side of the Womb: Part 2 – Melody Maker

Dark Side of the Womb: Kurt Cobain’s Melody Maker Interview I’ll reformat this 1993 Melody Maker interview with Kurt Cobain while preserving the content and highlighting key themes through section…

The Last 48 Hours of Kurt Cobain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Payy47wH6XY The week before Kurt Cobain was found dead from a single gunshot, he went missing. His whereabouts for that week has remained a mystery until now. But for the…

The Poet of Alienation – Newsweek

by Jeff Giles He’d come to install an alarm system. The irony is that longbefore electrician Gary Smith found Kurt Cobain’s body, it wasclear that what Nirvana’s singer really needed…

Sleepless in Seattle – Melody Maker

For a concert spectacular to be broadcast worldwide on New Year’s Eve, MTV went to Seattle, where they’d but together a bill featuring Cypress Hill and The Breeders, whose ‘Cannonball’…

Never Mind – TIME Magazine

Kurt Cobain was the dour, brilliant leader of Nirvana, the multiplatinum grunge band that defined the sound of the 1990s. Last week he killed himself. BY BRUCE HANDY Reported by…

Nirvana – About a Girl

“About a Girl” stands as one of Nirvana’s most emblematic early compositions, bridging the gap between their punk rock foundations and the melodic sensibilities that would later define their breakthrough…

Kurt Cobain Rape ME
Nirvana – Rape Me

Rape Me: The Definitive Story “Rape Me” stands as one of Nirvana’s most confrontational and misunderstood compositions, serving as both a fierce anti-rape statement and a metaphorical commentary on media…

Nirvana MTV Headbangers Ball

Kurt Cobain on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball: The Iconic Yellow Dress Interview Kurt wears a yellow ball gown for Headbangers Ball on MTV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PqbN97kJ_s Kurt Cobain made television history on October…

Kurt Cobain Talks about the In Bloom Video

“We’re Pretty Much Bored With That Phase Now”: Kurt Cobain’s 1993 MTV Brazil Interview In this candid 1993 interview with MTV Brazil’s Zeca Camargo, Kurt Cobain discusses Nirvana’s upcoming album…

The Lost Interview – Guitar World

By Jon Savage The interview you are about to read transpired late on the evening of Thursday, July 22, 1993, arranged as part of Nirvana’s U.K. press campaign for the…

Interview with Kurt – Melody Maker

KURT: “So this is where I’m supposed to describe how I feel after a major show, right? Okay, I remember this one time I went to see Sammy Hagar when…

Nirvana – All Apologies

All Apologies: The Definitive Story “All Apologies” stands as one of Nirvana’s most poignant and enduring songs, serving as the closing track on their final studio album, “In Utero” (1993)….

Kurt Cobain Talking about Stage Diving

Nirvana’s In Utero Tour: Behind the Scenes with Kurt, Krist, Dave, and Pat The Arena Rock Experience When Nirvana kicked off their In Utero tour in 1993, they found themselves…

The Fender Frontline Interview

Kurt Cobain: Tribute to a Reluctant Guitar Hero By Chuck Crisafulli. The music world suffered a tremendous and untimely loss this April when Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain took his own life…

Kurt Cobain Full Interview 1994

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJtm9HomKdE Cobain’s entire 1994 interview with MTV, where he talks about his music videos, daughter Frances Bean Cobain, and dealing with his stomach issues, among other things.

Happy 41st Birthday Kurt!

If you didn’t know, today marks what would have been Kurt Cobain’s 41st birthday. Last year to commemorate Kurt’s life and his contribution to music, The Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee…

Smells Like Teen Idol – Guitar World

Kurt Cobain explains why Nirvana, third hand guitars and all, is suddenly the hottest band in the country.By Jeff Gilbert. “We’re just musically and rhythmically retarded” asserts Kurt Cobain, guitarist,…

Nirvana Smells Life At The Top

March 1992 – Alexandria VA US; “Tour… tour… tour” Dave Grohl of Nirvana says in Virginia so fried-out that he’s starting to drool. “Ever since I’ve been in this band…

Kurt Cobain Interview on “Grunge”

He talks about bring back New Wave, because he was boring of Grunge. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WflnA_3vE20 https://youtube.com/watch?v=EAq6Sf8bRnU https://youtube.com/watch?v=B9Zrfp5pOGM

Kurt Cobain Suicide Note
Kurt Cobain’s Suicide Note

To Boddah Speaking from the tongue of an experienced simpleton who obviously would rather be an emasculated, infantile complain-ee. This note should be pretty easy to understand. All the warnings…

An Astrological Tribute to Kurt Cobain

Legendary live-fast-die-young Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain would have been 41 tomorrow, February 20, had things turned out … differently. (Lord, why couldn’t you have taken Scott Stapp instead?! We all…

Kurt Cobain Documentary by Brett Morgen

The opening film from Sundance last year was Brett Morgen’s Chicago 10, a “mixed media” documentary about the anti-war protest during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Although it wasn’t anything…

Kurt Cobain Black Chuck Taylor All Star Converse

Own a piece of rock history. These iconic Chuck Taylors celebrate Kurt Cobain’s lasting legacy and his personal style. The Kurt Cobain Black Chuck Taylor All Star Converse celebrates the…

Dark Side of the Womb: Part 1 – Melody Maker

At bloody last! After months of speculation, controversy, title-changes, track-swapping, and the Steve Albini-inspired melodramatics over whether Geffen would even put it out, NIRVANA are finally set to release ëIn…

Nirvana Unplugged
Behind Unplugged – Guitar World

The images have already been burned into some deep, tender part of rock’s collective consciousness: Kurt Cobain, slumped over his Martin acoustic, his tattered librarian sweater and basketball sneakers, the…

Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit

Smells Like Teen Spirit: The Definitive Story “Smells Like Teen Spirit” stands as Nirvana’s breakthrough hit and arguably the most iconic song of the 1990s grunge movement. Released as the…

Domicile on Cobain St. – NME

By Brian Willis. It’s after midnight and raining in Seattle. New Model Army have just finished at RKCNDY. Leonard Cohen’s show at The Paramount is over. And Hole are about…

Early Nirvana Interview – 1989

Nirvana’s 1989 Swedish TV Interview October 27, 1989 – A rare look into early Nirvana as they discuss Sub Pop Records, punk influences, and their artistic approach during their first…

Interview with Kurt – People Magazine

“Courtney’s late, as usual,” Kurt Cobain said, admitting me into his Seattle home for an interview with his wife. Cobain resumed his place on the couch and chuckled along with…

Kurt Cobain: About A Son DVD

Film Overview Release Date: September 11, 2006 (Toronto International Film Festival)Wide Release: October 3, 2007Director: AJ SchnackRuntime: 96 minutesStudio: Sidetrack FilmsDistributor: Balcony ReleasingRating: Not RatedFormat: DVD, Digital Synopsis “Kurt Cobain: About A Son” is an intimate and moving…

Kurt Cobain Montage of Heck
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

The Legacy Lives On: Why Kurt Cobain Still Matters Kurt Cobain—legendary lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of Nirvana—remains an object of reverence and fascination for music fans worldwide. Often called…

In Utero: On The Road – MTV

In October of 1993 Nirvana launched their tour in support of what was to be their last studio album, In Utero, playing the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona. MTV…

If You Read, You’ll Judge – Newsweek

by Lorraine Ali Kurt Cobain introduced me to karaoke. In May, 1991, Nirvana was promoting its upcoming major label debut “Nevermind” – an album that would sell more than 10…

Kurt Cobain Interview on Metal Express

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnGNpQlEFX0 A great but rare interview with Kurt Cobain from a European TV show called Metal Express in early 1994. He discusses In Utero, his heroin addiction, his future as…

Nirvana Interview

Chewing on some of the keenest noise baccy in the biz, the Sub Pop bastards are spittin’ it back out as some of this year’s finest platters.And the latest contenders…

Nirvana – In Bloom

In Bloom: The Definitive Story “In Bloom” stands as one of Nirvana’s most recognized and enduring songs, serving as the second single from their breakthrough album “Nevermind” (1991). The track…

NIRVANA – Flipside

By Al (The Big Cheese). Seems to be the rage across the land – retro rock. And yeah, these Sub Pop bands fit right in, but as the Sub Popians…

Nirvana Nevermind: It's an Interview
“Nevermind – It’s an Interview”

NEVERMIND, IT’S AN INTERVIEW Geffen Records (1992) Format: CD only (promotional, limited edition release)Hosted and Produced by: Kurt St. Thomas (while Music Director of WFNX-FM)Engineered by: ‘Boy’ Troy Smith (while Production Director of…

Nirvana Band Members

The core lineup that created Nirvana’s most influential work and brought alternative rock to mainstream audiences worldwide.

Krist Novoselic

Bass Guitar, Founding Member

AAs Nirvana’s bassist and co-founder, Krist provided the solid foundation that anchored the band’s sound. His melodic bass lines and towering stage presence were essential elements of Nirvana’s music and performance.

Dave Grohl

Drummer, 1990-1994

Dave joined Nirvana in 1990, bringing powerful, precise drumming that helped define the band’s most successful period. His contributions to “Nevermind” and “In Utero” were crucial to the band’s distinctive sound.

Pat Smear

Touring Guitarist, 1993-1994

Pat joined as a touring guitarist during the In Utero era, adding depth and texture to Nirvana’s live performances. His presence allowed the band to more faithfully reproduce their increasingly complex studio sound on stage.

Chad Channing

Drummer, 1988-1990

Chad played drums on Nirvana’s debut album “Bleach” and several early recordings. His drumming style helped shape the band’s early sound during their formative Sub Pop years.

Jason Everman

Guitarist, 1989

Though briefly a member, Jason helped fund Nirvana’s “Bleach” album and appeared on the album cover. He played guitar during the band’s first major tour before departing.

Dale Crover

Drummer, Early Recordings

The Melvins drummer who played on some of Nirvana’s earliest demo recordings. His thunderous drum style influenced the band’s early sound and direction.