Icon For Hire has released three full length albums: Scripted, Icon For Hire and YOU CAN'T KILL US.
Released in 2011, their first album Scripted shattered first-week sales becoming the highest new artist debut in Tooth & Nail Records history. The record debuted on the Billboard Top 200, at No. 4, on the iTunes Rock chart, and No. 19 on the iTunes overall albums chart.
Icon For Hire released their second full length self-titled album Icon For Hire in October 2013 on the Tooth and Nail label. Producer Mike Green (All Time Low, The Wanted, Pierce The Veil) was at the mixer to follow up their debut album, Scripted.
After spending a remarkable 18 months touring around the world, the group returned to their hometown of Decatur, IL to write their new record. Icon For Hire is set to push the boundaries of music and fashion far beyond their debut. According to the guitarist, Shawn Jump, “We wrote and dreamed about this record away from everything. We needed a safe place where we could all get to “spirit,” and maximize our different influences.” Added drummer, Adam Kronshagen, “There’s been undeniable friction in the songwriting process. We love knowing that you will definitely hear the element of conflict inside of every song we wrote.
The band's video, “Off With Her Head,” received 200k views its first week. Frontwoman and fashion designer, Ariel, worked with the team for weeks to create an avant-garde interpretation of the hit song. The group spent two days in Compton, CA (South Los Angeles) filming the video with a variety of the hottest underground artists.
Icon For Hire moved towards a new chapter of the band in 2016. Adam Kronshagen left the band to spend more time with his family coupled with a split with their record label Tooth & Nail the band decided to go it alone, or so it seemed. The band put together a plan for a kick starter project backed by their own fans. The kick starter reached its target in a matter of days. The album YOU CAN'T KILL US was released in stages throughout the year to those who have backed the kick starter project and there were physical copies on sale in December 2016 when it was completed.
On October 23, 2018, the band uploaded a video to their YouTube channel titled "Supposed To Be Acoustic Sessions Video Teaser", announcing their first video session to come soon, as well as that the Still Can't Kill Us: The Acoustic Sessions album would be released on December 7. The band released their "Supposed to Be" Acoustic Video on October 26, their "Get Well II" Acoustic Video on November 8, and "Demons" Acoustic Video on November 23. The tracks were also uploaded to Spotify as singles. A new album The Reckoning was released in September 2022.
Ariel Bloomer - Vocals,
Shawn Jump - Guitar,
Adam Kronshagen - Drums,
Josh Kincheloe - Bass.
Theater
Icon for Hire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A pretty pathetic show, I hide
Backstage, keep the curtains closed
'Cause I'm scared, I'm scared
I'm getting pretty good at feeding them
The lines they like but I don't
Recognize the girl I face each night
What happened to the girl who could overlook the world?
She never gave a second to what the other people thought
What happened to the dream of rejecting the routine?
'Cause they never worked for me
I'm gonna burn this theater down
And pray to God for the strength to help me face the crowd
I wanna live like I lost the script
And scream every line like this is it
They say all the world's a stage
Rewriting your identity is all the rage
Well, next act please, I'd like a change
I don't really like pretending this way
What happened to the girl who could overlook the world?
She never gave a second to what the other people thought
What happened to the dream of rejecting the routine?
'Cause they never worked for me
I'm gonna burn this theater down
And pray to God for the strength to help me face the crowd
I wanna live like I lost the script
And scream every line like this is it
I'm gonna burn this theater down
And pray to God for the strength to help me face the crowd
I wanna live like I lost the script
And scream every line like this is it
And the sad thing is we're all in on the action
We're all holding our breath, waiting for a reaction
You play your part, I'll be playing with matches
And if you'd like a show, you can follow the ashes
I'm gonna burn this theater down
And pray to God for the strength to help me face the crowd
I wanna live like I lost the script
And scream every line like this is it
I'm gonna burn this theater down
And pray to God for the strength to help me face the crowd
I wanna live like I lost the script
And scream every line like this is it
In Icon for Hire's song Theater, the lyrics describe the main character's life as a show or a musical. She is proficient in putting on a good show for others, but her self-realization is that her life appears pathetic. She is scared of being vulnerable and keeps the curtains closed backstage, hiding what's going on behind the scenes.
Despite that, the singer can recognize that she's getting better at delivering lines that others like to hear, but those same words are causing her to compromise. She knows that she's changed, and the girl she was before, the one who didn't care about what others thought, is no longer present.
The chorus expresses the singer's desire to burn down the theater that is her life and scream every line like it's her last, without the constraints of the script or expectations of others. The song describes the pressure we all feel as we live our lives for the approval of others, all the while, hoping to ignite our passions and live free from the molds we've created for ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
My life is a musical, I know how to put on
My life is like a musical, I am aware how to show that I am fine.
A pretty pathetic show, I hide
I hide the fact that it's actually a terrible show.
Backstage, keep the curtains closed
I hide behind the curtains backstage and keep them closed.
'Cause I'm scared, I'm scared
My fear is the reason why I do not show who I really am.
I'm getting pretty good at feeding them
I am getting good at telling people what they want to hear.
The lines they like but I don't
I say things that people prefer, but I do not actually believe in them.
Recognize the girl I face each night
I do not recognize myself anymore and who I am becoming.
I can compromise till I'm convinced, it's right
I keep compromising my values until I convince myself that it's okay.
What happened to the girl who could overlook the world?
What happened to the girl who didn't care about everyone's else's opinions?
She never gave a second to what the other people thought
She never cared about what others thought about her.
What happened to the dream of rejecting the routine?
What happened to the dream of being different and not following the norms?
'Cause they never worked for me
Because they did not work well for me personally.
I'm gonna burn this theater down
I am going to destroy this facade of my life.
And pray to God for the strength to help me face the crowd
I am going to ask God for strength to face people as myself.
I wanna live like I lost the script
I want to live freely without pretenses.
And scream every line like this is it
I want to be true to myself, no more hiding and pretending.
They say all the world's a stage
People say that the world is like a play.
Rewriting your identity is all the rage
It is common to change your identity to please the people around you.
Well, next act please, I'd like a change
I want to change what is happening next in my life.
I don't really like pretending this way
I am getting tired of pretending.
And the sad thing is we're all in on the action
Unfortunately, everyone seems to be pretending as well.
We're all holding our breath, waiting for a reaction
Everyone is expecting a specific response from others.
You play your part, I'll be playing with matches
You continue pretending, while I will take on a dangerous path to find myself.
And if you'd like a show, you can follow the ashes
If you are interested in a show, you can watch the destruction of my old life.
Contributed by Wyatt J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.