Biography
An alt-rock supergroup bridging the Atlantic, 5 Billion in Diamonds unites American producer and drummer Butch Vig of Garbage and Nirvana with British producer Andy Jenks and U.K. DJ James Grillo. Guest vocalists such as Ebbott Lundberg from the Soundtrack of Our Lives, David Schelzel of the Ocean Blue, and Helen White of Alpha enhance the group's cinematic, retro-pop-infused rock during studio sessions. The project issued its debut in 2017 before delivering the follow-up album Divine Accidents three years afterward.
Longtime associates Vig and Grillo first connected through common passions for wine, vintage art house cinema, and recordings from the 1960s and 1970s. Their collaboration began as an effort to score an imagined cult-classic B-movie from the 1960s, with Grillo proposing the title 5 Billion in Diamonds. Once that name and premise were secured, they recruited Jenks, a longtime acquaintance of Grillo who had established himself as a noted producer in England's Bristol-area scene. For the self-titled 2017 debut, the trio enlisted vocal contributions from Lundberg, White, Schelzel, and Sandra Dedrick of the Free Design, while also drawing on premier Bristol session musicians within Jenks' network. They revisited the identical method for the next imaginary soundtrack, expanding their roster of returning participants to include James Bagshaw of Temples and Martin Barnard of Alpha. Divine Accidents arrived in 2020 and widened the sonic palette through a fusion of 1980s synth textures and vintage folk atmospheres.
Longtime associates Vig and Grillo first connected through common passions for wine, vintage art house cinema, and recordings from the 1960s and 1970s. Their collaboration began as an effort to score an imagined cult-classic B-movie from the 1960s, with Grillo proposing the title 5 Billion in Diamonds. Once that name and premise were secured, they recruited Jenks, a longtime acquaintance of Grillo who had established himself as a noted producer in England's Bristol-area scene. For the self-titled 2017 debut, the trio enlisted vocal contributions from Lundberg, White, Schelzel, and Sandra Dedrick of the Free Design, while also drawing on premier Bristol session musicians within Jenks' network. They revisited the identical method for the next imaginary soundtrack, expanding their roster of returning participants to include James Bagshaw of Temples and Martin Barnard of Alpha. Divine Accidents arrived in 2020 and widened the sonic palette through a fusion of 1980s synth textures and vintage folk atmospheres.
Albums
Singles
