Judah & the Lion

Judah & the Lion are an American band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2011, built around Judah Akers and Brian Macdonald. They fuse folk, bluegrass and Americana with rock, electropop and hip-hop percussion, an experimental turn that reshaped their sound across successive albums. Their 2016 single "Take It All Back" topped Billboard's Alternative Songs chart and earned platinum certification, while 2019's Pep Talks reached the Billboard 200 and featured collaborations with Kacey Musgraves and Jon Bellion. Founding members Nate Zuercher and Spencer Cross departed in 2021. The band built its reputation on the road, opening for Twenty One Pilots and Incubus and playing festivals including Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, where their high-energy, banjo-driven sets turn their genre-blurring records into a communal live experience.