Sixx:A.M.

Sixx:A.M. is a hard rock band from Los Angeles, United States, active since 2007. The group forms around Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, guitarist DJ Ashba and vocalist and multi-instrumentalist James Michael, with Dustin Steinke also listed among the members. Their sound sits within hard rock, heavy metal and rock.

Background and formation

The band forms in 2007 in Los Angeles. It is a project built around Nikki Sixx, with DJ Ashba and James Michael joining him at the outset. Ashba is also associated with Guns N’ Roses.

Releases and key songs

Sixx:A.M. is best known for Life Is Beautiful. Their debut release, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, appears in 2007 and is based on Sixx’s autobiography, The Heroin Diaries. Their second album, This Is Gonna Hurt, is based on Sixx’s later autobiographical book of the same name.

The band also releases the acoustic EP 7, which contains seven acoustic versions of songs from its first two studio albums. A later single, Relief, appears in 2013, and the song Let It Haunt You (So Beautiful) is identified as the final track on the next album before the title Modern Vintage is announced. Modern Vintage is released in 2014.

Later activity

In 2016, Sixx:A.M. releases the single Rise and the album Prayers for the Damned, followed by Prayers for the Blessed, Vol. 2. A tenth anniversary edition of The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack appears in 2017 and includes re-imagined versions of Life Is Beautiful, Accidents Can Happen and Girl With Golden Eyes.

In 2019 the group records four new songs and announces a greatest-hits release. Later that year it releases Talk to Me in support of the #TalktoMe campaign against opioid addiction. In 2020 it issues a remix of Maybe It’s Time featuring guest artists for Artists for Recovery, and the track also appears on the Sno Babies soundtrack. The greatest-hits album Hits follows in 2021 and includes a radio mix of Talk to Me, three previously unreleased songs and remixes of two earlier album tracks.

Members

James Michael handles lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, programming, piano and, earlier in the band’s history, drums. DJ Ashba plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals. Nikki Sixx plays bass guitar and provides backing vocals.