Billy Joel, the singer behind hits like "Piano Man" and "Uptown Girl," actually isn't religious and identifies as an atheist Jew. Raised in a secular household despite his Jewish heritage, he dabbled in Catholicism as a child because he was drawn to the church's music during mass and the building's unique sound.
In reply to a 2010 interview question from Howard Stern who asked if Joel believed in a god, he said, "No, I'm an atheist. I tried it all on. I used to go to mass when I was a little kid. I liked the sound of the acoustic in the church. The singing always got to me. No matter what the religion was, the acoustics were great."
It's probably not surprising that Sam Smith is an atheist, especially after performing his hit song "Unholy" at the Grammys. The set was rife with red demonic imagery and was quite raunchy, which caused quite an uproar among Christians. Many lyrics across his discography hint at his beliefs — or, rather, lack of belief.
In his 2017 song "Pray," he sings lines like "I block out the news, turn my back on religion" and "I have never believed in you, no." While attending a Catholic school as a child, Smith seems to have distanced himself from organized religion. Plus, he's openly LGBTQ+ and features drag performers on stage.
Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk hails from a largely non-religious country, and her music emphasizes the natural world over the spiritual. She's credited with saying that "religion is a mistake" and that she's "exhausted by its self-righteousness." She thought that "atheists should start screaming for attention like religious folks do."
She's repeatedly pointed to nature as her religion and would rather explore spirituality beyond the confines of organized religion. “I do not believe in religion, but if I had to choose one, it would be Buddhism. It seems more livable, closer to men.”
John Lennon's views on religion were complex. Raised Christian, he became critical of organized religion in the '60s. Lyrics like "Imagine there's no heaven / Imagine no religion too" and"I don't believe in Bible... / I don't believe in Jesus" serve as evidence of atheism. He even infamously claimed the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus" causing a huge controversy among fans.
However, Lennon wasn't always so dismissive. He once stated, "I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky." He seemed open to spirituality but nothing concrete. There was even a brief period in the '70s when he explored Christianity, but he ultimately rejected traditional religious structures.
Child star-turned-wild popstar Miley Cyrus got real on her Instagram show "Bright Minded" with childhood friend Hailey Bieber, saying, "I had some [] friends in school. The reason why I left my church is that they weren't being accepted. They were being sent to conversion therapies."
Bieber discouraged the idea that God wouldn't accept everyone, which nudged Cyrus away from complete atheism. "So I think now you telling me that I'm allowed to redesign my relationship with God as an adult and make it how it feels most accepting to me would make me feel so less turned off by spirituality."
Queen musician Freddie Mercury was a fiercely private person, but there is some evidence that he leaned more toward atheism than any strong religious beliefs. Mercury was born in Zanzibar's Government Hospital to Zoroastrian parents.
The only "god" for Zoroastrians is Ahura Mazda, representing goodness, light, and truth. However, it's unclear that he actively practiced the religions; instead, he took inspiration from his heritage to influence his songwriting.
Sir Elton John hasn't shied away from criticizing organized religion, especially Christianity. According to a 2006 BBC article, John would prefer if religion was banned completely! "I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards [] people," he said. "Religion promotes the hatred and spite against [] [people].
"But there are so many people I know who are [] and love their religion," he continued. "From my point of view, I would ban religion completely, even though there are some wonderful things about it... But the reality is that organised religion doesn't seem to work. It turns people into hateful lemmings and it's not really compassionate."
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" singer Cyndi Lauper has always been open about her lack of religion. For instance, many sources credit her with saying, "God has more important things to worry about" than people's struggles.
To Interview Magazine in 2013, she said, "I am under the distinct impression that all religious groups need the devil. I figure that if it wasn’t for him they’d be out of business, because what they’re selling is God. I’m not in the God business... I don’t believe in that. I believe in good... I see too many contradictions here to really take part in any of it, but I do believe there are good people. It’s good when people still believe in things, as long as their beliefs are not driven by fear and ignorance, because if that’s the case, we’re in trouble."
Marilyn Manson is known for shock entertainment that's largely focused on anti-religious imagery. He even affiliated with the Church of Satan in the '90s, but many claim it was merely a publicity stunt than genuine faith.
However, it's hard to dismiss these hardcore stunts as anything but evidence of his disdain for religion. During an interview in 1995 with Phil Donohue, Manson said, "Hopefully, I'll be remembered as the person who brought an end to Christianity."
Like many musicians, Kurt Cobain never explicitly identified as atheist, but he definitely acted largely apathetic to organized religion. He reportedly dabbled in a range of beliefs, including Buddhism. Jonathan Poneman one wrote Kurt had to extremes: creating masterpieces or something "angry and filled with confusion."
In short, Cobain was largely uncertain about his personal religious beliefs, but he was incredibly critical of organized religion, once spray-painting graffiti across town that would anger political right-wingers and Christians, including the phrases GOD IS [] and ABORT CHRIST.
"Bad Guy" singer Billie Eilish recent came out as [], so it's not shocking that she's also not religious. In a 2020 interview with People, she admitted the following: "When I was little, when I was a little kid, I was super religious for no reason. My family never was religious. I didn't know anyone that was religious. And for some reason, as a little girl, I just was incredibly religious."
Eilish continued, "And then at one point, I don't know what happened. It just completely went away," and made her "almost anti-religious." She refrains from leaning too far in either direction. "I don't, not believe and I don't do believe. I'm in a very neutral position. I'm open to every belief pretty much... How would I know? I'm not going to say I know I don't, nobody knows."
Pink Floyd's members — including Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Syd Barret, Richard Wright, etc. — were pretty much all confirmed atheists, with a few exceptions. For instance, lead guitarist David Gilmour reportedly said, “I’ve never had any religion. I’d prefer it if I did, really. Even as a boy I just couldn’t make myself believe.”
Similarly, his politics are particularly left-wing, endorsing the UK's Labour Party leader in 2017 and tweeting, "I'm voting Labour because I believe in social equality."
Wham! icon George Michael was definitely skeptical of Christianity. He was raised by a Greek Orthodox Christian father and an Anglican mother. Despite this religious background, Michael often expressed critical views of organized religion in his interviews and music.
According to the U.S. Sun, Michael said in 1988, "I do not have a religion, but I believe that one can influence one's life, one's future, through faith and decency towards others."
Since she first broke into the music industry with "...Baby One More Time," Britney Spears seemed to hold some sort of spiritual beliefs, telling MTV in 2008, "I pray all the time. I believe in God." However, her faith disappeared as her family and the music industry routinely trapped her in predatory conservatorships.
Eventually, she broke down during a 2022 rant on her Instagram story, saying, "There is nothing to believe anymore. I'm an atheist y'all." We know these words were said in anger, but if we had experienced half of what she's put up with, we'd lose faith, too!
In an interview with Mark Brown of the Rocky Mountain News, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters said: "Please, God — I'm an atheist, so maybe I shouldn't be asking God — but let Barack Obama finally win the Democratic nomination and elect a person who seems to be not just enormously intelligent but also deeply humane and seems to have an imagination."
And on the Reserve Channel, he referred to religious texts like the Quoran and New Testament as "all nonsense... That's my view, a personal view, because I'm a radical atheist... There's a beauty in the organization of natural history."
Panic at the Disco!'s frontman Brendon Urie was raised Mormon, but admitted he stopped believing when he was just 12 years old. "I remember looking around the church – it was during sacrament meeting on Sunday – and I was like, 'Oh my god, I don’t think I believe in this.' I started doubting," he told David Atlanta in 2014.
"Within a year, I was a full-on atheist... I’ve definitely been in a world where I was doing things that were seen as complete evil by the church that I was a part of... I was really angry when I first left the church at 17." Urie is also openly [], and he engages in many liberal philanthropies, including Planned Parenthood, Everytown for Gun Safety, the Human Rights Campaign, and GLSEN.
Garbage singer (yes, the band is called Garbage) Shirley Manson definitely leans toward an atheist worldview. After being raised by a theologian in the Church of Scotland, she admitted to the Rolling Stone that she "brushed up against too many examples of hypocritical spiritualists" to really consider herself one.
She continued, "I came to the conclusion very early on in life that there was little need to look for answers because there are notne. There are no absolutes... I am the head of my state, the minister of my own church... No, [I don't believe in God], not at all. Nope, nothing. To a certain degree, music is my practice. This is a spiritual pursuit to me."
Celine Dion was raised in a Catholic household, as many people are, but she doesn't adhere to the specifics of the religion today. According to the Toronto Star, she stressed that "it's important for people to have something they can touch and believe in," but for her, she finds God in nature, "not in a church."
Sometimes, she does find herself leaning on some form of prayer, however. In a 2019 interview with USA Today, Dion talked about how her faith helped her cope with the loss of her husband, René Angélil, saying, "I prayed, I prayed and I prayed until I didn’t have tears anymore."
David Bowie reportedly said, "I'm not quite an atheist and it worries me. There's that little bit that hods on: 'Well, I'm almost an atheist. Give me a couple of months.'" Apparently, he routinely explored his beliefs and couldn't land on anything, trying on everything from Satanism to Tibetan Buddhism and, yes, music.
Previously in 1997, Bowie said, "I don't have any faith in anything, but I'm curious about it all. I feel comfortable being in the midst of an enigma." Justin Reynolds of Sceptical Scot referred to Boweie as a "devout sceptic." Seems pretty accurate!
Self-ascribed "Irish-German-Lithuanian Jew," the rock-pop singer Pink hasn't settled on any particular belief system but is choosing to share Jewish culture with her children. In a 2013 interview with The Guardian, Pink discussed her diverse upbringing, where she was exposed to different religious beliefs, but noted that she does not adhere to any specific religious doctrine.
Then in an interview with Billboard, Pink described herself as "spiritual" rather than religious: "I don’t believe in organized religion at all; it's a very scary thing to me. But I do believe in God. I believe in a higher power. I’m extremely spiritual." Perhaps she once was an atheist, but now has decided to explore different secular belief systems.
21 singer Adele confessed to leading a largely secular lifestyle. In 2015, she told Rolling Stone the following: "I'm a feminist, I believe that everyone should be treated the same, including race and []uality. I don't care if you're a boy or a girl. Also, I'm not a religious person."
While her music might sound gospel-like and spiritual, she isn't active in any specific church, and none of her music contains explicitly religious themes. Rather, she focuses on the secular parts of life, including heartbreak, loss, and love.
"Take Me to Church" Irish singer-songwriter Hozier is famously liberal in his beliefs, and his most famous hit criticized the Catholic Church. Telling the Irish Times, Hozier said, "The song ['Take Me to Church'] is about how organizations like the Catholic Church undermine humanity by successfully teaching shame about [] orientation — that it is sinful, that it offends God."
For Hozier, music is his religion. "I think music is a very spiritual thing," he told The Guardian in 2015. "It’s a way of understanding your place in the world, and I think it can be a really pure way of dealing with the world."
Janis Joplin was known for her rebellious spirit and countercultural beliefs, which often included questioning traditional religion. In her music and performances, she projected an image of free-spirited individualism that resonated with the anti-establishment sentiments of the time.
Reportedly in a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Joplin spoke about her views on life and death, saying, "I don’t believe in God or the Devil. I don’t think there’s anything after this; I think it’s all right here."
Annie Lennox's music hints at atheistic views. Allegedly in a 2009 interview with The Guardian, she stated, "The whole idea of organized religion... I find it very hard to reconcile with any sense of compassion or fairness."
According to PremierChristianNews.com, she is "not a Christian" and "not religious," but she does sometimes "have a sensibility for transcendent things." To the Wall Street Journal in 2019, she admits that it might be more accurate to describe herself as "agnostic."
While Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters fame has never explicitly identified as an atheist, there are plenty of hints that point to his skepticism. Grohl mentioned being sent to Catholic school for being "naughty" in the documentary Sonic Highways, but nothing substantial about his faith.
In fact, the most religious part of his life that he's shared with the world is his music. In fact, he sang "You Should Be Dancing" from the Bee Gee's album Hail Satan to mock the Westboro Baptist Church protestors gathered outside of his concert in 2021.
Phil Collins, the legendary musician known for his work with Genesis and his solo career, has had a diverse spiritual journey that includes reflections on atheism and belief that he largely kept private. While he was lead singer of Genesis, the band released a song called "Jesus He Knows Me."
Some automatically assume it's a religious song, but it actually satirizes televangelists and critiques religious hypocrisy. According to Wikipedia, Collins imagined "fanatic Christians who believe that they are in touch with the Almightly... who finance their lavish lifestyles by conning believers out of charitable donations."
Despite being born into a Jewish family, Disney composer Randy Newman's parents weren't particularly devout so religion wasn't a big part of his life. This early exposure, or lack thereof, to religion, likely played a role in his later beliefs.
During an interview with NPR's Tery Gross, Newman discussed his lack of faith, saying, "I think it’s a joke. You know, I don’t mean to offend people who are religious, but religion is what convinced the world that there’s only one god."
