The 50 Best Rock-Star Instagram Accounts
Earlier this week, Rihanna was asked to leave Abu Dhabi for wearing a chic burka and posing for photos in front of a mosque. We know this because we — and Riri's 10 million followers — saw it on Instagram. When Twitter arrived and artists began communicating 140-character thoughts directly to the masses, the "fourth wall" between musician and fan was essentially shattered. Instagram took that shattered fourth wall and added a sunburst digital filter to it. Everyone from pop starlets (Lady Gaga, Rihanna) to arena rockers (Springsteen, McCartney) to indie bands (Best Coast, Chvrches) to mixtape marvels (Action Bronson) have become obsessed with the photo-sharing service, giving fans a unique look at life through their iPhone camera. Here are 50 acts who've mastered the art.
by Daniel Kreps
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Action Bronson
The Queens MC has the food porn game on lock. Good luck not salivating at Bronson's steady stream of Italian specialties, pancakes and seemingly priceless sushi.
Follow here.
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Travis Barker
The Blink-182 drummer's fisheye-heavy Instagram is equal parts Inked magazine, studio photos, and a rummage through old family albums. One warning, though: there's some sickening stuff on there, too.
Follow here.
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Bethany from Best Coast
Bethany Cosentino's Instagram is the definition of California cool — it looks like it could pass for an Urban Outfitters catalog — but her real passion might be her Instagram page dedicated entirely to her cat, Snacks.
Follow here.
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Beyonce
Beyoncé was the first person to post Instagram photos of Instagram photos and she's never lost momentum, regularly updating her feed with red-carpet quality pics of herself in extravagant clothes on incredible vacations. Bonus: there's always hope for a glimpse of Blue Ivy.
Follow here.
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Bon Iver
Justin Vernon loves taking cat photos almost as much as he loves naming songs after semi-fictional places. The Bon Iver Instagram account is 33% kitty pics, 33% art snaps like his series using the mirror effect, 33% snaps of his bros chilling in Wisconsin, and 1% screengrabbed weather reports.
Follow here.
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Cam’ron
Ever been to a really good buffet where you just couldn't stop eating because there was so much to choose from? That's the Dipset rapper's Instagram account. You can kill hours gorging yourself on his large portions of memes, jokes obviously written in his iPhone's Notes, and Terms of Agreement-pushing booty pics. We also enjoy Cam'ron's history lessons, like his trips to 1985 and 1986.
Follow here.
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Patrick Carney
Good luck finding anything concerning the Black Keys on Carney's page. Instead, the drummer uses his outlet as a shrine to plastic surgery nightmares like Bruce Jenner and the Octomom.
Follow here.
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Cat Power
Chan Marshall is perhaps our most prolific Instagrammer, sometimes tossing up as many as 35 images in a 24-hour period. It often feels like she's curating iconic images like her page is a gallery — a fascinating page by a fascinating talent.
Follow here.
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Chvrches
This Instagram encapsulates the Glasgow band's rise from obscurity to indie fame. Scrolling through this 14-month-old account from the beginning, it's like a flipbook where the venues get better, the crowds get larger and the Instagram photos get more intriguing.
Follow here.
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Gary Clark Jr.
The neo-bluesman has had an Instagram account for nearly a year, but only uses it sparingly (and awesomely). Exhibit A: This picture with Magic Johnson.
Follow here.
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Wayne Coyne
Note: This is for Wayne Coyne's new Instagram account, not his previous account that was terminated last month due to too much T&A. (Next time read the terms of agreement, Wayne!) Coyne's well-behaved new account features lots of photos of his many art projects and gratuitous use of the Instagram filters.
Follow here.
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Miley Cyrus
Miley started her Instagram account in May and has accumulated nearly five million followers since then. It's all thanks to her steady diet of provocative selfies, self-promoting foot fetish images and twerk shots. Also, #WeCantStop marveling at Miley's incredible dog Floyd.
Follow here.
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Deadmau5
Ever wanted a good look at Joel Zimmerman with his mask off? His frequently updated feed is the perfect venue to find shots like this photo of Deadmau5, Kat Von D, and The Room's Tommy Wiseau.
Follow here.
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Diplo
The Mad Decent maven's Instagram account is as random as it gets. Whatever interesting stuff pops into the producer's line of vision, it appears on his Instagram, resulting in a hodgepodge of heavily filtered scenic shots, creepy Photoshops and throwback pics of Justin Timberlake.
Follow here.
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Mike Dirnt
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Drake
The godfather of #YOLO, Drake's Instagram features a glimpse into the rapper's jetsetting lifestyle. While this account used to be heavy on the digital filters, the rapper's photos — like his music — have matured to the point where he's now relying on old school black-and-white.
Follow here.
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Ed Droste
If there were an award for "Best Photographer/Musician on Instagram," this Grizzly Bear singer would be our pick. Each photo is incredibly composed, and Droste's camera eye might be just as powerful as his singing voice. Added bonus: He never uses the filters.
Follow here.
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Sky Ferreira
When we say that Sky's Instagram page has "no filter," we mean it literally: She legit posts everything on there, from fashion photos to whatever she's listening to on her iPod at the moment. And then there is her Cher obsession. . .
Follow here.
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Jared Followill
It's fun to imagine Kings of Leon trying to figure out how hockey works.
Follow here.
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Irv Gotti
Few hip-hop moguls offer this much candid access into their unbelievable lives. Gotti's feed is like a beautiful, crazy diary with no filter that captures everything from sitting front row at Brooklyn Nets games to the VIP section at the club to eating at the best restaurants to pics from intimate family birthday parties to any of the hot ladies at his disposal.
Follow here.
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Dave Grohl
Snaps like this photo alone make the so-called "official" account for the Foo Fighters leader worth following. But don't take all the shots too seriously: the band's reps tell us the feed is actually not run by by the Foo squad.
Follow here.
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Icona Pop
For over a year now, it seems as though the Swedish duo's "I Don't Care" has been played every hour on every pop station. That entire time, Icona Pop has been out on the road promoting the track and their debut LP, and their Instagram follows their travels in vivid detail.
Follow here.
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Alexis Krauss
The Sleigh Bells frontwoman's Instagram is a charming mix of fingernail art, drunken nights out, performance pics, and dog photos (duh).
Follow here.
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Lady Gaga
Everything you'd expect from a Lady Gaga Instagram account — the highbrow fashion choices, the photos of presidential suites in foreign five-star hotels, the portraits of Gaga and her artsy pals like Jeff Koons — are surprisingly absent. Instead, this account is a one-stop depot for intimate Gaga selfies with the occasional puppy photo thrown in.
Follow here.
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Lorde
You'd expect a 16-year-old with a Hot 100-topping single to have an Instagram that's all livin' large, but Lorde's page is a low-key affair. It's a fascinating portrait of a girl coming to terms with her newfound fame as she travels around America.
Follow here.
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Macklemore
The Seattle rapper's Instagram is almost completely bereft of thrift shop finds. Instead, Macklemore uses his page as a bulletin board to show off all the famous people he's met and all the festivals he's played.
Follow here.
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Paul McCartney
Another Instragram newbie, Macca first posted in August to reveal the cover of his New LP. Since then, Sir Paul's page has seen a steady stream of fan art, promo pics, and evidence of McCartney's first Twitter Q&A.
Follow here.
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Janelle Monae
Picture Wayne Coyne's new Instagram with less digital filters but with more Miguel.
Follow here.
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Yoko Ono
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Ozzy Osbourne
If you also can't get enough of the Ozzman making demonic faces at the camera while performing live, then this Instagram is perfect. Also, this picture of Ozzy in 1982 is unbelievable. Why is his hair so short, and why is he sitting on a building's ledge?
Follow here.
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Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam fans in need of a new desktop image should visit the band's Instagram page, where they'll find no shortage of live shots and Lightning Bolt artwork. However, we wish there was an Instagram dedicated entirely to Jeff Ament wearing basketball jerseys.
Follow here.
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Questlove
If you follow the Roots drummer on Twitter, then you know ?uest has mastered the social media game. His Instagram is no exception: One of the more varied accounts out there, he's got everything from food porn to Aaron Paul to a strange obsession with old Prince 8-track cartridges.
Follow here.
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Trent Reznor
The Nine Inch Nails mastermind created his Instagram account in February 2013; he's posted sporadically since then. However, if you're into keyboards and impossible-to-get-into Chicago restaurants, Rez has got you covered.
Follow here.
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Riff Raff
You could smell the codeine and Sprite drenched all over this Instagram page. The rapper's account comes off like stills from James Franco's scenes from Spring Breakers, but with New York Knicks great Walt Frazier in the Vanessa Hudgens role. Still, this master of self-promotion is a must-follow.
Follow here.
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Rihanna
If Instagram were a game, Rihanna would be winning. Riri has 10 million followers for a reason, and it's because she has perfected the art of Instagram with a well-balanced attack of fashion photos, promo images, and provocative pics… and that's just this month. When Rihanna's Instagram isn't fueling headlines or starting beefs, the account is an engrossing look at the life of a 25-year-old girl who's having a lot more fun than you are.
Follow here.
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Ja Rule
Ja Rule is another member of The Inc. crew loving life on Instagram. The rapper is perhaps the only artist on there to snap a picture of himself leaning on a bus with a giant picture of himself. Ja's page is also filled with pics with his famous friends and visits to historic locales.
Follow here.
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Ed Sheeran
The Instagram for pop's favorite ginger is as warmly appealing as his music. Like a documentarian, he takes the same photo from every venue he plays, much to the delight of his millions of followers.
Follow here.
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Skrillex
Skrillex had one of the more entertaining Instagrams — each neon-soaked photo seemed like it was taken backstage at some rowdy EDM fest — but unfortunately, dude hasn't uploaded a pic since August. Maybe he's hibernating. We're putting him on our list in hopes he comes back!
Follow here.
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Snoop Dogg
If you thought it'd be difficult to view Snoop's Instagram account through the thick fog of weed smoke, you'd be mistaken. The Doggfather's feed is quite PG, featuring club fliers, memes, and a promotional tool for Snoop's strange cartoon bling app. He does own awesome Misfits socks.
Follow here.
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Bruce Springsteen
Springsteen's two-month-old Instagram has so far mainly documented the E Street crew as they wrap up their Wrecking Ball tour in South America. Bruce's first ever Instagram photo? His recent cover of Rolling Stone. We approve.
Follow here.
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30 Seconds To Mars
This Instagram is devoted to making sure fans know when and where Jared Leto's band will be popping up. Next. But in addition to all the helpful fliers and live pics, there's a wealth of video. Fans who visit frequently are always rewarded with killer live footage.
Follow here.
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2 Chainz
This MC's Instagram has an amazingly entertaining title (Hairweavekiller). 2 Chainz might be the court jester of hip-hop, but his account is light on laughs and heavy on pictures of dinner plates — eating crab sticks with a plastic fork is pretty funny — and this pose taken at every tour stop.
Follow here.
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Weezer
While Rivers Cuomo's Twitter presence has essentially evaporated, the band still cultivates a decent Instagram page. Instead of using their month-old account as a place to show what currently they're up to, however, Weezer posts old photos with captions like "Today in Weezer History," serving as an enjoyable trip down memory lane for the two-decade-old band.
Follow here.
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Florence Welch
The songstress' artsy ouhoh account provides an intimate look at life inside the Machine.
Follow here.
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Pete Wentz
Given that the Fall Out Boy bassist had has issues with posting photos online in the past, you'd think he'd refrain from posting selfies on Instagram. But Pete is a photo addict, and his feed is a great peek into his weird world.
Follow here.
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Hayley Williams
The Paramore singer/prolific Instagrammer can't go two hours without posting a photo, so there's a whole bunch of pics starring coffee cups and tea bags between shots of Williams' ever-changing hairstyles and a passing glance at what life on the road is like. Williams' following is so strong, a pic of a chamomile tea bag earned 20,700 likes.
Follow here.
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Nathan Williams
Fans of famed photographer Larry Clark — whose oeuvre centered around the subculture, skateboarding and disenfranchised youth — would find similar themes on the Instagram account of this Wavves dude.
Follow here.
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Pharrell
Ever been to a popular restaurant where the walls are covered with photos of the owner and the countless celebrities who have stopped by to eat? That's Pharrell's Instagram page. Who is Williams collaborating with this week? Just follow his Instagram and find out.
Follow here.
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The xx
The xx's Instagram is perhaps the most well-traveled of any groups' accounts: In just six months, the xx have documented their travels through America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and now South America. From the band's first baseball game in Oakland to videos of them performing in Mexico City, the xx account is recommended for all travel junkies.
Follow here.
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Born in the days preceding Mosquito, Karen O and Co. often use their Instagram account to take pictures of their enormous crowds, capture O's unique fashion choices, and pose with Michael Jackson.
Follow here.