Kings of Leon, who were one of the first major music acts to embrace non-fungible token (NFT) sales, are planning to embark on a “historic” milestone by becoming the first band to send an NFT into space.
As PEOPLE reports, the rockers are teaming up with the Elon Musk-founded SpaceX, who are gearing up to send the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew to space on September 15. The three-day orbit will mark the first human spaceflight with exclusively civilians onboard.
The NFT is a live recording of the band’s song ‘Time in Disguise’, and will be sent up to space on September 15 via an iPhone that will be given to civilian astronaut Hayley Arceneaux, who will also play the song in orbit.
The NFT is up for auction now, with proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Bidding starts at $50,000USD, and the winner will receive both the NFT itself and the iPhone that gets sent up to space.
“It means so much to us to be a part of this historic moment,” the band told PEOPLE. “When we wrote and recorded ‘Time in Disguise’ in the studio, we always thought it had a spacy feel to it and then the visuals from our live show have that vibe, as well.
“To now have that song and those images be a part of something as historic as this is really cool, and having it raise money for a cause we’ve always cared so much about, makes it even better.”
Kings of Leon released latest album ‘When You See Yourself’ as an NFT (in addition to traditional platforms) back in March, as one of the first major records to be released using the format.
In a four-star review of ‘When You See Yourself’, NME said: “Kings Of Leon spend the whole album toying with what fans might expect – and clearly have great fun doing so.”
Last month, Kings of Leon announced that guitarist Matthew Followill would be taking time away from the band following the birth of his daughter.
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