This is what Simon Le Bon says is key to Duran Duran’s longevity - and it’s wholesome

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The band currently has keyboardist frontman Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor

Birmingham-born band Duran Duran has been performing since they were formed in the late 1970s. They are popular across countries and the 80s heartthrobs continue to perform across the world - with their popularity nowhere close to diminuishing.

The band was formed in 1978 in Birmingham and Frontman Simon Le Bon, 64, and his bandmates were inducted into the Hall of Fame in November 2022. The band currently has keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor.

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Guitarist Andy Taylor - one of the co-founders of the band - was also expected to attend the Hall of Fame ceremony but he couldn’t make it due to his ill health. Instead, the band announced the sad news that Andy has Stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. The musician has not let his diagnosis bring him down. He wants to keep going and so do his bandmates.

Le Bon shared the key to the band’s longevity in a recent interview with Channel 4 News podcast Ways To Change The World.

He said: “We’re all willing to sacrifice our egos for the good of the band.”

“The biggest reason that we’ve stayed together for so long is that we split everything equally … nobody gets paid more than anybody else, that’s number one reason I think.”

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British singer best known for being the lead vocalist and lyrcist of Brummie band Duran Duran. Widely reported to be a Villan.British singer best known for being the lead vocalist and lyrcist of Brummie band Duran Duran. Widely reported to be a Villan.
British singer best known for being the lead vocalist and lyrcist of Brummie band Duran Duran. Widely reported to be a Villan. | Getty Images

He added that there were so many bands that have “broken up” as some of the band members were paid more since they write the songs.

He said: “We don’t do that, and we never have, we’ve always split everything equally. I think … that is to do with the ego as well and when it comes to the band, ego takes a second place to the success of the band, and we’re all willing to sacrifice our egos for the good of the band.”

He was also asked about his reliance on the music industry and he said that the industry, for him, includes media in general, radio, television, “industry of the live show and then there’s the recording industry as well.”

He said: “We are just a part of it... We’re a very crucial part, the rest of the industry doesn’t exist without us but I don’t think we could have had the kind of success that we did have without the backing of this incredible team.”

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