“One of the biggest artists in the world knew who we were. It was awesome!”: Deftones got their first major record deal because Madonna liked their music

Deftones singer Chino Moreno says that pop superstar Madonna was a fan of the band.

Talking to The Irish Times, the vocalist reveals that in the California alt-metal five-piece’s early years, they were able to sign with Maverick, the major label Madonna co-founded, because the Vogue and Like A Virgin singer gave them the “thumbs-up”.

“It was Guy [Oseary, Maverick A&R] who discovered us first,” Moreno remembers, “and then he and Freddy DeMann [Madonna’s manager and Maverick partner] flew us from our base in Sacramento to Los Angeles, where we played a couple of songs for them in a little rehearsal space.”

He continues: “That same day we were invited to the record-label offices in Beverly Hills, where I got to meet Madonna, which was mind-blowing. So, yeah, she definitely gave us the thumbs-up. It was crazy to be a 20-year-old kid and have somebody whose music I’ve been listening to since I was 10 years old give us her approval. It was hard to take in.”

The singer also talks about what it’s like to have Madonna as a boss, saying that she “wasn’t as hands-on as maybe you would think”, letting the band explore their own artistic avenues.

“In no way was she dictating our creative direction or anything like that,” he adds, “and, in general, the label let us be us.”

Moreno then claims that Madonna has attended a number of their concerts. “They were a little nerve-wrenching,” he says of the shows, “because you knew she was watching you. One of the biggest artists in the world knew who we were. It was awesome and very, very cool.”

Deftones were signed to Maverick for more than a decade, releasing 1995 debut album Adrenaline through the label and staying until Saturday Night Wrist came out in 2006. They moved on to Reprise for 2010’s Diamond Eyes, where they remain to this day.

The band released their 10th studio album, Private Music, last month. It was with met with critical acclaim, including a near-perfect four-and-a-half-star review from Metal Hammer, and marked their first recording with bassist Fred Sablan. Sablan replaces longtime member Sergio Vega, who departed in 2021 due to a contract dispute.