Over the past few years, Deftones have experienced an unexpected but undeniable surge in popularity, becoming one of the most talked-about bands in modern rock and metal once again. While platforms like TikTok have played a significant role — particularly amid the renewed interest in nü-metal — the band’s resurgence is rooted in decades of influential work that never truly faded.
Few albums exemplify that legacy better than 2000’s White Pony, which has sold over two million copies in the United States alone and continues to introduce new listeners to the band’s atmospheric, genre-blurring sound.
In a new interview with Los Angeles radio station KROQ, Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno opened up about the band’s post-pandemic rise and how he’s processing this new wave of success nearly 30 years into their career.
“It feels good, but I don’t think it’s something that… I think I kinda always had the mindset that it could go away at any moment as well,” Moreno said. “So I don’t ever invest too much of how I feel about us as a band, or our music, or our records into that kind of stuff.”
Despite that cautious outlook, Moreno acknowledged the scale of what’s happening right now. “It’s exciting, and it’s nice to know, and it is, how we literally are bigger than we’ve ever been in our almost 30-year existence,” he said. “But it is exciting, we are very grateful.”
Rather than viewing the attention as validation, Moreno sees it as motivation — particularly when it comes to live performances and the band’s latest studio work. “We wanna live up to it as well, I think in our live shows, and this record [Private Music] that we made,” he explained. “It also makes us want to be better—or as best we can be. It kind of pushes you a little bit.”
For Moreno and Deftones, the renewed spotlight isn’t about rewriting the past, but about meeting the moment without losing perspective. “I think we are just in the moment, right? And enjoying it. Rolling with it.”
You can also catch Deftones at one of their many tour dates throughout 2026. Tickets are available here.
1/29 Paris FR Adidas Arena
1/30 Bruxelles BE Forest National
2/1 Hamburg DE Barclays Arena
2/3 Munich DE Zenith
2/5 Lodz PL Atlas Arena
2/6 Berlin DE Max-Schmeling-Halle
2/7 Dortmund DE Westfalenhalle 1
2/9 Stuttgart DE Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
2/10 Amsterdam NL AFAS Live
2/12 Birmingham UK BP Pulse Live
2/13 Glasgow UK OVO Hydro
2/14 Manchester UK Co-op Live
2/16 Dublin IE 3Arena
2/18 Cardiff UK Utilita Arena Cardiff
2/20 London UK The O2
3/13 Santiago CL Lollapalooza Chile 2026
3/15 San Isidro AR Lollapalooza Argentina 2026
3/17 Luque PY Asuncionico 2026
3/20 Sao Paulo BR Lollapalooza Brasil 2026
3/22 Bogota CO Estereo Picnic 2026
3/27 Monterrey MX Tecate Pal Norte 2026
3/29 Mexico City MX Palacio de los Deportes
5/2 Sydney AU Qudos Bank Arena
5/3 Sydney AU Qudos Bank Arena
5/6 Brisbane AU Brisbane Entertainment Centre
5/7 Brisbane AU Brisbane Entertainment Centre
5/9 Melbourne AU Rod Laver Arena
5/10 Melbourne AU Rod Laver Arena
5/13 Auckland NZ Spark Arena
8/18 Berlin DE Parkbuhne Wuhlheide
8/20 Charleville-Mezieres FR Cabaret Vert 2026
8/23 London UK Outbreak Fest 2026
8/25 Dublin IE Irish Museum of Modern Art
8/27 Edinburgh UK Royal Highland Centre
8/29 Saint-Cloud FR Rock en Seine 2026
10/24 Fort Worth TX Sick New World Texas 2026
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