Trent Reznor is the multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and creative force behind Nine Inch Nails. He was trained as a classical pianist during his small-town Pennsylvania childhood starting at the age of five, but his discovery of rock and early industrial groups, despite his dislike of the 'industrial' tag, changed his musical direction completely.

Following a period working in a Cleveland recording studio and playing in local bands, Reznor began recording as Nine Inch Nails in 1988.

The dark, atmospheric Pretty Hate Machine, written, played and co-produced by Reznor, was largely synthesizer-based, but the material was transformed onstage by a ferocious wall of guitars, and show-stealing Lollapalooza performances in 1991.

The major US hit, 'Head Like A Hole' brought platinum status. Inspired by the live band, Reznor added an abrasive guitar barrage to the Nine Inch Nails sound for Broken (a subsequent remix set was titled Fixed), which hit the US Top 10, winning a Grammy for 'Wish'.

'Happiness In Slavery', however, courted controversy with an almost universally banned video, where performance artist Bob Flanagan gave himself up to be torn apart as slave to a machine, acting out the theme of control common to Reznor's lyrics. Reznor also filmed an unreleased full-length Broken video, which he said "makes 'Happiness In Slavery' look like a Disney movie".

By this time, Reznor had relocated to Los Angeles, building a studio in a rented house at 10050 Cielo Drive, which he later discovered was the scene of the Tate murders by the Manson family (much to his disgust, due to eternal interview questions thereafter about the contribution of the house's atmosphere to The Downward Spiral).

Occupying the middle ground between the styles of previous releases, The Downward Spiral's multi-layered blend of synthesizer textures and guitar fury provides a fascinating soundscape for Reznor's exploration of human degradation through sex, drugs, violence, depression and suicide, closing with personal emotional pain on 'Hurt': 'I hurt myself today, To see if I still feel, I focus on the pain, The only thing that's real'.

The Downward Spiral made its US debut at number 2, and a return to live work with Robin Finck (guitar), Danny Lohneer (bass, guitar), James Woolley (keyboards) and Reznor's long-time friend and drummer Chris Vrenna drew floods of praise with Nine Inch Nails being one of the most talked-about acts at the Woodstock anniversary show.
The first non-Nine Inch Nails releases on Reznor's Nothing label appeared in 1994, and the band also found time to construct an acclaimed soundtrack for Oliver Stone's film Natural Born Killers.

In the following year Reznor announced plans to record an album with circus 'freak show' specialist Jim Rose, stating with typical bombast: "the record will confront just about every issue that upsets people. It will be non-PC in every way imaginable". In late 1996 Reznor was working with film director David Lynch on the music score for Lost Highway. Reznor also acted as guest musician and executive producer on Marilyn Manson's 1994 debut album, where half of the tracks mixed at the Sharon Tate house were where NIN have also recorded.