Ever find yourself relating to someone’s music?
Well, that’s probably because you can relate to the artist as well.
As an INTJ, I found myself drawn to many musicians that share my personality type.
And today, I’ll share those INTJ musicians with you.
So let’s dive straight in.
11 Musicians With INTJ Personality Type
Let’s get straight to the point. Here are famous people in the music industry that share the INTJ personality type.
Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)
Roger Waters, the bassist and main mastermind behind Pink Floyd’s most popular albums, is a typical INTJ.
His intuitive thinking and abstract mind really come through in his lyrics and music. And really, it’s no wonder why so many INTJs love Pink Floyd.
But while Roger is a typical INTJ, he’s also a good example of an unhealthy one.
Losing his father as a baby is something that he struggled with his whole life. And at some point, he was clearly stuck in a Ni-Fi loop, which is when his feeling function suppresses intuition. As a result, he’s very distrustful of everyone around him, even his bandmates.
Arguably one of his greatest works, the album “The Wall” is a representation of a Ni-Fi loop at its finest. It shows self-centeredness, irrationality, uncertainty, and, of course, grip stress.
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
The main guitarist of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi, is another great example of an INTJ.
Tony is a very reserved person. You don’t really get to see him talk about his private life and relationships in interviews. All he ever talks about is the band.
Now, that sounds like something both INTJ and INFJ would do.
But Tommy is a clear NT user, and that’s apparent in this quote:
“In the past, before Ozzy sang something, I’d sort of know what he was going to sing. I’d know what sort of way a melody was going to go ’cause of the way he’d approach it.”
It’s not that Ozzy is overly predictable. But Tony could easily see patterns in Ozzy’s creative expression. This cognitive function is INTJ 101.
Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)
Jerry is the man behind the band. Aside from being the founder, lead guitarist, and singer, he’s also the main songwriter. And that’s how we get to see his INTJ personality.
Truth be told, he’s more of an unhealthy INTJ. That’s pretty apparent with his second solo album named “Degradation Trip.”
The album is very dark in nature and has a strong nihilistic vibe. While making the album, Jerry was dealing with addiction. And in the album, he tried to process the nature of a problem which is conflicting with his INTJ go-getter personality.
As an INTJ, Jerry is very goal-oriented and motivated, even when he was battling with addiction. And while there’s a clear Ni-Fi loop pattern in his solo work, it’s not something that permeates through the whole band’s discography.
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave)
Chris Cornell, the lead vocalist of Soundgarden and Audioslave, is a textbook example of an unhealthy INTJ musician.
He struggled with depression and substance abuse for most of his career. At that point in time, he was in a clear Ni-Fi loop, and that’s pretty apparent in his work.
The song “Blow Up the Outside World” is a great example. It really shows how an INTJ can get lost in their own thoughts. When the outside world appears awful and disappointing, INTJ characters can fall into a state of maladaptive daydreaming.
Now, not all his work is so dark. But all of it shows perfectly how an INTJ thinks. Let’s take the song “Be Yourself” as an example.
The song really depicts how INTJs approach life as a whole. They explore every single option and find parallels between them, only to find the most fitting answer. Well, it doesn’t get any more INTJ than that.
Jay-Z
To be honest, I never thought of Jay-Z as an INTJ. That was until I researched his life and career more.
And really, you can clearly see an INTJ behavior.
First, Jay-Z has a strong intuition with a clear focus on the bigger picture. He’s future-oriented and always searches for the most logical and efficient solution to a problem.
The interesting thing is that he always saw music as a career rather than a venting outlet. And that shows clearly that intuition and thinking functions are way above his feeling and sensing ones.
After all, he’s the only rapper that turned his label into a billion-dollar-making machine – on his own.
One interesting fact about Jay-Z is that he reads whatever he gets his hands on. Even if the book in question is a dictionary – he still puts it to good use. There are words that he can learn, and that can help him make new rhymes.
Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple)
Although Deep Purple has more of an ISTP vibe, the band’s main guitarist and songwriter was an INTJ.
His personality type is pretty clear when you look at how he perceives music. For some musicians, music is more about having fun. But Ritchie had a more pragmatic opinion.
“Well, I like to think that music is very serious, and it’s not fun. I’m not one of these guys that likes jamming with people and having fun; music is too serious, and I don’t feel like I can relate if I’m having fun.”
To Ritchie, music is much deeper than some joke that makes you laugh for ten seconds. Sure, making music can be quite gratifying. But it’s definitely hard work.
Ritchie was very introverted and closed. He hated when others would interfere with his work, so he would lock himself in a room to play guitar undisturbed. Like a true INTJ, he preferred others staying out of his “world.”
James Hetfield (Metallica)
On the scene, the Metallica frontman and guitarist may not appear very INTJ-like.
But as soon as he speaks, his personality comes out.
Even as a kid, James was very quiet and reserved. While some may have thought he was just very shy, in reality, he just hated communicating with people.
He’s very straightforward about that. James admits he’s not the most social dude you can meet.
“It’s not like, ‘Let’s all get in a big room and jam.’ I like my peace and quiet here. That allows me to make my noise and create by myself, and then, when the band gets together, we take it to another level.”
But what he doesn’t express in communication, he definitely puts out through his music. According to James, music has given him the power to express himself in the way it’s most natural to him.
50 Cent
Interestingly enough, 50 Cent never struck me as an INTJ. But that’s only because I never paid that much attention to his interviews.
In truth, he’s very blunt and doesn’t care how that comes out.
“I’m not sensitive, I give people things exactly the way they are, and if they’re ready to absorb it, they will, and if they aren’t, they won’t.”
If this doesn’t scream INTJ, I don’t know what does.
Now, 50 Cent is often misinterpreted when it comes to MBTI types, and that mainly stems from his song lyrics. Even as a billionaire, he still raps about the hardships of living as a gangster.
This is what people often think of him as a feeling or sensing type. But in reality, he’s just looking at music as a job. And those lyrics sell, even though they’re not depicting his current life.
Maynard James Keenan (Tool)
Now, I had absolutely no doubts that Maynard James Keenan is an INTJ. Tool’s singer and main lyricist is a textbook example of the architect type.
If you don’t believe me, just watch any of his interviews. You’ll notice that he’s very reserved and holds back. But when he speaks, he’s extremely blunt to the point of coming off as rude. Some may depict him as a misanthrope, but he’s just being his true INTJ self.
What’s pretty clear about him is that he’s very creative and abstract. And while he struggles to put his thoughts into words when communicating, that’s definitely not the truth when it comes to his music.
Martin Gore (Depeche Mode)
This is yet another example of an INTJ in the role of the main songwriter. Even the band itself gives off the INTJ vibe, and that’s obviously thanks to the brain behind the music.
When watching interviews with the band, it’s clear that Martin is often “somewhere else.” His mind tends to wander off, probably doing something way more interesting than talking.
Still, when he does talk, true INTJ thoughts come out.
When asked what’s their biggest achievement as a band, his answer is – their longevity. It’s clear here that his mind is on the big picture and that he values consistency over other things.
Likewise, when talking about making song covers, the process of him doing so is very INTJ.
“With each song, you have to figure out what the important elements are to keep them.” His strong intuitive function is clear here, as he narrows down options to the most efficient ones.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Finally, this list wouldn’t be complete without one of the biggest INTJ musicians of all time.
Even as a young boy, Beethoven was always very blunt and direct, which others perceived as rude. He was also very headstrong and not willing to conform just for the sake of doing that.
However, this German composer of classical music is a typical example of an unhealthy INTJ.
His struggles in communication led him to fall into a Ni-Fi loop, and he became distrustful of everyone.
And the more he struggled with the loop, the more he turned to his dark side. In time, he stopped taking care of his appearance, to the point of cops not recognizing him upon his arrest.
To Sum Things Up
As you can see, some of the greatest musicians in the world were/are INTJs.
And interestingly enough, the majority of them are in charge of making lyrics or music. Lucky for us, cause we get to see their amazing intuition and thinking functions put to good use.
Do you know any other famous INTJ people? Here’s our list of celebrities with this personality type.