# Sixx:A.M.
**Sixx:A.M.** is an American hard rock band formed in 2007 in Los Angeles, California, by [Mötley Crüe](https://www.edgepedia.org/motley-crue) bassist [Nikki Sixx](https://www.edgepedia.org/nikki-sixx), guitarist [DJ Ashba](https://www.edgepedia.org/dj-ashba), and vocalist, producer, and rhythm guitarist James Michael.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sixxam-mn0000639030/biography) The name joins the three men's surnames and initials: Sixx, Ashba, and Michael.[2](https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/496873-dj-ashba/99) The group began not as a band but as the musical companion to Sixx's 2007 autobiography *The Heroin Diaries*, and it turned into a full touring act only after its debut single reached radio.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sixxam-mn0000639030/biography) • [3](https://www.headbangerslifestyle.com/features/interviews/dj-ashba-guitarist-of-sixx-a-m/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007, Los Angeles, California[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sixxam-mn0000639030/biography) |
| Members | Nikki Sixx (bass), DJ Ashba (lead guitar), James Michael (vocals, rhythm guitar, production)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sixxam-mn0000639030/biography) • [4](https://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/feature-sixx-am-10-14/) |
| Name origin | Initials and surnames of Sixx, Ashba, and Michael[2](https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/496873-dj-ashba/99) |
| Debut | *The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack* (2007), written as accompaniment to Sixx's memoir *The Heroin Diaries*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sixxam-mn0000639030/biography) • [3](https://www.headbangerslifestyle.com/features/interviews/dj-ashba-guitarist-of-sixx-a-m/) |
| Breakout single | "Life Is Beautiful," sent to radio by the label and reported by Ashba as reaching number one[3](https://www.headbangerslifestyle.com/features/interviews/dj-ashba-guitarist-of-sixx-a-m/) |
| Studio albums | *The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack* (2007), *This Is Gonna Hurt* (2011), *Modern Vintage* (2014), *Prayers for the Damned* and *Prayers for the Blessed, Vol. 2* (2016)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sixxam-mn0000639030/biography) |
| Later release | *Hits* compilation, October 22, 2021 on Better Noise Music, 20 tracks including 6 previously unheard[5](https://www.therockpit.net/2022/sixx-a-m-hits-album-review/) |
## Origins
The project came together by accident, in the band members' own telling. Ashba met Sixx at a funeral, and he had already been working with James Michael, a producer who regularly called him in as a session guitarist; Sixx and Ashba then became songwriting partners at Funny Farm Studios, writing material for other artists.[6](https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/interviews/dj-ashba-sixxam/) Sixx brought his diaries to the studio, and the three began setting them to music.[3](https://www.headbangerslifestyle.com/features/interviews/dj-ashba-guitarist-of-sixx-a-m/) The original plan was to package the resulting CD in the back of the book; the idea of a touring band was never part of it.[3](https://www.headbangerslifestyle.com/features/interviews/dj-ashba-guitarist-of-sixx-a-m/) • [2](https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/496873-dj-ashba/99)
**The accident of success.** [Management](https://www.edgepedia.org/management) sent "Life Is Beautiful" to radio stations without the band's involvement, and the song reached number one; only then, Ashba says, did the group need a name, and the three surnames produced Sixx:A.M.[3](https://www.headbangerslifestyle.com/features/interviews/dj-ashba-guitarist-of-sixx-a-m/) • [2](https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/496873-dj-ashba/99) AllMusic's biography describes the band as originally conceived as a one-off recording project that became a full-fledged touring group after two more songs fared well on modern rock charts.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sixxam-mn0000639030/biography)
## Albums
**The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack (2007).** The debut's 13 tracks coincide with the chapters of the book, combining the theatrics of 1980s hair metal with spoken-word pieces, electro-industrial beats, and occasional circus music to tell the story of Sixx's rise and fall.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sixxam-mn0000639030/biography) "Life Is Beautiful" became a mainstream rock hit.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sixxam-mn0000639030/biography)
**This Is Gonna Hurt (2011).** The second album, released May 3, 2011 on Eleven Seven and produced by James Michael, runs 11 tracks and about 48 minutes.[7](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/21640-sixx-am-this-is-gonna-hurt.php) It served as the soundtrack to a book of Sixx's photography, and *Classic Rock* described it as a confessional trawl through the darker corners of his life, with songs such as "Lies Of The Beautiful People" carrying modern rock trappings around a traditional arena rock heart.[8](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/sixx-a-m-this-is-gonna-hurt) A companion release, the EP *7*, followed on December 13, 2011 with reworked versions of album material over 29:45.[9](https://www.allmusic.com/album/7-mw0002413764)
**Modern Vintage (2014).** The third album was the first written without a book or other peripheral project attached, as Michael explained in a 2014 interview.[4](https://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/feature-sixx-am-10-14/) It contains 11 songs in 42:23 and was released on Eleven Seven Music.[10](https://www.metal.de/reviews/sixx-a-m-modern-vintage-59668/) The band cited 1970s influences including Queen, David Bowie, T. Rex, and Sweet,[10](https://www.metal.de/reviews/sixx-a-m-modern-vintage-59668/) and the record includes a cover of [The Cars](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cars)' "Drive".[10](https://www.metal.de/reviews/sixx-a-m-modern-vintage-59668/) Reviewers split over the result: *Classic Rock* called it a patchy cluster of hits and misses,[11](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/sixx-a-m-modern-vintage) while [Metal Injection](https://www.edgepedia.org/metal-injection) scored it 8/10 and praised the opener "Stars" and first single "Gotta Get It Right," noting that Jeff Fabb of Black Label Society played drums.[12](https://metalinjection.net/reviews/album-review-sixxa-m-modern-vintage)
**Prayers for the Damned and Prayers for the Blessed (2016).** The fourth album, *Prayers for the Damned*, appeared on April 29, 2016, running 49:30 and recorded at Ashbaland Studios in Las Vegas and Red Level Three Studios in Los Angeles.[13](https://www.allmusic.com/album/prayers-for-the-damned-mw0002921959) It was the first part of a planned double-album project, with the second volume, *Prayers for the Blessed, Vol. 2*, written and recorded at the same time and released about six months later.[13](https://www.allmusic.com/album/prayers-for-the-damned-mw0002921959) • [14](https://sixxammusic.com/bio/) Sixx explained the staggered release by saying he did not want listeners overwhelmed or handed filler; Ashba created the artwork for both volumes.[14](https://sixxammusic.com/bio/) • [15](https://sixx-am.squarespace.com/dj-ashba) AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine found the album hard and heavy, organized around outward-facing calls for the alienated to rise rather than the inward exorcism of the debut.[13](https://www.allmusic.com/album/prayers-for-the-damned-mw0002921959)
**Hits (2021).** The compilation *Hits*, released October 22, 2021 on Better Noise Music, gathered 20 tracks spanning the band's career, of which six were previously unheard, marking the first new material since 2016.[5](https://www.therockpit.net/2022/sixx-a-m-hits-album-review/) The Rockpit scored it 7.5/10, singling out "The First 21" and a piano mix of "Life Is Beautiful."[5](https://www.therockpit.net/2022/sixx-a-m-hits-album-review/)
## From side project to priority
For most of the band's first decade it competed with its members' main commitments: Sixx remained in Mötley Crüe, which signed a Cessation of Touring Agreement in 2014 and completed a 72-city farewell tour,[16](https://time.com/5964/motley-crue-nikki-sixx-farewell-tour/) while Ashba held a seat in [Guns N' Roses](https://www.edgepedia.org/guns-n-roses).[3](https://www.headbangerslifestyle.com/features/interviews/dj-ashba-guitarist-of-sixx-a-m/) In a 2015 interview Sixx said that once 2016 arrived, Sixx:A.M. would be his focus and the band would take its show around the world.[17](https://globalnews.ca/news/1963747/watch-nikki-sixx-dj-ashba-james-michael-on-sixxa-m-and-fans/) After Mötley Crüe ended and Ashba left Guns N' Roses, both men said they had decided to refocus their attention on Sixx:A.M.[3](https://www.headbangerslifestyle.com/features/interviews/dj-ashba-guitarist-of-sixx-a-m/)
Sixx's bass work took a different shape in this band than in Mötley Crüe. He told *Bass Player* that "Pray for Me" was the song best described as his bass style, and that he played with his fingers on half of one Sixx:A.M. record, producing a pocket he called less aggressive but more subtle than his pick-driven Crüe playing.[18](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/nikki-sixx-names-his-biggest-weakness-as-a-rock-bassist)
## References
1. [Sixx:A.M. Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sixxam-mn0000639030/biography)
2. [DJ Ashba interview, Miami Living Magazine](https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/496873-dj-ashba/99)
3. [DJ Ashba interview, HeadBangers Lifestyle](https://www.headbangerslifestyle.com/features/interviews/dj-ashba-guitarist-of-sixx-a-m/)
4. [Sixx:A.M. – High On The Music, Metal Forces Magazine](https://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/feature-sixx-am-10-14/)
5. [Sixx A.M. – Hits Album Review, The Rockpit](https://www.therockpit.net/2022/sixx-a-m-hits-album-review/)
6. [DJ Ashba – Sixx:A.M. – The Magic Behind The Songs, The Strange Brew](https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/interviews/dj-ashba-sixxam/)
7. [This Is Gonna Hurt, Album of the Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/21640-sixx-am-this-is-gonna-hurt.php)
8. [Sixx:A.M.: This Is Gonna Hurt, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/sixx-a-m-this-is-gonna-hurt)
9. [7, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/7-mw0002413764)
10. [Sixx:A.M. – Modern Vintage, metal.de](https://www.metal.de/reviews/sixx-a-m-modern-vintage-59668/)
11. [Sixx:A.M.: Modern Vintage, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/sixx-a-m-modern-vintage)
12. [Album Review: Sixx:A.M. Modern Vintage, Metal Injection](https://metalinjection.net/reviews/album-review-sixxa-m-modern-vintage)
13. [Prayers for the Damned, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/prayers-for-the-damned-mw0002921959)
14. [About Sixx:A.M., official site](https://sixxammusic.com/bio/)
15. [DJ Ashba, official site](https://sixx-am.squarespace.com/dj-ashba)
16. [Nikki Sixx Says Goodbye for Good, Time](https://time.com/5964/motley-crue-nikki-sixx-farewell-tour/)
17. [Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba, James Michael on Sixx:A.M., Global News](https://globalnews.ca/news/1963747/watch-nikki-sixx-dj-ashba-james-michael-on-sixxa-m-and-fans/)
18. [Nikki Sixx names his biggest weakness as a rock bassist, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/nikki-sixx-names-his-biggest-weakness-as-a-rock-bassist)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Rock bands › Hard rock bands › 1990s and 2000s hard rock bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license