Matt Berninger

As frontman for the popular indie act The National, singer/songwriter Matt Berninger was a key component in the band's moody chamber pop sound, which drew critical and fan raves for such hit albums as High Violet (2012) and Trouble Will Find Me (2013). Berninger's baritone voice -- which suggested the deep, resonant vocals of singers like Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave -- and pensive lyrics fueled The National's Americana-flecked music, which rose from the indie scene in the early 2000s to the top of the popular music charts within a decade. Berninger's voice and lyrics also cultivated a persona of detached cool that was punctured by the 2013 documentary "Mistaken for Strangers," in which he tangled verbally throughout a 2010 with his more easy-going if hapless brother, Tom, who also directed. Berninger's artful songwriting and memorable voice helped to underscore The National's status as one of the most successful bands on the American indie scene in the 2010s and beyond.