For years, the identity of the man behind the mask of Ghost was one of rock music’s most guarded secrets. However, when Tobias Forge was publicly outed as the mastermind behind the occult rock phenomenon in 2017 due to a high-profile lawsuit, his reaction wasn’t despair—it was liberation.
In a new interview with “Q With Tom Power,” the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist reflected on the moment the curtain was pulled back. According to Forge, dropping the exhaustion of maintaining a secret identity actually made his life easier, largely because he was confident the band’s artistic concept was strong enough to survive the reality of who he was.
“The idea of trying to maintain anonymity, and going to lengths to do so, from that angle, it was a relief,” Forge recalled. “Because then, all of a sudden, it was like, f**k that then! Even at the time, 10 years ago now, Ghost, as a depiction of what the band was like artistically, was gonna be bigger than I am. I didn’t worry. Of course, there might be a person here or there, where as soon as they see the person behind the band is not a 6ft 3in Viking with a big beard, they may not find that enough and decide to walk. I can live with that.”
Rather than stalling the band’s momentum, the unmasking coincided with Ghost‘s rise to arena status. Forge noted that albums like Meliora and Prequelle helped propel them forward regardless of the drama.
“I don’t know if that just coincided with us making, I don’t want to say better records, but bigger records,” Forge said. “We had more success.”
He also explained that he doesn’t view himself as a celebrity in the traditional sense. By accepting that his personal life is less captivating than the theatrical lore of Ghost, he found a new comfort zone in handling the press.
“I knew, as long as I don’t put my hand up every opportunity I have to do media, I will never be able to eclipse what Ghost is professionally,” he admitted. “I’m not interesting enough! I’m not comparable to Ghost, what that is. When I came to terms with that, I was like, ‘Great! I feel so much more comfortable doing interviews this way. I can be the commentator on the side. I can speak about the project as if I were a writer or the director or an actor.’”
Forge‘s identity was officially confirmed in 2017 when four former “Nameless Ghouls”—Simon Soderberg, Mauro Rubino, Henrik Palm, and Martin Hjertstedt—filed a lawsuit against him over royalty disputes. The suit was eventually dismissed in October 2018.
Today, Ghost is bigger than ever. The band released their latest album, Skeletá, in 2025 and is currently in the midst of their massive North American “Skeletour“.
Upcoming North American “Skeletour” Dates:
- February 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center
- February 12 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena
- February 14 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
- February 15 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
- February 17 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
- February 20 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
- February 21 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
- February 23 – Inglewood, CA – Intuit Dome
