Ghost

Ghost is a Swedish rock band formed in Linköping in 2006. In 2010, they released a three-track demo, followed by a 7-inch vinyl called "Elizabeth", and later their debut full-length album, Opus Eponymous. The song "Ritual" was chosen by Kerrang! as one of "The 50 Most Evil Songs Ever". The Grammis-nominated album was widely acclaimed and significantly boosted their popularity. Their second album and major-label debut, Infestissumam, was released in 2013, debuting at number one in Sweden and winning the Grammis Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album. The band released their third studio album, Meliora, in 2015, reaching number one in Sweden and number eight in the US. Its lead single, "Cirice", earned them the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The band released their fourth studio album, Prequelle, in 2018. The band released their fifth studio album, Impera, in 2022.

Ghost is known for its eccentric stage presence. Seven of the band's eight members, known as the "Nameless Ghouls", wear nearly identical costumes, concealing their faces. Before a 2017 lawsuit filed by former band members, lead singer Tobias Forge concealed his identity behind a series of characters holding the title "Papa Emeritus". Portrayed by Forge in a prosthetic mask and makeup, the persona has been described as a "demonic anti-pope" and has undergone five incarnations: I, II, III, Nihil, and IV. For the band's 2018 album Prequelle and its subsequent global concert tour A Pale Tour Named Death, Forge played a character known as "Cardinal Copia", who was described as unrelated to the previous Papa Emeritus characters. Copia's costume consists of either cardinal robes or a black or white tuxedo; he also wears a prosthetic mask with black eye makeup and multicolored eyes, features present in each Papa character. In March 2020, at the final show of A Pale Tour Named Death, Copia was promoted to the title of "Papa Emeritus IV", a persona Forge continued to use for the album Impera and its associated concert tour, the Imperatour.