Ghost is a Swedish rock band known for its distinctive blend of theatricality, heavy metal, and arena rock. Formed in Linköping in 2006, the band first gained attention with their 2010 three-track demo, followed by the 7-inch vinyl "Elizabeth" and their debut album, Opus Eponymous. This album, nominated for a Grammis and featuring the song "Ritual"—listed by Kerrang! as one of "The 50 Most Evil Songs Ever"—catapulted them to international recognition.

Their 2013 major label debut, Infestissumam, topped the Swedish charts and won a Grammis Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album. Ghost's ascendancy in the rock world continued with their 2015 album Meliora, which reached number one in Sweden and number eight in the US. The album's lead single, "Cirice", earned them the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.

Renowned for their unique on-stage presence, Ghost's members, except for the lead vocalist, are known as "Nameless Ghouls" and perform in matching, face-concealing costumes. Until a 2017 lawsuit filed by former members of Ghost, the band's frontman, Tobias Forge, performed incognito under the persona of "Papa Emeritus", a character known for its "demonic anti-pope" imagery. This theatrical element has been a hallmark of Ghost, with Forge adopting various incarnations of Papa Emeritus and other characters, such as "Cardinal Copia" for the 2018 album Prequelle and its supporting tour, A Pale Tour Named Death. Each character, marked by a prosthetic mask with black eye makeup and multi-colored eyes, adds to the band's mystique. In 2020, during the final show of this tour, Forge's Cardinal Copia character was promoted and transformed into "Papa Emeritus IV", a persona he continued with for the 2022 album Impera and the corresponding Imperatour.