Brandon Flowers

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This article is about the musician. For the American football player, see Brandon Flowers (American football).
Brandon Flowers
Brandon Flowers.jpeg
Flowers in 2010
Background information
Birth name Brandon Richard Flowers
Born (1981-06-21) June 21, 1981 (age 43)
Origin Henderson, Nevada, United States
Genres Synthpop, alternative rock, new wave, heartland rock, post-punk revival, pop-punk
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, piano, synthesizer, keyboards, bass, guitar
Years active 2001–present
Labels
Associated acts The Killers
Website brandonflowersmusic.com
Notable instruments
microKORG
Nord Lead 2
Fender Jazz Bass
M-Audio Venom
Moog Voyager
Korg MS20
Roland MKS-80

Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers, with whom he has recorded four studio albums.

In addition to his work with The Killers, Flowers has released two solo albums, Flamingo (2010) and The Desired Effect (2015). He has topped the UK Albums Chart six times, including work by the Killers, and is a recipient of the Q Idol Award.[1]

Early life

Brandon Flowers, the youngest of six children, was born on June 21, 1981, in Henderson, Nevada, to Jean Yvonne (née Barlow) and Terry Austin Flowers.[2] His older siblings are his brother Shane and four sisters April, Shelly, Amy, and Stephanie.[2] His family lived in Henderson until Flowers was eight, when they moved to Payson, Utah, for two years before moving to Nephi, Utah, at which time he was in the sixth grade.[3] Flowers lived in Nephi until his junior year at Juab High School. He moved to Las Vegas to live with his aunt and graduated from Chaparral High School in 1999.[4] The pop singer often says that growing up in Las Vegas as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helped prepare him for the world of rock and roll. "Really, being a Mormon in Las Vegas prepared me for the lion's den. It is sin city. The things that go on, the lights, it's the ultimate rock and roll stage. Without Las Vegas, I would be a wreck."[5]

Career

The Killers (2001–present)

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Main article: The Killers

Brandon Flowers responded to an ad that Dave Keuning had placed in the Las Vegas Weekly in late 2001, whereupon they became the Killers. After several short-lived bassists and drummers, Flowers and Keuning were joined by bassist Mark Stoermer and drummer Ronnie Vannucci, and the line-up became official in August 2002.[6] Between 2003 and 2013, they released four consecutive chart-topping albums and sold more than 25 million albums worldwide.[7][8][9] Flowers wrote the lyrics to the single "All These Things That I've Done" and its popular refrain "I Got Soul, But I'm Not A Soldier" that numbered among the "100 Greatest Songs of All Time" by The Daily Telegraph and earned one of the band's seven Grammy nominations.[10]

On July 4, 2010, the Killers headlined the "Salute to the Military" USO Concert at the White House. They performed "God Bless America" and favorites from their catalogue.[11] On June 22, 2013, the Killers headlined the 90,000 capacity Wembley Stadium, their biggest solo show to date.[12][13]

Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright wrote a song about Flowers called "Tulsa" for his fifth album Release the Stars. Wainwright has stated in numerous interviews that it was inspired by their first meeting at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to Wainwright, Flowers was "very flattered and somewhat bashful" about this tribute.[14] Sir Elton John listed Flowers as one of his top five heroes while editing The Independent's World Aids Day special edition.[15][16]

Flamingo (2010–11)

Debut solo album Flamingo was released worldwide and charted in the top ten albums in ten countries including the UK where it charted at number one.[17][18] The album drew heavy influence from Flowers's hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, and earned Flowers a Q Award nomination for Best Male Artist (2010). The first single from Flamingo, "Crossfire", was released on June 21. It became Flowers's first top ten single in the UK as a solo artist and was certified silver by the BPI. The video for "Crossfire" featured actress Charlize Theron and was nominated for Best Video at the NME Awards. Flamingo was Flowers's fourth consecutive studio album to reach no. 1 on the UK charts, including work by the Killers, who subsequently earned another consecutive UK No. 1.[19]

SPIN named Flowers one of "The 15 Best Shows of the Summer" in 2010 for his performance at the Shimmer Showroom in Las Vegas.[20] SPIN also listed the Flamingo Road Tour as one of "The 25 Best Fall Tours"/"Must-See Fall Tours".[21]

The Desired Effect (2015)

After some of the band members wanted "to take a break from touring and the rat race," Flowers decided to keep it going and record a second solo album.[22] Flowers released his second solo album The Desired Effect on May 15, 2015. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, making it Flowers's second consecutive solo number one album.[23] Flowers stated that the album was "definitely going to be different" from his last album, and he referred to producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Vampire Weekend, HAIM, Taylor Swift) as his "co-captain".[24][25] The album featured performances by notable artists including Bruce Hornsby, Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel), Joey Waronker (Beck), Carlos Alomar (David Bowie), and Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp).[26] The Desired Effect is Flowers's highest yet ranked album on Metacritic.[27][28] The Desired Effect was named the Album of the Year (2015) by The Sun and The San Francisco Examiner.[29][30] Multiple reviews have stated that the album is Flowers's finest since Hot Fuss.[31][32][33][34] The album was preceded by positively reviewed singles "Can't Deny My Love", "Still Want You", "Lonely Town", and "I Can Change".[35][36][37][38] Multiple tracks from the album have been listed on Best Songs of 2015 So Far lists by publications including SPIN, NPR, and Mashable. Half way through 2015, USA Today listed the album as one of the top five best albums of 2015 so far.[39]

The Desired Effect Tour includes performances in Europe and North America; it ran through October 1, 2015.[40][41][42] MTV rated Flowers' tour stop at London's Brixton Academy five stars.[43] Flowers performed for President Barack Obama in 2015 at the National Clean Energy Summit.[44] Flowers also performed at the Royal Variety Performance (2015) at Royal Albert Hall for members of the British Royal Family.[45][46]

In 2015, Flowers also featured on the closing track of New Order's Music Complete.[47]

Personal life

Flowers is married to Tana Munblowsky and resides in Las Vegas.[48][49] He has three sons, Ammon, Gunnar, and Henry. [50][51] Flowers' parents met as teenagers, and he wrote the song "A Dustland Fairytale" as a tribute to their marriage and lifelong romance.[52] Flowers' grandmother is from Lithuania.[53] Flowers' cousin is Craig Barlow, inductee to the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame.[54]

Flowers is a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[55] He and his family are featured in a promotional video on the church's website.[56][57]

Artistry

Influences

Flowers lists Oasis, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Cars, Morrissey, Pet Shop Boys, and U2 among his musical influences.[58][59]

Musical style and vocals

Flowers is widely regarded as the most prominent frontman of the new wave revival of the 2000s.[60][61] As a solo artist Flowers first exhibited elements of heartland rock as well as new wave-style alternative rock. On his sophomore album, Flowers exhibited greater pop tendencies, prompting Rolling Stone to dub The Desired Effect, "the best straight-up pop album made by a rock star in recent memory."[62]

Flowers possesses a four-octave low tenor vocal range.[63] U2's Bono praised Flowers's voice to The Globe and Mail saying, "We need him on the radio .... His voice!"[64]

Discography

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Main article: Brandon Flowers discography

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See also: The Killers discography
Studio albums

Tours

Awards

Brandon Flowers has been awarded the Q Idol Award.

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Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Brandon Flowers

The Killers have been nominated for seven GRAMMY Awards, seven BRIT Awards, and two World Music Awards.

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See also: List of awards and nominations received by the Killers

Philanthropy

Since 2006, the Killers have released annual Christmas themed singles and videos in aid of the charity Product Red, supporting The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.[65] They have also contributed songs for cover albums with proceeds going to charities supporting natural disaster relief (Rhythms del Mundo Classics) and famine-stricken areas (AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered).[66][67]

See also

References

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  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ [1] Archived January 16, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ McCormick, Neil. "'we can be Bigger than U2' there are no Limits to the Ambition of Brandon Flowers and His Band, the Killers – Yet in Person the Singer, Songwriter and Devout Mormon is a Fearful Man. He Talks to Neil McCormick." The Daily Telegraph: 31. Nov 27 2008. ProQuest. Web. 2 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  22. ↑ Doyle, Patrick. "Brandon Flowers, the Solo Killer." Rolling Stone May 07 2015: 18. ProQuest. Web. 1 October 2015.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  27. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/person/brandon-flowers
  28. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/person/the-killers
  29. ↑ http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/6812902/Coldplay-topple-One-Direction-as-Bizarre-group-of-the-year.html
  30. ↑ http://www.sfexaminer.com/2015s-top-albums/
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  44. ↑ http://www.cleanenergysummit.org/event-information/agenda
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2015/royal-variety-performance-2015-review-at-royal-albert-hall-london-the-biggest-night-in-showbiz/
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  48. ↑ [2] Archived September 8, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
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  60. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/297070/brandon-flowers/biography
  61. ↑ http://www.mtv.com/artists/brandon-flowers/
  62. ↑ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/brandon-flowers-the-desired-effect-20150519
  63. ↑ http://musical-elegy.tumblr.com/post/50950910627/brandon-flowersthe-killers-vocal-range
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  65. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  66. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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