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Revision as of 17:02, 30 June 2015 by Joemeservy (talk | contribs) (→Tours)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) This article is about the musician. For the American football player, see Brandon Flowers (American football).
Brandon Flowers
Flowers in 2010Flowers in 2010
Background information
Birth nameBrandon Richard Flowers
Born (1981-06-21) June 21, 1981 (age 43)
OriginHenderson, Nevada, United States
GenresSynthpop, alternative rock, new wave, heartland rock, post-punk revival
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano, synthesizer, keyboards, bass guitar, guitar
Years active2001–present
LabelsIsland, Vertigo, Marrakesh
Websitebrandonflowersmusic.com
Musical artist

Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and lyricist. He is a principal songwriter and lead singer of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers. Flowers has also launched a solo career, releasing 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.

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. His older siblings are his brother Shane and four sisters April, Shelly, Amy, and Stephanie. 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. 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.

Career

The Killers (2001–present)

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. Between 2003 and 2013 they released four consecutive chart-topping albums and sold more than 25 million albums worldwide. 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.

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

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. Sir Elton John listed Flowers as one of his topfive heroes while editing The Independent's World Aids Day special edition. U2's Bono praised Flowers' voice to The Globe and Mail saying, “We need him on the radio...His voice!” Flowers sings in a tenor vocal range.

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. The album drew heavy influence from Flowers' 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 (Flowers' birthday). It became Flowers' fifth top ten single in the UK, including work by the Killers. The video for "Crossfire" featured actress Charlize Theron and was nominated for Best Video at the NME Awards. Flamingo was Flower'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.

SPIN named Brandon Flowers one of "The 15 Best Shows of the Summer" in 2010 for his performance at the Shimmer Showroom in Las Vegas. SPIN also listed him as one of "The 25 Best Fall Tours"/"Must-See Fall Tours". While on tour Flowers had special guests including Andy Summers (of the Police), Fran Healy (of Travis), and Stuart Price.

The Desired Effect (2015–present)

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' second consecutive solo number one album. 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". 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). Multiple reviews have stated that the album is Flowers' finest since Hot Fuss. The album was preceded by positively reviewed singles "Can't Deny My Love", "Still Want You", "Lonely Town", and "I Can Change". Fourth single "I Can Change" which features Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) and charted on the UK and Irish Singles charts.

A European tour was commenced in Dublin, Ireland on May 19th. MTV rated Flowers' tour stop at London's Brixton Academy five stars. In April 2015 Flowers announced a North American solo tour in promotion of the album. The tour is set to run from July 27th through October 1st.

Influences

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

Personal life

Flowers is married. He has three sons. Flowers' parents met as teenagers, and he wrote the song "A Dustland Fairytale" as a tribute to their marriage and lifelong romance. Flowers' grandmother is from Lithuania.

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

Discography

Main article: Brandon Flowers discography See also: The Killers discography

The Killers

Solo

Billboard Number 1 Tracks

Tours

Awards

Brandon Flowers has been awarded the Q Idol Award.

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.

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

Philanthropic contributions

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. 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).

See also

References

  1. "Muse, Pulp and Blur win Q Awards". BBC News.
  2. ^ "Jean Flowers Obituary - Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas Review-Journal". Legacy.com. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  4. Joshua Longobardy (February 15, 2007). "When he was young". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  5. Patterson, Spencer. "Almost Famous - Las Vegas Sun News". Lasvegassun.com. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  6. Craig McLean (September 9, 2012). "On the road with the Killers: The return of America's greatest rock band - Features - Music". London: The Independent. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  7. "'I'm from Sunday School of rock... more hip kids should find God' | The Sun |Scottish News". Thescottishsun.co.uk. July 7, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  8. Thrills, Adrian (December 13, 2013). "The Killer so scared he fell off the stage! Brandon Flowers on a UK debut that went very wrong". Daily Mail. London.
  9. McCormick, Neil (March 12, 2009). "100 Greatest Songs of All Time: 75 - 51". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  10. "Watch: The Killers play the White House " Consequence of Sound". Consequenceofsound.net. July 5, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  11. Mark Beaumont. "The Killers – review | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  12. "Bruce Springsteen, the Killers, Psy nominated for Wembley Stadium's Greatest Moment Of 2013 | News". Nme.Com. December 7, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  13. "Rufus Wainwright gaily strikes gold". Herald Sun. Australia. August 30, 2007.
  14. "World Aids Day special: Elton John to edit The Independent and i". The Independent. London. November 30, 2010.
  15. Sturges, Fiona (December 1, 2010). "Elton's Heroes: No. 4 – Brandon Flowers". The Independent. London.
  16. Brad Wheeler (September 6, 2012). "Achtung! Where does U2 go from here?". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  17. "Brandon Flowers | Artist". Official Charts. September 18, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  18. "Brandon Flowers .com.br Flamingo & Crossfire Official Dates". Brandonflowers.com.br. June 19, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  19. "Brandon Flowers Debuts at No. 1 in U.K." Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  20. "The 15 Best Shows of the Summer | BRANDON FLOWERS". SPIN.com. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  21. "Brandon Flowers Plots Tour Dates". SPIN.com. September 13, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  22. "Brandon Flowers, Fran Healy @ Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles 11/10/10". Stereogum.
  23. "Brandon Flowers' album has The Desired Effect on albums chart". officialcharts.com.
  24. David Renshaw (August 27, 2014). "NME News The Killers' Brandon Flowers reveals details of 2015 solo album - NME.COM". NME.COM.
  25. "NME News Brandon Flowers says second solo album is 'definitely going to be different'". Nme.com. December 18, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  26. Kreps, Daniel (August 28, 2014). "Brandon Flowers Leaves Comfort Zone for New Solo Album". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  27. "REVIEW: Brandon Flowers – The Desired Effect | PressPLAY". Pressplayok.com. May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  28. Andy Morris. "Brandon Flowers - The Desired Effect". gigwise.com.
  29. Brian Passey (May 28, 2015). "Brandon Flowers returns with 'Hot Fuss'-style new wave". St. George News.
  30. Anna Gunn (June 5, 2015). "Brandon Flowers - The Desired Effect - Album Review - Hit The Floor". Hit The Floor.
  31. Corner, Lewis (March 28, 2015). "This week's new singles reviewed: Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Brandon Flowers - Music Feature". Digitalspy.com. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  32. "Brandon Flowers 'Can't Deny My Love' Review: New Single from 'The Desired Effect' Pulls Heavily from the '80s [LISTEN] : Buzz". Musictimes.com. March 23, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  33. Taylor, Kim (April 13, 2015). "PREMIERE: Here's the Slick New Brandon Flowers Video for "Still Want You" | NOISEY". Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  34. "Brandon Flowers - Lonely Town". YouTube.com. April 27, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  35. "Brandon Flowers Kills It At London's Brixton Academy, While Joywave Provide The 'Somebody New'". MTV UK.
  36. "Brandon Flowers 2015 North American Solo Tour Schedule". April 27, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  37. "Brandon Flowers Announces 2015 Solo Tour Dates". April 20, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  38. "Brandon Flowers Announces North American Solo Tour". April 21, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  39. "Famous Mormons: Brandon Flowers". Famousmormons.org. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  40. "The Killers - Battle Born Album Review". Musicworthreviewing.com. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  42. "ArjanWrites.com". ArjanWrites.com. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  43. Laudadio, Marisa (July 16, 2007). "The Killers Singer Brandon Flowers, Wife Have a Son". People. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  44. Sarah Michaud (April 5, 2011). "Brandon Flowers Welcomes Son Henryetta". People. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  45. "Interview with Brandon Flowers of The Killers - Nottingham Post". Nottingham Post.
  46. ""THE KILLERS": BRANDON FLOWERS: "MY GRANDMA IS FROM LITHUANIA!"". MTV Europe. November 18, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  47. Petersen, Sarah (September 17, 2012), "Rock star Brandon Flowers defends Mormon faith against famous atheist", Deseret News
  48. Haglund, David (October 17, 2011), "Brow Beat: Slates Culture Blog", Slate, I'm a Father, a Husband, and a Rock Star. And I'm a Mormon.
  49. Wood, Benjamin (October 17, 2011), "The Music Mix", Entertainment Weekly, The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers makes 'I'm a Mormon' video: Watch it here
  50. "The Killers: Annual (Red) Christmas Song". RED. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  51. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/observations-alisters-cover-a-hot-topic-with-another-charity-record-1739618.html
  52. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/achtung-baby-covers-album-to-benefit-concern-worldwides-emergency-famine-work-in-east-africa-133881778.html

External links

Brandon Flowers
Studio albums
Singles
Tours
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The Killers

List of the Killers band members

Studio albums
Compilation albums
Live albums
Extended plays
Singles
Other songs
Christmas songs
Concert tours
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