Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician. He serves as the co-founder, lead vocalist, primary songwriter, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers, which he formed with Dave Keuning in 2001.
In addition to his work with the Killers, Flowers has released two solo albums, Flamingo (2010) and The Desired Effect (2015). He has reached number one on the UK Albums Chart ten times,[10][11] and on the Billboard 200 once (top ten, eight times),[12] including work with the Killers.
Early life
Brandon Richard Flowers, the youngest of six children, was born on June 21, 1981, in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nevada, to Jean Yvonne (née Barlow; 1945–2010)[13] and Terry Austin Flowers.[14] He has an older brother and four older sisters.[14] His parents met as teenagers, and he wrote the song "A Dustland Fairytale" as a tribute to their marriage and lifelong romance.[15] His grandmother was from Lithuania,[16] and his cousin is Craig Barlow, an inductee to the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame.[17]
Flowers's family lived in Henderson until Flowers was eight, when they moved to Payson, Utah, for two years before moving to Nephi, Utah, when he was in the sixth grade.[18] Flowers lived in Nephi until his junior year at Juab High School, when in 1997, at 16, he moved back to Las Vegas to live with his aunt.[19] He graduated from Chaparral High School in 1999.[20]
Flowers said that growing up in Las Vegas as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) 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."[21]
Brandon Flowers singing for the Killers Day & Age World TourFlowers onstage at BST Hyde Park in 2017
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.[22] Between 2003 and 2017, they released five consecutive chart-topping studio albums and have sold over 22 million records worldwide.[23][24] The Killers are among those artists who have spent more than 1,000 weeks on the UK music charts during their career. Flowers wrote the lyrics to the single "All These Things That I've Done" that numbered among the "100 Greatest Songs of All Time" by The Daily Telegraph and earned one of the band's seven Grammy nominations.[25] He is also the author of the lyrics of "Mr. Brightside," which is the third biggest selling/streaming song of all time in the United Kingdom and also holds the record for most weeks spent on the UK Singles Chart, at over 408 weeks.[26] Their second album Sam's Town, paid homage to Flowers' hometown and family, and earned the band their first BRIT Awards (Best International Album and Group), and included the chart-topping single "When You Were Young".[27] Before releasing their first Billboard 200 No.1 album Wonderful Wonderful (2017) and chart topping single "The Man", the band took a one-year hiatus during which Flowers released his second and most favorably reviewed solo album to that date.
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.[28] On June 22, 2013, the Killers headlined the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium, their biggest solo show to date.[29][30]
Flowers debuted his solo act at the Shimmer Showroom in Las Vegas on August 15, 2010.[31]Spin named it one of the "15 Best Shows of the Summer"[32] before listing the Flamingo Road Tour as one of the "25 Best Fall Tours"/"Must-See Fall Tours".[33]
Flowers' 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.[34][35] 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. It became Flowers' 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' fourth consecutive studio album to reach no. 1 on the UK charts, including work by the Killers, who subsequently earned another two consecutive UK No. 1's.[36]
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.[37]The Desired Effect was released on May 15, 2015. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, making it Flowers' second consecutive solo number one album.[38] 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".[39][40] The album featured performances by artists including Bruce Hornsby, Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel), Joey Waronker (Beck), Carlos Alomar (David Bowie), and Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp).[41]The Desired Effect is Flowers' highest yet ranked album on Metacritic[42][43] and honored as the Album of the Year (2015) by The San Francisco Examiner.[44][45] Reviews positively described the album as Flowers' finest work since Hot Fuss.[46][47][48][49] The album was preceded by positively reviewed singles "Can't Deny My Love", "Still Want You", "Lonely Town", and "I Can Change".[50][51][52][53] Multiple tracks from the album were listed on Best Songs of 2015 So Far lists by publications including SPIN, NPR, and Mashable. Halfway through 2015, USA Today listed the album as one of the top five best albums of 2015 so far.[54]
Flowers was one of two favorite artists asked to perform "Be Still" and "Home Means Nevada" at the funeral of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on January 8, 2022.[62] As of December 2023, Brandon Flowers is working on a new solo album.[63]
Flowers married Tana Mundkowsky in 2005 and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Park City, Utah.[69] He wrote the song "Some Kind of Love" for his wife who suffers from PTSD.[70] He and his wife have three sons, born in 2007, 2009, and 2011.[71][72][73] Their sons attended their first Killers concert in July 2017, at London's Hyde Park.[74]
Flowers is regarded as a prominent frontman of the new wave revival in the 2000s.[89][90] As a solo artist, Flowers first exhibited elements of heartland rock as well as new-wave-style alternative rock. On his second 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."[91] Flowers is a tenor.[92][93][94][95]
U2's lead singer Bono praised Flowers' voice to The Globe and Mail in 2015, saying "We need him on the radio .... His voice!"[96]
^Joshua Longobardy (February 15, 2007). "When he was young". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
^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. November 27, 2008. ProQuest. Web. October 2, 2015.
^Wood, Benjamin (October 17, 2011), "The Music Mix", Entertainment Weekly, The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers makes 'I'm a Mormon' video: Watch it here
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