Brendon Urie

Brendon Boyd Urie is the lead singer and frontman of the rock band Panic at the Disco. He also plays keyboard, accordion, piano, organ, bass, guitar, and drums.

Biography
Early life
Brendon Boyd Urie grew up listening to many Christian Hardcore bands. Bandmate Ryan Ross says that Urie is no longer "the good Mormon boy we once knew."

When asked in a recent Kerrang! interview about the last CD Urie purchased, he answered "Legend by Bob Marley. I went to see my family a little while ago. They're Hawaiian and like to listen to lots of island music, so I rediscovered his music while I was around them."

Panic at the Disco
It was at Palo Verde High School, in his guitar class, that Urie met Brent Wilson. Wilson had asked Urie to try out as lead guitarist for Panic At The Disco, as they were looking for a replacement at the time. A boy named Trevor had previously held this position. Originally, Urie was not the band's lead singer. Rather, the position had belonged to current guitarist and lyricist, Ryan Ross. However, when the band heard him sing backup during a rehearsal, they were impressed with his vocal abilities and unanimously decided to make him the singer.

In order to promote their music, the band contacted Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, through LiveJournal, and sent him a link to their PureVolume site along with their three recorded songs, "Time to Dance" and "Nails for Breakfast,Tacks for Snacks" which at the time were unnamed. Wentz was so impressed that he took a trip to Las Vegas to meet the band in person. After seeing them play acoustically in their garage, he asked if they would sign with his Fueled by Ramen imprint label Decaydance even though they had only two songs and had never played a show. The band then made an agreement with Wentz to record an album in College Park, Maryland once Brendon had graduated from high school.
Before graduation, Urie's parents strongly encouraged him to attend college, but against their wishes he chose to pursue his interests in music and helped get Panic at the Disco off the ground. Urie was asked to leave his home and his disapproving parents upon deciding to pursue Panic, and was forced to rent a one room apartment with only his job at a local Smoothie Hut to support himself, as well as help pay for the rent of the band's practice space.

After traveling through Vegas, San Diego, and Los Angeles playing live shows, the band eventually released their first album in September of 2005, entitled A Fever You Can't Sweat Out at which point Urie received his parents full support. The debut album reached #13 on the US Billboard 200 charts and sold over 2.2 million copies since its release. Five singles were released from the album, the highest charting one being "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" at #7 on the USA Hot 100.

They have since recorded a new album, Pretty. Odd., which was released in the UK on the 24th March 2008 and in the United States on 25th March 2008. Urie wrote two songs on the album, "I Have Friends in Holy Spaces" and "Folkin' Around". "Pretty. Odd." has also debuted at #2 on UK's Top 40 Albums chart based on first week sales. It's first single was "Nine in the Afternoon" and has currently been nominated in the 2008 VMA pop video.

Brendon Urie is reportedly single; however, friends and family of the band admit that his developing relationship with Ryan Ross has become more than having "a little fun." Neither Urie nor Ross has officially announced their sexual orientation.

Other projects

Brendon Urie also appears in Fall Out Boy's music video ' as one of the "Dandies", or vampires alongside William Beckett from The Academy Is....

In 2008, Urie and Fall Out Boy vocalist Patrick Stump featured on the track "One of THOSE Nights" on fellow Fueled By Ramen label mates The Cab's debut album "Whisper War".

Also in 2008, Urie is featured in the song "Plans and Reveries" by Black Gold (which is the band Eric Ronick, Panic At the Disco's occasional touring keyboardist, is a member of).

Urie sings lead vocals on the demo of "Nearly Witches," credited to the band The Paul Revere Jumpsuit Apparatus on the Citizens FOB Mixtape released as part of a viral marketing campaign spearheaded by Fall Out Boy with help from other Decaydance Records bands.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu