Brandon Flowers

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, and on the Billboard 200 once (top ten, eight times), 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) and Terry Austin Flowers. He has an older brother and four older sisters. His parents met as teenagers, and he wrote the song "A Dustland Fairytale" (also known as "Dustland") as a tribute to their marriage and lifelong romance. His grandmother was from Lithuania, and his cousin is Craig Barlow, an inductee to the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame.

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. 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. He graduated from Chaparral High School in 1999.

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."