Brandon Flowers
Photo by Andrew Kendal
Brandon Flowers (born June 21 1981 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is the vocalist and keyboardist in the American rock band The Killers. He was raised in Nephi, Utah a Latter-day Saint. He later returned to Las Vegas. Flowers occasionally defies his Mormon faith by smoking Marlboro Lights and drinking alcoholic beverages.
While listening to the radio in his car after his very first college class, Flowers heard the song "Changes" by David Bowie. He fell in love with the piece and realized he wanted to be part of the music industry.
Flowers joined a band known as Blush Response, but the band booted Flowers in 2001 when he refused to move with the rest of them to Los Angeles, California.
The Killers were spawned shortly thereafter when Flowers responded to an ad placed by guitarist David Keuning in the Las Vegas Weekly looking for a vocalist in order to form a band. Mark Stoermer later became the bassist and Ronnie Vannucci became the drummer. They played some of their early gigs at a gay drag club in Las Vegas.
The name 'The Killers' came about from watching New Order's music video for 'Crystal', where New Order were a fictitious band of perfecto called 'The Killers'. Flowers was inspired and felt the desire to be as perfect as 'The Killers' by ultimately becoming 'The Killers'.
Speculations of homosexuality
The gigs in a drag club, the lyrics to "Andy, You're a Star" (about a crush on a male High School athlete) as well as the androgyny of "Somebody Told Me", Flowers' apparent metrosexuality, and the band's considerable gay following have all led to speculation and rumors that Flowers is either gay or bisexual. However Flowers claims that "Andy You're a Star" was written from a man's perspective, but not necessarily his own. His recent engagement to a (female) model runs counter to the rumors of his homosexuality, although Flowers has stated that some confusion over his sexuality is "not a bad thing".
