Editing Brandon Boyd

{{Short description|American musician (born 1976)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Brandon Boyd
| image             = Incubus - 2023154181158 2023-06-03 Rock am Ring - Sven - 1D X MK II - 1455 - B70I7391.jpg
| landscape         = yes
| caption           = Boyd performing with [[Incubus (band)|Incubus]] in 2023
| birth_name        = Brandon Charles Boyd
| alias             = {{flatlist|
* The Invisible Floating Torso Man ([[Make Yourself]])
* Happy Knappy ([[Fungus Amongus]])
* Brandon of the Jungle ([[Enjoy Incubus]])
* Cornelius ([[S.C.I.E.N.C.E.]])
}}
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1976|2|15}}
| birth_place       = [[Van Nuys, California]], U.S.
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Alternative rock]]
* [[indie rock]]
* [[alternative metal]]
* [[funk rock]]
* [[nu metal]]
* [[funk metal]]
}}
| occupation        = {{flatlist|
* Singer
* musician
* songwriter
}}
| years_active      = 1990–present
| current_member_of = [[Incubus (band)|Incubus]]
}}

'''Brandon Charles Boyd''' (born February 15, 1976) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band [[Incubus (band)|Incubus]], with whom he has recorded eight studio albums.

In addition to his work with Incubus, Boyd has released two solo albums – ''[[The Wild Trapeze]]'' (2010) and ''Echoes & Cocoons'' (2022) – and has collaborated with producer [[Brendan O'Brien (record producer)|Brendan O'Brien]] under the name [[Sons of the Sea (album)|Sons of the Sea]].

==Early life==
Boyd graduated from [[Calabasas High School]]  in 1994 and attended [[Moorpark College]] for two years before committing to [[Incubus (band)|Incubus]]. Boyd grew up in Calabasas, California with Ricky Taylor who inspired him to write music. His parents, Priscilla "Dolly" Wiseman and Charles Boyd, both of whom had experience in [[entertainment]], with his father being a former [[Marlboro Man]], had nurtured his artistic side since he was a child.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/showbiz.today/music.ontheroad/0111/30.html | title=CNN Programs - Showbiz Today | website=[[CNN]] }}</ref> 

Boyd broke his nose twice; once getting an Easter egg to the face, and the other from being hit in the face with [[Alex Katunich|Dirk Lance]]'s bass during a show. He opted to let the injuries heal on their own, but they only worsened his breathing the older he became. He claims to have sung and breathed from one nostril up until having surgery to fix the issue in December 2019.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Martoccio |first=Angie |date=2024-02-06 |title=Incubus Revisit Their Past With 'Morning View XXIII' -- and the Future Looks Bright |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/incubus-brandon-boyd-morning-view-tour-1234958323/ |access-date=2024-04-29 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Career ==

=== Incubus ===
Boyd designed concert fliers that advertised Incubus' early performances.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://incubus-online-view.com/iframe/bio/history-part1.php |title=Incubus Band History |publisher=Incubus-online-view.com |access-date=August 12, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720202735/http://incubus-online-view.com/iframe/bio/history-part1.php |archive-date=July 20, 2012 }}</ref> He occasionally plays guitar during live performances and brings other instruments into his songs, such as the [[didgeridoo]] and [[djembe]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Brandon Boyd|url = http://www.jango.com/music/Brandon+Boyd/_full_bio|website = Jango Radio|access-date = February 14, 2016|language = en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = 13 Bands Who've Made Use of Unusual Instruments|url = https://www.kerrang.com/features/13-bands-whove-made-use-of-unusual-instruments/|website = Kerrang.com | date=July 14, 2020 |publisher=Wasted Talent Ltd|access-date = August 2, 2020|language = en-US}}</ref>

Boyd's voice was part of what enticed Sony's [[Epic Records|Epic]]/[[Immortal Records]], along with the self-released album ''[[Fungus Amongus]]''. The band was signed in 1996. Boyd's singing style in Incubus has often been compared to [[Mike Patton]], vocalist of [[Faith No More]] and several other projects.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/incubus-make_yourself|title=Incubus Make Yourself &#124; Exclaim!|website=exclaim.ca}}</ref><ref name="ign">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/07/incubus-light-grenades|title=Incubus – Light Grenades|first=Jon|last=Foreman|date=December 7, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQhQNccylfMC&dq=incubus+boyd+%22science%22&pg=PA13|title=CMJ New Music Report|first=Amy|last=Sciarretto|date=November 19, 2001|publisher=CMJ Network, Inc.|via=Google Books}}</ref> Boyd has mentioned Patton as being an influence since he was an early teenager.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.music-news.com/news/UK/144473/Brandon-Boyd-of-Incubus-Jeff-Buckley-to-me-was-my-first-experience-of-a-Western-male-singer|title=Brandon Boyd of Incubus: 'Jeff Buckley to me was my first experience of a Western male singer'|website=Music-News.com}}</ref> Incubus' first two releases on the label, ''[[Enjoy Incubus]]'' and ''[[S.C.I.E.N.C.E.]]'' went largely unnoticed in the mainstream but subsequent releases ''[[Make Yourself]]'' and ''[[Morning View]]'' were commercial successes. Boyd attracted a large number of female fans. In a 2001 interview, ''Spin'' wrote "Considering his [[androgynous]] beauty and sweet demeanor, plus Incubus' kid-tested/mother-approved guitar rock, it's no surprise he's MTV's newest weapon of mass heartbreak. Girls scream for him to take his shirt off at Incubus shows (he usually obliges) and ''[[Teen People]]'' voted him one of 'The Hottest Guys in Music.' His sensitive-guy appeal sets him apart from today's testosterone-drunk rock".<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=m-qexhnZaukC&q=%22Considering+his+androgynous+beauty+and+sweet+demeanor%2C+plus+Incubus&pg=PA74 SPIN Nov 2001, Vol. 17, No. 11]</ref> The band's 2004 release ''[[A Crow Left of the Murder...]]'' was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance in the 2005 Grammy Awards. On November 28, 2006, the band released ''[[Light Grenades]]''. In June 2009, Incubus released a greatest hits album, ''[[Monuments and Melodies]]''.
[[File:Brandon Boyd of Incubus live 2004.jpg|thumb|Boyd performing in 2004]]
In 2011, Incubus finished their seventh studio album ''[[If Not Now, When? (album)|If Not Now, When?]]'', released on July 12, 2011, followed by a tour. It was their final release under [[Sony Music|Sony]].

On December 13, 2014, they performed their single entitled "Trust Fall" at KROQ. They announced the release of two EPs in 2015 with the first, ''Trust Fall'', released on March 24, 2015, through [[Island Records]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://consequence.net/2015/02/incubus-premieres-new-single-absolution-calling-listen/ |title=Incubus premieres new single "Absolution Calling" — listen |publisher=consequence.net |date=February 5, 2015 |access-date=February 10, 2015}}</ref> On February 5, 2015, the single "Absolution Calling" was released. Two years later, in February 2017, Boyd and Incubus worked with [[Skrillex]] on a collaboration that was released under the title "8" in April 2017.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=Skrillex|author=SKRILLEX|number=836083843094327296|date=February 27, 2017|title=Been so rad working with @IncubusBand 🙌}}</ref>

=== Literature and fine art ===
Boyd had been drawing his entire life. Between 2003 and 2008 he focused more on creating fine art, specifically painting. He participated in different group and solo art shows, using his artwork as a means for environmental activism. September 8, 2008, marked the opening of his first solo show, ''Ectoplasm'', at Mr. Musichead Gallery in Los Angeles, California.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Broadley |first1=Erin |title=Ectoplasm: In the Art Studio with Incubus' Brandon Boyd |url=https://www.laweekly.com/ectoplasm-in-the-art-studio-with-incubus-brandon-boyd/ |access-date=June 15, 2020 |agency=LA Weekly |date=September 18, 2008}}</ref>

In March 2020, Boyd had planned to debut a new large-scale solo exhibit, ''Impossible Knots'', at the Samuel Lynne Galleries in Dallas, Texas. Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the in-person exhibit had to be postponed. On April 18, 2020, his work debuted online via a virtual exhibition preview on [[Instagram]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Brandon Boyd videos |url=https://www.samuellynne.com/brandon-boyd-videos |website=Samuel Lynne Galleries |publisher=Squarespace |access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref> This online debut will be followed by the in-person exhibition in Fall 2020 or Spring 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Brandon Boyd |url=https://www.brandonboyd.me/about |website=Brandon Boyd |access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Impossible Knots by Brandon Boyd |url=https://www.samuellynne.com/exhibitions |website=Samuel Lynne Galleries |publisher=Squarespace |access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref>

Boyd released a card-matching game called ''Two Doors/Deux Portes'', based on a series of his watercolor paintings.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paul |first1=Arielle |title=Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd finds peace in his yurt |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hp-incubus-brandon-boyd-20190406-story.html |access-date=August 2, 2020 |agency=LA Times |date=April 6, 2019}}</ref>

Boyd has written and curated three books, each of which comprise his personal illustrations, photography, song lyrics, and additional thoughts and writings. His books are ''White Fluffy Clouds'' (2003), ''From the Murks of the Sultry Abyss'' (2007), and ''So the Echo'' (2013),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://brandonboyd.me/about_ste.html#.UpQKi2TwJtk |title=So The Echo - About |publisher=Brandonboyd.me |access-date=August 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313211700/http://brandonboyd.me/about_ste.html#.UpQKi2TwJtk |archive-date=March 13, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> all published under his [[imprint (trade name)|book imprint]], Endophasia Publications.<ref>{{cite web |title=Book Review: So the Echo x Brandon Boyd |url=http://themanifoldmag.com/book-review-so-the-echo-x-brandon-boyd/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206131600/http://themanifoldmag.com/book-review-so-the-echo-x-brandon-boyd/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=February 6, 2018 |website=The Manifold |publisher=The Manifold Magazine |access-date=June 15, 2020 |date=2013}}</ref>

=== Solo career ===
On July 6, 2010, Boyd announced that his debut solo album, ''[[The Wild Trapeze]]'' was released.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/music/article/brandon-boyd-the-wild-trapeze-106753 |title=Brandon Boyd: The Wild Trapeze |publisher=CraveOnline |date=July 12, 2010 |access-date=August 12, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927074419/http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/music/article/brandon-boyd-the-wild-trapeze-106753 |archive-date=September 27, 2010 }}</ref> On June 21, 2010, a music video for Boyd's first single from ''The Wild Trapeze'', "Runaway Train", was released. A second music video was released for the album, for the song "Last Night a Passenger" in October 2010.

On January 18, 2013, Boyd announced his band, Sons of the Sea. With Incubus on hiatus, Sons of the Sea toured in 2013 and 2014. On May 29, 2013, Boyd released a teaser video announcing the name of the album, ''[[Sons of the Sea (album)|Sons of the Sea]]''. That same year, he embarked on a book-signing tour of the Northeast to coincide with his latest publication '''So The Echo'', as well as the release of Sons of the Sea's eponymous record.

On March 11, 2022, Boyd released ''Echoes & Cocoons'', produced by [[John Congleton]].

In 2022 and 2023, Boyd appeared as White Jesus in seasons 2 and 3 of the series ''[[Reservation Dogs]]''.

In February 2024, he was featured on the [[Night Verses]]'s single "Glitching Prisms".

==Personal life==
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In the spring of 2011, Boyd made a large mural at the Hurley Space Gallery in order to raise awareness about single use plastics and their harmful effects on the world's oceans.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Art Duet » Brandon Boyd Bio|url = http://artduet.net/clients/brandon-boyd-bio/|website = artduet.net|access-date = February 14, 2016}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Boyd is involved with many organizations and charitable causes and in 2003, along with his Incubus bandmates, he founded the 501(c)(3) non-profit The Make Yourself Foundation, which has raised over $1.4 million for various philanthropic causes locally and globally.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Art Duet » Brandon Boyd Bio|url = http://artduet.net/clients/brandon-boyd-bio/|website = artduet.net|access-date = February 14, 2016}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The organization has awarded grant funding to over 60 nonprofit organizations.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Join Incubus at Empire Music Festival & Explore the Ancient Mayan Ruins|url = http://www.makeyourselffoundation.org/myf-blog/2016/1/30/join-incubus-at-empire-music-festival-explore-the-ancient-mayan-ruins|website = The Make Yourself Foundation|access-date = February 14, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160309095252/http://www.makeyourselffoundation.org/myf-blog/2016/1/30/join-incubus-at-empire-music-festival-explore-the-ancient-mayan-ruins|archive-date = March 9, 2016|url-status = dead}}</ref>

In a recent Rolling Stone Interview, Boyd stated he is married and that his wife is a fan of [[Lizzo]]. Lizzo would later join Incubus for a performance of “Aqueous Transmission" at the Hollywood Bowl'''.'''<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Martoccio |first=Angie |date=2024-02-06 |title=Incubus Revisit Their Past With 'Morning View XXIII' -- and the Future Looks Bright |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/incubus-brandon-boyd-morning-view-tour-1234958323/ |access-date=2024-04-29 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Incubus discography}}
;With [[Incubus (band)|Incubus]]
*''[[Fungus Amongus]]'' (1995)
*''[[Enjoy Incubus]]'' (EP) (1997)
*''[[S.C.I.E.N.C.E.]]'' (1997)
*''[[Make Yourself]]'' (1999)
*''[[Morning View]]'' (2001)
*''[[A Crow Left of the Murder...]]'' (2004)
*''[[Light Grenades]]'' (2006)
*''[[Monuments and Melodies]]'' (2009)
*''[[If Not Now, When? (album)|If Not Now, When?]]'' (2011)
*''[[Trust Fall (Side A)]]'' (EP) (2015)
*''[[8 (Incubus album)|8]]'' (2017)
*''[[Trust Fall (Side B)]]'' (EP) (2020)

;Solo
*''[[The Wild Trapeze]]'' (2010)
*''Echoes & Cocoons'' (2022)

;With [[Sons of the Sea (album)|Sons of the Sea]]
*''Compass'' (EP) (2013)
*''[[Sons of the Sea (album)|Sons of the Sea]]'' (2013)

; Guest Appearances
*''[[Strait Up]]'' – [[Snot (band)|Snot]] (2000)
*''[[Ben Kenney|Leave on Your Makeup]]'' – [[Ben Kenney]] (2013)
*''[[Night Verses|Glitching Prisms]]'' – [[Night Verses]] (2024)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links==
*{{cci}}
*{{Wikiquote-inline}}

{{Incubus (band)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Brandon}}
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century American writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American painters]]
[[Category:Alternative metal musicians]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:American tenors]]
[[Category:Incubus (band) members]]
[[Category:Moorpark College alumni]]
[[Category:Singers from California]]
[[Category:People from Van Nuys, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People from Calabasas, California]]
[[Category:American male painters]]
[[Category:Nu metal singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:Didgeridoo players]]