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Why Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco is a True Rock Star
When asked to join Panic! At The Disco in 2004, the singer-songwriter-multi-intrumentalist Brandon Urie never thought he’d be conquering the pop rock scene the way he has. But just like many things in life, larger-than-life success comes almost always unexpectedly.
“The first time I realized I can make a career out of this band came through me saying that I was actually going to go to college to leave the band to the other guys when we started,” he said in an interview on Rock Sound Magazine. “When the band started, I was the temporary member. I was hired as the temporary guitar player and wasn’t even the singer at that point.” Ironically today, Brendon is the only remaining original member making him the band’s heart and soul. Read on and learn more on how he has managed to make the most out of every opportunity to the fullest.
Be tenacious
“When I was in seventh grade, I used to play trumpet but that didn’t work out and I almost quit band. My band teacher said, ‘Don’t quit!’ So, I didn’t quit and took up the drums and ended up loving it,” said Brendon in an Alternative Press Magazine interview of his very first encounter. When faced with a challenge, follow his queue by knowing who the people around you are worth listening to and staying hungry to achieve any goal.
Make your own trademark
Early on in his music career, Brendon wanted his singing voice to sound unique. “When I was a kid, I wanted to sound like Gwen Stefani. So, I started to do a vibrato thing with my voice and long enough, I couldn’t get rid of it. It’s kind of why I do this “goat thing” with my voice,” says Brendan in his Alternative Press Magazine interview. This drive to stand out from the get-go has allowed him to stretch his range from having crazy falsetto to max belting power.
Suck it up
Live concert audiences have unique ways of showing their appreciation to bands, especially in a rock show. Brendon experienced this first hand performing at the 2006 Leeds Festival, which was one of the biggest annual rock concerts in England, then and until today. “A soda bottle [from the crowd] hit me directly in the temple and I blacked out and didn’t realize what happened at that point,” said Brendon on an interviewer with Rock Sound Magazine. When he woke up, only few minutes had passed but all his band mates were already decided not to get back on stage. So, he convinced the guys to go back on stage and finish the gig. His reason was simple: “We couldn’t just walk away—that [experience] taught me perseverance and it really instilled passion in what I do.” He regards this show as the band’s best ever.
Image by: Getty Images, IG @panicatthedisco
