(born February 15, 1976, in Van Nuys, California)
is an American musician and artist. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the American rock band INCUBUS.
Boyd graduated from Calabasas High School in 1994, and attended Moorpark College for two years before committing to Incubus. Brandon grew up in Calabasas, California. His parents Dolly and Charles Boyd, both of whom had experience in entertainment, had nurtured his artistic side since he was a child. His younger brother, Jason Boyd, was also the lead singer of a band called Audiovent, which has since broken up. Other musical family members include cousin Robert Boyd "BertoChico" who is an accomplished Flamenco guitarist and composer. He had first met José Pasillas in elementary school in the 1980s, but it was not until high school that he was asked to join a band that already included Pasillas, Mike Einziger, and Alex Katunich. Boyd's vocal abilities, which were for the most part self-taught (he had taken two lessons before he ran out of money, but he claims he learned everything he would need), proved to be the final essential element for the band.
Boyd designed concert fliers advertising their early performances. At first, Boyd had copied several drawings from a sex education book that Einziger's mother had given them, but he decided to stop using it after several prospective fans had been confused by their fliers ("What kind of band is this?"). Boyd is also known for playing several instruments, such as the didgeridoo and djembe. He also has some guitar parts during live performances.
His voice was part of what enticed Sony's Epic/Immortal Records, and the band was signed in 1996. The band's first two releases on the label, Fungus Amongus and S.C.I.E.N.C.E. went largely unnoticed, but subsequent releases Make Yourself and Morning View were commercial successes. The band's 2004 release A Crow Left of the Murder... has continued their success, nominating the band for Best Hard Rock Performance in the 2005 Grammy Awards. On November 28, 2006, the band released Light Grenades. On June 16, 2009, Incubus released a greatest hits album titled Monuments and Melodies.
Brandon Boyd has written two books. The first, written in 2003, was White Fluffy Clouds: Found Inspiration Moving Forward. It was published by Endophasia Publications and mainly consists of his artwork, photography, song lyrics from Incubus, and additional writings and thoughts. His more recent publication, From the Murks of the Sultry Abyss, was also published by Endophasia in 2007.
In recent years, Brandon Boyd has focused on making fine art, specifically painting, and on September 8, 2008 celebrated the opening of his first solo show, titled "Ectoplasm", at Mr Musichead Gallery in Los Angeles, California.
As for his personal life, it was known that Boyd dated model Carolyn Murphy for quite some time. The couple split after "growing apart" in 2005. As of 2008, Boyd has been linked to actress Baelyn Neff.
Brandon Boyd is known for his mostly self-designed tattoos. On his forearms he carries the widely known Buddhist mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, roughly translated as "hail the jewel of the lotus", and under that is a koi fish in red ink designed by friend and fellow bandmate, José Pasillas II. On the inside of his right arm he has several tattoos, one once again incorporating the Tibetan mantra and another designed after a crop circle. Following the release of their album A Crow Left of the Murder, he got an elaborate back tattoo featuring the common image of the All Seeing-Eye embedded in a pyramid. He also has a tattoo of the Eye of Horus on his right ankle. Other tattoos include his parents' names (Priscila and Charles) on his forearms, an owl on his back, one tear drop on his index finger on both hands, and a picture inspired by Aubrey Beardsley famous art, "The Peacock Skirt" on his left arm.