Brandon Flowers’ Second Solo Album Reaches Gold-Record Status

Brandon Flowers, who gained fame as the lead singer and guiding light of the band The Killers, tweeted on 4 July 2017, that his second solo album, The Desired Effect, has sold over 500,000 units since May 2015, reaching gold-record status. The album reached no. 1 on U.K. music charts and no. 17 on the Billboard 200 chart. Flowers tweeted, “Stay gold Desired Effect.  Well…….. for a little while anyway,” along with a picture of him with the gilded album.

According to The Guardian, “The Desired Effect is Flowers’ sixth UK No 1 album – including his success with the Killers – and his second solo No 1 album after 2010’s Flamingo.” The album was released in Ireland on 15 May 2015, in the United Kingdom on 18 May 2015, and in the United States on 19 May 2015. It was recorded at Battle Born Studios in Winchester, Nevada, and was produced by Ariel Rechtshaid (Vampire Weekend, HAIM) and Brandon Flowers and mixed by Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys).  The album features notable musicians including Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys), Bruce Hornsby, Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel), Carlos Alomar (David Bowie), Joey Waronker (Beck), Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp), Ronnie Vannucci, Jr. (The Killers), Angel Deradoorian (Dirty Projectors), and Danielle Haim (Haim).

Flowers has garnered platinum record status for several of his other albums. His career is demanding but he makes it clear in his “I’m A Mormon” video that his family has priority over his music. He says, “I get in arguments every now and then with our booking agent if he puts us out on the road too long. . . . I don’t want to miss out on things.”

Flowers is not shy about sharing his faith and beliefs with others around the world. He even appeared on Skavlan, a Norwegian TV show, in September 2012, and when asked about his faith, he spoke positively about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On the show, he also defended The Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith against famous atheist Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion. Talking directly to Flowers, Dawkins called the Book of Mormon “an obvious fake.” He also referred to Joseph Smith as a “charlatan.” Flowers replied, “The book’s been studied and torn apart and looked at — and I am not one of the professors that have done it — but to call this man a charlatan, I take offense to it.”

In a May 2015 interview with the Belfast Telegraph, speaking about his faith, Flowers commented, “It is part of my identity,” he says. “It isn’t something I am going to try to hide or shy away from. I guess some people are [private] about their beliefs and their spirituality. I’ve always been (out there with it). It is a Mormon thing to be that (way). It is part of the deal.”