Patrick Stump

Patrick Vaughn Stump (born Patrick Martin Stumph on April 27, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, actor and music critic, best known as the lead singer/guitarist/composer of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois. Since the band's hiatus, Stump has embarked on a solo career. Stump has been credited for being a soulful vocalist suitable for R&B, as well as one of the best voices in pop punk, according to Billboard. With Fall Out Boy he placed singles in the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and their 2007 album Infinity on High reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with two more albums peaking in the top 10. The band toured extensively since their early days and have performed over 1300 shows since their inception in 2001. He has collaborated with an extensive list of artists and has produced albums for other artists including Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes.

Since Fall Out Boy's late 2009 hiatus he embarked on a solo project and released his debut solo album, Soul Punk, on October 18, 2011; on which he wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, as well as handling production and self-funding it. It served as an outlet for the music that he could not make with Fall Out Boy; he intends for the band to make more music in the future, but without set parameters. A remix of "This City" was released as the first single to iTunes and a music video has been created, featuring Lupe Fiasco. Soul Punk garnered a generally positive critical reception, with critics praising Stump's musical direction, musicianship and creativity, but failed to gain significant commercial success.

Stump released his debut 6-song EP titled Truant Wave on 22 February 2011. His solo work is a major musical departure from the pop punk sound of Fall Out Boy. His influence by Michael Jackson and Prince among many other artists is evident through his soulful electronic sound, which he coined as "soul punk". He has toured in the US and played some dates in Europe in support of Soul Punk and Truant Wave. He supported Panic! at the Disco on their month-long US fall tour that began on October 9, 2011.