Brandon Boyd grew up in Calabasas CA. His parents Dolly and Charles, both of whom had experience in entertainment, had nurtured his creative side since he was a child. He had first met Jose Pasillas in elementary school in the 80's, but it wasn't until high school that he was asked to join a band that already included Jose, Mike Einziger, and Alex Katunich. Brandon'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), and proved to be the final essential element for the band. Between writing early songs and surfing, the four quickly became the best of friends.

As they developed more and more songs, the band quickly became a popular show around the neighborhood. When the band decided to play their first show at the Roxy, the time came to choose a band name. Brandon's suggestion, "Spiral Staircase," was denied in favor of Mike's suggestion, selected at random from a dicionary: Incubus. Brandon put his other artistic talents to good use, drawing concert flyers advertising their early performances. At first, Brandon had copied several drawings from a sex book that Mike's mom had given them, but he decided to stop using it after several prospective fans had been confused by their flyers ("What kind of band is this?").

Through the years, Brandon's vocal talent has been at the forefront of the band's success. His strong voice was part of what attracted Sony's Epic/Immortal records, and the band signed a deal in 1996. Behind Boyd, the band continued to gain support behind their first two major releases, SCIENCE and Make Yourself. In 2000, the band's popularity exploded into the mainstream behind the songs "Pardon Me", "Stellar", and "Drive".
Over the years, Brandon's lyrics have expressed a range of different ideas. His early work, which was often light and playful, was no doubt influenced in part by his use of marijuana. According to Brandon, after smoking his first joint with his older brother Darren, the poetic floodgates had been opened inside of his brain.

His first artistic love, however, remains drawing. Before the band decided to concentrate on music full time, he and Jose had attneded Moorepark College full time as art students.

Today, Brandon spends his time surfing, writing, drawing, and spending time with friends, family, his canine companion "Sativa", and his girlfriend Carolyn.

Credit: tabulas.com