Patrick Stump

Born and raised in suburban Chicago, Patrick Stump made a name for himself as the frontman of Fall Out Boy, one of the most successful pop-punk bands during the early 21st century. Between FOB albums, he used the opportunity to launch a solo career, setting aside the sound he'd popularized with his bandmates and trying his hand with both R&B-influenced pop (for his 2011 debut album, Soul Punk) and electro-pop dance (on the Truant Wave EP). Once he put a close to that era, Stump returned in earnest to his duties with Fall Out Boy, issuing three more chart-topping albums with that group before he changed course once again toward film scores, composing music for The Banana Splits Movie and Spell.

The Evanston-born Stump was originally a drummer, performing in a Chicago-area band when he first crossed paths with guitarist Joe Trohman at a local Borders bookstore. Trohman was in the process of putting together a new group with his friend Pete Wentz, and though Stump initially tried out as its drummer, he soon joined the burgeoning group as its mild-mannered frontman. Stump wanted to sing and write songs, and as Fall Out Boy developed, he became the yin to Wentz's yang. Stump was responsible for the catchy melodies that supported Wentz's personal lyrics, and his shy personality balanced out the attention-loving celebrity persona of his counterpart. As the band took off, Stump also began flexing his production and remixing skills on the side, growing his resumé to include work on albums for acts like the Hush Sound, Gym Class Heroes, and Cobra Starship.

Fall Out Boy issued five records between 2003 and 2008, including two gold albums, one platinum release, and one multi-platinum smash (From Under the Cork Tree). However, in spite of the mainstream success, Stump and Wentz found themselves arguing throughout the making of their fourth set, Folie à Deux, and the band took a break soon after its 2008 release. While his bandmates launched side projects with other musicians -- Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley formed the Damned Things with a handful of collaborators, and Wentz teamed up with vocalist Bebe Rexha to form Black Cards -- Stump took the opposite approach, recording a solo album entirely by himself. Playing every instrument and handling his own production duties, he explored a different style of music, one informed by the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince, and Justin Timberlake.

The electro-pop-leaning Truant Wave EP unveiled the new sound in early 2011, followed by Stump's full-length debut, Soul Punk, which landed that same year on Nervous Breakdance. Despite his ambition, both sets were met with resistance from critics and fans alike. Soon after promotion wrapped for these efforts, he returned to Fall Out Boy for the band's second era, which proved to be their most successful run yet, with three chart-topping albums and a pair of platinum certifications notched between 2013 and 2018. At the close of the decade, Stump branched out into film scoring, contributing to The Banana Splits Movie and Spell. ~ Corey Apar & Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi