Pictured in 2017
Andy Biersack (born Andrew Dennis Biersack on December 26, 1990) is the lead singer and founder (as well as sole founding member currently part of) American rock band Black Veil Brides, based in Hollywood, California. Formerly known as Andy Six, in May 2014 he started a solo music project under the moniker Andy Black and released his debut album The Shadow Side in 2016. In addition to his musical endeavors, Andy has dabbled in acting and jewelry design, and frequently participates in charities toward animal welfare and children's medical care.Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, he left home two days after his eighteenth birthday to move to Los Angeles, where he currently resides.
Has Twitter
and Instagram accounts.
A list of his notable works below include:
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Studio Albums (with Black Veil Brides)
- Sex and Hollywood (EP) (2007)
- We Stitch These Wounds (2010)
- Set the World on Fire (2011)
- Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones (2013)
- Black Veil Brides IV (2014)
- Vale (2018)
Studio Albums (as Andy Black)
- The Shadow Side (2016)
Notable Singles
- "They Don't Need To Understand" (2014)
- "We Don't Have To Dance" (2016)
- "Ribcage" (2016)
Filmography
- American Satan (2017)
- The Andy Show (Patreon exclusive) (2016-current)
- Average Joe (2012-2016)
- Dark Nights: Death Metal official Motion Comic as none other than Batman himself (2020-2021)
- Legion of the Black (2012)
- Tournament of Nerds (as a guest judge) (2012)
- The Chance and Andy Show (2007-2008)
- This disturbing Montana Meth PSA
- This AT&T commercial (he's the kid dancing in a polo shirt and tie.)
Tropes pertaining to Andy Biersack, whether musically or as a person, include:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Found one in both Onision and Social Repose (more overtly so in his collaborations with Onision), both of whom wavered between this and Stalker with a Crush in collaborations. Just how much of this is Played for Laughs remains debatable.
- Notably, he publicly distanced himself from both creators far before their respective scandals, giving credence to the idea that it was very much so not an inside joke.
- Adam Westing: He plays a highly over-exaggerated, cynical, hardened-criminal-cum-Lothario version of himself in Average Joe. Also tended to slip into this when he made appearances on Onision's YouTube channel.
- The Alcoholic: Struggled with alcoholism throughout most of his career in Black Veil Brides, only becoming sober quite recently. Even more depressing when you realize he went sober at twenty-seven and most likely developed a full blown alcohol addiction by the time he was in his late teens.
- Audience Shift: After it became all-too apparent that the teenaged demographic of Black Veil Brides was what the band, and by extension he, was known for, he began catering to them specifically to bolster sales and his own fame.
- Becoming the Mask: Claims that he adopted the "emo"/"scene kid" look to make his band more popular, and because he was already bullied for looking like one...but anyone who had a MySpace in 2007 and was a part of that subculture can tell you, he was a to-the-core scene kid.
- His old MySpace account still exists, and the photos are still there as proof.
- His old MySpace account
- Be Yourself: A lot of the material he had written with Black Veil Brides surrounds this concept, and numerous quotes attributed to him regarding being yourself can be found online.
- Berserk Button: On multiple occasions he has engaged in fist fights or full blown arguments on stage with hecklers.
- Also, don't start blogs to talk about his wife. He really, really doesn't like that.
- Can't Take Criticism: In the earlier stages of his career, he had a really bad habit of attacking people that don't agree with him. In more recent years, he's calmed down, but he tends to lampoon those who aren't too fond of him (and Juliet) on his Patreon web show or his Twitter. See Berserk Button directly above.
- Casual Sports Jersey: When not covered in grease paint and beat up leather or dressed in suits, it's not uncommon to see him wearing a Cincinnati Bengals jersey.
- Converting for Love: Rumored to have converted to Scientology after marrying Juliet.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Comes off as this at times, especially earlier in his career.
- Culturally Religious: Attended a Catholic private school as a child, though he identified as atheist in the early stages of Black Veil Brides. The band's name is actually derived from the teachings he learned from his Catholic upbringing, and he has stated this in various interviews. note
- Deadpan Snarker: He's basically half snark, half life coach in his interviews.
- Department of Redundancy Department: From "Ribcage", off The Shadow Side: "Nothing in the cage of my rib cage."
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: The infamous flight incident. He was allegedly assaulted by his wife, Juliet Simms, during a flight in October 2016 which was widely reported by the media (including TMZ). Andy and Juliet released joint and separate statements regarding the issue on their social media accounts following the incident. Since then, it is treated lightly, if not entirely forgotten.
- Due to the Dead: The Black Veil Brides song "In The End" is dedicated to and concerns the passing of his deceased grandfather, Urban Flanders.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Right up until he ditched the red lipstick and chopped his hair off.
- Dumb Jock: Subverted. Big bookworm...even bigger Cincinnati Bengals fan.
- Dying Alone: "Put The Gun Down."
- Expy: The Andy Black persona to Morrissey.
- False Soulmate: His relationship with First Love Scout Taylor-Compton, whom he dated for six years, had multiple tattoos for, and had written a song about ("The Mortician's Daughter".) He frequently declared her to be his soul mate, and the relationship ultimately ended on poor terms amid allegations of cheating on both sides. He has since stopped playing "The Mortician's Daughter" at shows, and covered up his tattoos for her.
- Flanderization: His Adam Westing role in Average Joe fell prey to this. Which is a bit funny, considering the main character is an Author Avatar for his cousin...named (in the show and real life) Joe Flanders.
- Former Child Star: A rather dubious aversion. Arguably, he reached the apex of his fame with Black Veil Brides in his late teens, early twenties, with "Knives and Pens" reaching positive critical reception when he was sixteen. While a successful musician in his own right, his solo work has yet to achieve the same success, and he has admitted to falling to the vices of substance abuse due to his fame in his youth.
- Goodbye, Cruel World!: "Put The Gun Down".
- Genre Shift: Went from the vocalist of a well-established rock band to a pop artist.
- Grand Romantic Gesture: has a penchant for getting tattoos for the women he's fallen in love with, as well as extravagant romantic gifts and gushing constantly on social media. Overall he gives off the vibe of being In Love with Love.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Matt Good of D.R.U.G.S/From First To Last.
- Hollywood Atheist: Has shades of this at times, especially in his youth. Mostly when he would paint his ring finger nails red in homage to James Randi and go on rants about religion.
- Large Ham: Fully invoked onstage.
- Likes Older Women: Scout Taylor Compton is one year older than Andy. His wife is five years older.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: For a very, very long time.
- Lyrical Dissonance: All of "The Shadow Side" qualifies. To name a few:
- "We Don't Have To Dance" is about social anxiety.
- "Put The Gun Down" is about suicide, and sounds exactly like a cry for help/a suicide letter.
- "Homecoming King" is about self-loathing, regretting your life, and wanting to disappear.
- "Ribcage" is about giving up hope and love.
- Mood Whiplash: The Shadow Side is a synth-pop, upbeat solo album...with incredibly depressing lyrical material, including suicidal impulses, death, and anxiety.
- Proud to Be a Geek: He never misses the opportunity to show off the fact that he is well-read and holds a rather extensive vocabulary.
- Renaissance Man: Actor, designer, musician, philanthropist.
- Secret Marriage: Twice! According to the Clark County, Nevada records website, he married his wife in March 2012 during a trip to Vegas. They had an "official" wedding in April 2016, which no one outside their friends and family knew about until they posted about it on Instagram.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Most prominently during the earlier days of his career. Achieved brief mainstream success between 2011-2013 through Black Veil Brides, but after the lukewarm reception of BVB IV and "The Shadow Side" not even breaking into US Charts, not many people aside from Black Veil Brides fans actually knew who he was.
- Special Guest: Has lent his vocals to Ronnie Radke's solo project, and implements this with his solo work.
- Stage Names: Has two. Andy Six, then Andy Black for his solo work.
- The Prima Donna: He's...prone to walking off stage during shows. At one point during an Andy Black tour, he reportedly stormed off stage because no one thought his jokes were funny.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivered a rather uncomfortable one during an acceptance speech to the detractors of Black Veil Brides at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in 2013. He has since admitted he was extremely drunk and angry that the band was being booed the entire time.
- Also a case of Unreliable Narrator, as he's also stated it was directed jokingly at his cousin Joe, who was in the audience wearing a prosthetic posterior and fat suit.
- He has also taken to defending himself and his wife against Tumblr truth blogs dedicated to "exposing" his wife's more malicious behaviors, and tends to deliver these. Some are rather articulate, and you can completely sympathize and agree with the guy. On the other hand, he also called his entire fanbase a bunch of sociopaths on Twitter, resulting in a large amount of backlash from casual listeners and diehard fans that could not care less about his personal life.
- Tragic Dropout: Completely averted. Andy dropped out of high school during his senior year to pursue his career in Hollywood, and unlike the hundreds—if not thousands—who have chosen this path, he succeeded.
- Unreliable Narrator: Tends to fall into this. At times, he's claimed to never touch drugs, but has also admitted to having substance abuse issues that go beyond alcoholism. Also, the reasons behind the Revolver Golden Gods speech.
- Vocal Dissonance: Holy crap, Andy has this in spades. You would not expect a man who compares himself to looking like a "sexy female deer" with "gazelle legs" to have a gravelly, deep voice.
- Vocal Evolution: Very obviously went through puberty during the releases of his earlier work with Black Veil Brides.
- Vocal Tag Team: "Not Broken Yet", from his wife's All or Nothing EP.
