Andy Black

Andy Black serves as the solo endeavor of Andy Biersack, founder and lead vocalist of the American rock band Black Veil Brides. This project marked a logical continuation of Biersack's artistic path, which began with Black Veil Brides' metalcore origins and later shifted toward glam metal, before reaching the pop-oriented rock sound that surfaced in 2016.

Born Andrew Dennis Biersack in Cincinnati, Ohio, he spent his early years singing and playing piano. He studied drama and vocals at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts. At age 18 he relocated to Los Angeles to focus on a music career. Black Veil Brides issued their first album, We Stitch These Wounds, in 2010. Their fourth album appeared in 2014, the same year Biersack started developing material for Andy Black. For this venture he leaned more heavily on the anthemic styles of early U2 and Bruce Springsteen than on his longstanding touchstones Mötley Crüe, Kiss, and Poison. The debut single "We Don't Have to Dance," released in early 2016, showcased cleaner vocals and a synth line reminiscent of the Killers. The follow-up track "Stay Alive" included a guest appearance by Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio and blink-182.

John Feldmann, whose credits include work with Panic! At the Disco, the Used, and Good Charlotte, produced the resulting album The Shadow Side, which also featured contributions from Ashton Irwin of 5 Seconds of Summer, Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, Rian Dawson of All Time Low, Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, and Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy. Merging arena-rock force with pop-punk energy, the Andy Black project opened a fresh channel for Biersack's wide-ranging influences. His second album under the moniker, The Ghost of Ohio, arrived in early 2019.