Biography
Emerging from Texas, Flyleaf entered the hard rock scene toward the end of the 2000s via powerful anthems exploring the tension of despair versus hope. Even as their words occasionally reflected faith-based origins, the themes stayed broad, conveyed through screams, howls, and Lacey Sturm's soaring vocals. Throughout the 2010s, releases from the band topped U.S. charts in alternative, hard rock, and Christian categories, highlighted by platinum status for the 2005 self-titled debut Flyleaf. Following their third album New Horizons in 2012, Sturm exited to prioritize family alongside a short solo stint, as Kristen May handled vocals for the sole album Between the Stars in 2014. Following a lengthy break, 2022 saw Flyleaf reunite featuring Sturm once more, putting out a deluxe take on their successful first record and scheduling multiple reunion performances.
The group came together in Belton, Texas, in 2000 after Sturm (née Mosley) shared a series of dark, hard-edged songs she had composed during her teenage years with drummer James Culpepper. They soon added guitarists Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartmann, who had previously played in a local band that disbanded. Bassist Pat Seals completed the lineup in 2002, at which point the act—originally called Passerby—was formed.
Flyleaf reached their 2005 self-titled debut on Octone Records after a path marked by steady progress rather than setbacks. Early on they performed at any venue across their home state that would host them, steadily cultivating an audience large enough to support opening slots for Bowling for Soup, Fishbone, and Riddlin' Kids. By 2003 Mosley's arsenic-laced lyrics and blowtorch-style delivery had spread across Texas and farther, securing the band an appearance at the annual South by Southwest Music Conference. Octone finalized a contract the next year.
An EP also titled Flyleaf appeared in early 2005, produced by Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam, Blind Melon) and Brad Cook (Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age). Standout cuts including the roiling "Cassie" and the emo-tinged "Breathe Today"—both later included on the full-length—strengthened the band's profile, reinforced by intense live performances alongside Saliva, Breaking Benjamin, 3 Doors Down, and Staind. For the late-2005 album proper, producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Papa Roach, the All-American Rejects) worked with the group in Los Angeles. From an initial pool of 20 songs they selected 12, allowing Mosley's searing vocals and the storming guitars of Bhattacharya and Hartmann to create a sound that shifted among morose, compassionate, hopeful, and bitter moods.
After Flyleaf arrived, the band maintained an intensive touring pace across festivals. They performed on the main stage of Korn's 2006 and 2007 Family Values Tour as well as the Soundwave Festival and Disturbed's Music as a Weapon III tour. Their music also reached video-game audiences when the breakthrough single "I'm So Sick"—already an MTV hit—was featured in the first Rock Band installment and "Tina" appeared in Guitar Hero 3. Meanwhile "All Around Me" earned platinum certification and remains their only track to reach the Hot 100.
Following a pause in their demanding schedule to record, Flyleaf issued their sophomore album Memento Mori in 2009. The set led the Alternative, Hard Rock, and Christian charts in the U.S. while cracking the Top Ten of the Billboard 200; the singles "Again," "Chasm," and "Arise" each reached number one on the Christian singles chart. The next year the band released the EP Remember to Live, which offered stripped-down, reworked versions of several early tracks.
The Howard Benson-produced New Horizons, the band's third studio album, appeared in 2012, after which Sturm and the remaining members parted ways on amicable terms. Former Vedora vocalist Kristen May was brought in to sing, and the May-fronted edition of Flyleaf cut the single "Something Better" for their 2013 EP Who We Are. Between the Stars, the group's fourth long-player and first release on Loud & Proud Records, followed in 2014. It marked May's only full-length effort with the act; after four years she announced her departure in August 2016.
With no vocalist in place, Flyleaf entered an extended hiatus while the members pursued separate musical projects. Five years elapsed before any new activity surfaced, yet the outcome delighted longtime supporters. Signaling Sturm's return, the band formally announced their reunion in 2022. Along with a deluxe edition of their debut containing B-sides and acoustic renditions of major singles, they disclosed plans for live appearances billed as "Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm."
The group came together in Belton, Texas, in 2000 after Sturm (née Mosley) shared a series of dark, hard-edged songs she had composed during her teenage years with drummer James Culpepper. They soon added guitarists Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartmann, who had previously played in a local band that disbanded. Bassist Pat Seals completed the lineup in 2002, at which point the act—originally called Passerby—was formed.
Flyleaf reached their 2005 self-titled debut on Octone Records after a path marked by steady progress rather than setbacks. Early on they performed at any venue across their home state that would host them, steadily cultivating an audience large enough to support opening slots for Bowling for Soup, Fishbone, and Riddlin' Kids. By 2003 Mosley's arsenic-laced lyrics and blowtorch-style delivery had spread across Texas and farther, securing the band an appearance at the annual South by Southwest Music Conference. Octone finalized a contract the next year.
An EP also titled Flyleaf appeared in early 2005, produced by Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam, Blind Melon) and Brad Cook (Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age). Standout cuts including the roiling "Cassie" and the emo-tinged "Breathe Today"—both later included on the full-length—strengthened the band's profile, reinforced by intense live performances alongside Saliva, Breaking Benjamin, 3 Doors Down, and Staind. For the late-2005 album proper, producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Papa Roach, the All-American Rejects) worked with the group in Los Angeles. From an initial pool of 20 songs they selected 12, allowing Mosley's searing vocals and the storming guitars of Bhattacharya and Hartmann to create a sound that shifted among morose, compassionate, hopeful, and bitter moods.
After Flyleaf arrived, the band maintained an intensive touring pace across festivals. They performed on the main stage of Korn's 2006 and 2007 Family Values Tour as well as the Soundwave Festival and Disturbed's Music as a Weapon III tour. Their music also reached video-game audiences when the breakthrough single "I'm So Sick"—already an MTV hit—was featured in the first Rock Band installment and "Tina" appeared in Guitar Hero 3. Meanwhile "All Around Me" earned platinum certification and remains their only track to reach the Hot 100.
Following a pause in their demanding schedule to record, Flyleaf issued their sophomore album Memento Mori in 2009. The set led the Alternative, Hard Rock, and Christian charts in the U.S. while cracking the Top Ten of the Billboard 200; the singles "Again," "Chasm," and "Arise" each reached number one on the Christian singles chart. The next year the band released the EP Remember to Live, which offered stripped-down, reworked versions of several early tracks.
The Howard Benson-produced New Horizons, the band's third studio album, appeared in 2012, after which Sturm and the remaining members parted ways on amicable terms. Former Vedora vocalist Kristen May was brought in to sing, and the May-fronted edition of Flyleaf cut the single "Something Better" for their 2013 EP Who We Are. Between the Stars, the group's fourth long-player and first release on Loud & Proud Records, followed in 2014. It marked May's only full-length effort with the act; after four years she announced her departure in August 2016.
With no vocalist in place, Flyleaf entered an extended hiatus while the members pursued separate musical projects. Five years elapsed before any new activity surfaced, yet the outcome delighted longtime supporters. Signaling Sturm's return, the band formally announced their reunion in 2022. Along with a deluxe edition of their debut containing B-sides and acoustic renditions of major singles, they disclosed plans for live appearances billed as "Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm."
Albums
Flyleaf (Deluxe Edition)
2022
Between The Stars
2014
New Horizons
2012
Remember To Live
2010
Memento Mori (Expanded)
2009
Memento Mori
2009
Flyleaf
2005
Singles
