Biography
Tilian Pearson crafts expansive rock anthems that blend electropop textures with soaring melodies under his solo identity, Tilian. In the late 2000s he fronted the post-hardcore outfit Tides of Man, then collaborated with additional acts on the Rise Records label before joining Dance Gavin Dance in 2012 as co-lead vocalist alongside the band’s more aggressive vocal approach. Parallel to that role, he launched a solo trajectory with the 2013 album Material Me.
Born in Clearwater, Florida, Pearson established Tides of Man in Tampa during 2007 alongside lead guitarist Spencer Gill, rhythm guitarist Adam Sene, bassist Alan Jaye, and drummer Josh Gould. The group delivered its first full-length, Empire Theory, via Rise Records in 2009, followed by Dreamhouse in 2010; Pearson exited the ensemble that December. Over the ensuing two years he contributed recordings or live performances to Archives, Emarosa, and Saosin, ultimately stepping in for Jonny Craig as Dance Gavin Dance’s official clean vocalist in 2012.
Departing from the grittier palette of his group work, he issued the brighter, more polished solo set Material Me on Vital Records in early 2013. Later the same year Rise Records released Dance Gavin Dance’s Acceptance Speech, showcasing Pearson and Jon Mess sharing vocal duties, Will Swan and Josh Benton on guitar, Tim Feerick on bass, and Matt Mingus on drums; the album reached the upper half of the Billboard 200. Pearson followed with the solo EP Future Friends the next year.
After Benton left the band between records, several guest guitarists appeared on 2015’s Instant Gratification, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 32. That same year Tilian unveiled his second studio album, Perfect Enemy, landing at number 13 on the Heatseekers chart. The live Dance Gavin Dance collection Tree City Sessions arrived in 2016, succeeded in 2017 by the Top 15 album Mothership and Tilian’s EP Patient.
Both Tilian and his band achieved their strongest chart placements yet in 2018. Dance Gavin Dance’s Artificial Selection peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, while The Skeptic—his first solo outing on Rise—secured a Top 25 position among alternative albums and cracked the Top Ten on the independent and Heatseekers charts.
Born in Clearwater, Florida, Pearson established Tides of Man in Tampa during 2007 alongside lead guitarist Spencer Gill, rhythm guitarist Adam Sene, bassist Alan Jaye, and drummer Josh Gould. The group delivered its first full-length, Empire Theory, via Rise Records in 2009, followed by Dreamhouse in 2010; Pearson exited the ensemble that December. Over the ensuing two years he contributed recordings or live performances to Archives, Emarosa, and Saosin, ultimately stepping in for Jonny Craig as Dance Gavin Dance’s official clean vocalist in 2012.
Departing from the grittier palette of his group work, he issued the brighter, more polished solo set Material Me on Vital Records in early 2013. Later the same year Rise Records released Dance Gavin Dance’s Acceptance Speech, showcasing Pearson and Jon Mess sharing vocal duties, Will Swan and Josh Benton on guitar, Tim Feerick on bass, and Matt Mingus on drums; the album reached the upper half of the Billboard 200. Pearson followed with the solo EP Future Friends the next year.
After Benton left the band between records, several guest guitarists appeared on 2015’s Instant Gratification, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 32. That same year Tilian unveiled his second studio album, Perfect Enemy, landing at number 13 on the Heatseekers chart. The live Dance Gavin Dance collection Tree City Sessions arrived in 2016, succeeded in 2017 by the Top 15 album Mothership and Tilian’s EP Patient.
Both Tilian and his band achieved their strongest chart placements yet in 2018. Dance Gavin Dance’s Artificial Selection peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, while The Skeptic—his first solo outing on Rise—secured a Top 25 position among alternative albums and cracked the Top Ten on the independent and Heatseekers charts.
Albums
Singles
