Jay Brannan, musician and actor

MEET Jay BraNNAN

Jay is a New Yorker by way of Texas and California, with several stops in between. A self-described severely-failed Southern Baptist, he moved to L.A. to pursue acting at the turn of the century. He picked up his first guitar at age 20, just as he put down an alcohol addiction. This new, healthier dependency took hold, and he began writing songs with no training but a collection of CDs by forlorn, female singers.

Defying legions of critics both personal and professional, he has managed to build a shockingly dedicated following in a very non-traditional way. Though kicked out of acting school for alleged lack of ability, he entered the film arena with a standout performance in the cult film Shortbus, and achieved rising cult star status upon the film’s worldwide release. Urged to stick to society's conventions during his Southern upbringing, he has become a lightning rod for castaways by simply being himself: a neurotic and inspiring mess.

In the past year, Brannan has toured across the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Brazil, South Africa, Israel, and Australia.

In the Summer of 2009, he released In Living Cover, a covers album consisting of seven cover songs and two originals, which spent 10 days at No. 1 on iTunes' Singer/Songwriter Albums chart, as well as debuting at No. 36 on iTunes' overall Top Albums. In Living Cover made the No. 10 spot on Billboard's Heatseekers chart.