William Beckett (singer)

William Beckett
William Beckett performing on the Honda Civic Tour 2007
Background information
Born	(1985-02-11) February 11, 1985 (age 32)
Origin	Barrington, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Emo pop punk alternative rock pop rock indie rock power pop pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Decaydance Fueled by Ramen Equal Vision LAB
Associated acts	The Academy Is... Remember Maine Exit Seven Cobra Starship Fall Out Boy Metro Station Andrew McMahon

William Beckett (born February 11, 1985), is an American musician best known for his work with the now-defunct Chicago-based band The Academy Is... (TAI), who were signed to Atlantic Records/Fueled by Ramen/Decaydance Records. While still in high school in 2002, Beckett and guitarist Mike Carden came together from rival bands in Chicago to form The Academy Is... In addition to founding the band, Beckett and Carden are credited as the primary songwriters. A third core member of the band was Adam T. Siska, Beckett's classmate and friend from Barrington High School.

In 2007, Alex Davies from the BBC described Beckett as a mix of Adam Lazzara and Prince, labeling him "utterly captivating".

The Academy Is... reunited at Riot Fest 2015 in the fall of 2015 in Chicago. Although Beckett had said the occasion would serve as a "farewell" show, the band later had an additional final tour in late 2015.

Beckett started writing music for his own private pleasure because he did not like the material that was on the radio anymore. He said in an interview that his sister found him playing his songs in the basement and started joining him. She was his first audience and gave him her honest feedback on the material he wrote.

Prior to co-founding The Academy Is... with Mike Carden, Beckett performed in an acoustic band called Remember Maine, with Nick Scimeca, releasing the album The Last Place You Look on LLR Recordings when he was 17 years old.

Beckett has also sung on a number of notable albums by other bands, such as the track "Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year" from Fall Out Boy's 2005 album, From Under the Cork Tree. He sang backing vocals on Fall Out Boy's "What a Catch, Donnie". Other songs he has sung on include "There's a Class for This" from Cute Is What We Aim For's 2006 album The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch, "7 Weeks" from Gym Class Heroes's album As Cruel as School Children, and the Cobra Starship song "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)," which later appeared on the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack and on Cobra Starship's album While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets under the title "Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)".