William Beckett

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.

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

Music

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 forming The Academy Is…, Beckett performed in an acoustic band called Remember Maine, with Nick Scimeca,[6] releasing the album The Last Place You Look 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)».

Beckett also has a songwriting credit on Hey Monday’s song «Homecoming» from their debut album Hold on Tight, and on Demi Lovato’s song «For the Love of a Daughter» from her third album «Unbroken».

After the demise of The Academy Is…, Beckett announced that he will be working on a solo project, with his first EP , Walk the Talk, being released on April 17, 2012, with the single «Compromising Me». A second EP was announced on June 18, 2012, entitled Winds Will Change (produced by Matt Grabe), for a release date of July 17, 2012, and the main single «Great Night», being released on June 19, 2012.