Patrick Martin Stumph (born April 27, 1984), known professionally as Patrick Vaughn Stump, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Fall Out Boy, originally from Glenview, Illinois.
His solo work has been described as "funky and R&B infused", while Billboard noted him as "one of the best voices in pop-punk". Fall Out Boy has achieved four top ten singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 and four number one albums on the Billboard 200, firstly with Infinity on High (2007), followed by and including Save Rock and Roll (2013), American Beauty/American Psycho (2015), and Mania (2018). With Pete Wentz, Stump founded the record label DCD2 Records in 2005, through which he has signed and worked in production for musical acts including Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, and Panic! at the Disco.
After Fall Out Boy's hiatus in late 2009, Stump released his debut solo album, Soul Punk, on October 18, 2011. It was preceded by the extended play, Truant Wave (2011). He toured in the US and Europe in support. The band returned from hiatus in February 2013 with the album Save Rock and Roll, and the EP PAX AM Days (2013).
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Early life
Stump was born in Evanston, Illinois, to David, a folk singer, and Patricia (née Vaughn) Stumph, an accountant. He is the youngest of three children. He grew up in Glenview, Illinois, and attended Glenbrook South High School. His parents divorced when he was eight years old. He was raised Catholic.
He originally played the drums in various local Chicago power violence and hardcore punk bands, including Public Display Of Infection, Xgrinding processX, Patterson, and, for two shows, Arma Angelus. His musical idols growing up included Michael Jackson, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, and Nat King Cole.
Career
Fall Out Boy (2001–2009; 2013–present)
Fall Out Boy's founding guitarist Joe Trohman met Stump over a mutual musical interest, and introduced Stump to bassist Pete Wentz. After originally auditioning as the drummer, Stump became the lead singer and later guitarist for the band. Trohman and Stump switch between lead and rhythm guitar in recording sessions and at live shows, although Stump views himself as more of a rhythm guitarist because of his drumming background. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary composer for the band, with bassist Pete Wentz taking lyrical duties. The band's first mini-LP, Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend, was released in March 2003 on Uprising Records. They then released their first full-length album, Take This to Your Grave on Fueled by Ramen on May 6, 2003. In the same year, Stump decided to professionally drop the "h" in his surname to reduce mispronunciations.
In 2003, Stump and his fellow band members went on to sign with Island Records, and released the acoustic-based EP My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue CD and DVD in 2004 to hold fans over while the group recorded their major label debut. The EP debuted at No. 153 on the Billboard 200, Fall Out Boy's first entry on that chart (their next entry week would be at No. 9 with From Under the Cork Tree). It also peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Heatseeker Albums and No. 10 on the Billboard Independent Albums. This was followed by their third studio album, From Under the Cork Tree released on May 3, 2005, which was the band's mainstream breakthrough. It has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA, with a sales total of more than 2.5 million. It debuted and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, becoming the band's first top-10 album. The chart-topping lead single "Sugar, We're Goin Down" reached No. 8 on the Hot 100 and received heavy airplay rotation at Pop and Alternative radio. The album's second single, "Dance, Dance", also enjoyed mainstream success, peaking at No. 9 on the Hot 100 and becoming Fall Out Boy's second top-10 hit. It won various awards and was certified platinum. The band heavily toured in 2005 and 2006 in support of From Under the Cork Tree, including headlining Warped Tour, the Nintendo Fusion Tour, and the Black Clouds And Underdogs tour, as well as playing a secret show under the name of Saved Latin at a small venue. Fall Out Boy was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy Award in 2005.
Fall Out Boy's third studio effort, Infinity on High, was released to major chart success in 2007. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 260,000 sales, becoming the group's first No. 1 album and second top 10 release. It also debuted atop other various Billboard charts and charted in the top five worldwide. Infinity was spurred on by the lead single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", which hit No. 2. "Thnks fr th Mmrs", the second single from the album, peaked at No. 11. Fall Out Boy toured all year worldwide in support of it, with arena gigs in the US.
Solo career (2010–2012)
In January 2010, Stump announced he was working on a self-written, performed and produced solo album. Later during that year he leaked the title of Soul Punk, which was eventually released on October 18, 2011.
Stump explained that he named the album Soul Punk because he wanted to contribute to the musical vernacular of both. "I'm just as pissed off as I was while screaming in punk bands, but I feel like I'm directing it into something positive and centered around love." He created a video on his website that shows him playing numerous instruments, starting with drum kit then adding more such as synthesizer, cowbell, electric guitar and bass, amongst others. He performed new songs at his debut solo performance at SXSW 2010 in Austin, Texas, including "As Long As I Know I'm Getting Paid" and "Love, Selfish Love", which may have originally been from an earlier version of his solo album, but have since been included as a part of his solo debut EP, Truant Wave.
On November 29, 2010, Stump put up on his website two different versions of his debut song, "Spotlight", one called "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)", and the other "Spotlight (New Regrets)", with download links for both. Stump expressed that after months he still could not decide which version he liked better and asked his fans to vote on a poll for the version of the single they liked better and wanted to have on the album. The polls closed leaning toward "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)", however Stump has since decided to include "Spotlight (New Regrets)" on Soul Punk and put "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" on his debut EP, Truant Wave, claiming that the votes were too close and that he felt as if "Oh Nostalgia basically needed its own record", building Truant Wave around it.
He released the first EP of his solo career, Truant Wave, digitally on February 22, 2011, through his own record label, Nervous Breakdance Media. The EP consisted of songs Stump "felt strongly about but didn't have place for within the narrative of Soul Punk" and featured Alph-A-Bit, Om'mas Keith of Sa-Ra, David-Andrew "D.A." Wallach of Chester French, and Driis.
On April 6, 2011, Stump contributed an original song, entitled "Saturday Night Again" to the album Download To Donate: Japan Tsunami Relief.
A month later, on May 6, 2011, he updated his website and also posted to his Facebook and Twitter, announcing "I feel like I'm gonna explode 5.9.11" with a link which led to a video called "Tsar bomba", which was a video of a bomb explosion. The "I feel like I'm gonna explode" phrase came from his song "Explode", which Stump premiered at his live show and ended up on Soul Punk. "Explode" was released on May 9, 2011. NyMag.com commented that the song is "heavily indebted to Michael Jackson and, in good news for FOB loyalists, not totally unlike Stump's old band". The song's video caption read "Soul Punk: coming late Summer". On June 27, 2011, Stump wrote on his Facebook and Twitter page, "Tuesday". The next day (the Tuesday he was referring to), Stump released a remix of a Soul Punk track, "This City", featuring rapper Lupe Fiasco. On July 26, the remix was released as the album's first single to iTunes.
Music projects
As a producer, along with a handful of Fall Out Boy tracks, Stump has worked with the Hush Sound on Like Vines, Gym Class Heroes on As Cruel As School Children and Cobra Starship on ¡Viva la Cobra!. He also produced the song "Little Weapon" on Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. He was featured in a song by hip-hop group the Roots originally intended for their 2008 album Rising Down. In 2008, he executive- and co-produced the Cab's Whisper War and Gym Class Heroes' The Quilt, as well as several tracks on Tyga's No Introduction.
In addition to producing albums, Stump has also remixed various tracks for soundtracks or special releases. Among various others, he made a "Queen Of Apology" remix for The Sounds on the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack, a remix of the Fall Out Boy single "Dance, Dance" available on the "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" EP, a "Sugar, We're Goin Down" remix on Fall Out Boy's From Under the Cork Tree special edition release, and "Pace Yourself" for The Higher on their album, On Fire. He also remixed Good Charlotte's "Little Things" for their remix compilation, Greatest Remixes.
On February 1, 2009, Gretsch released the G5135CVT-PS Patrick Vaughn Stump Signature Series "STUMP-O-MATIC" Electromatic® CVT, based on their model body with personal stylings by Patrick Stump such as a "kill switch" and stripes. Also, Stump signed and gave away two of his signature guitars that he used to record Fall Out Boy's fifth album, Folie à Deux. He has another Stump-O-Matic with white and silver stripes, which he used for most of the guitar recording on Soul Punk and at his solo concerts.
Stump appeared as a guest with Daryl Hall from Hall and Oates on Live From Daryl's House, playing guitar on several of Hall and Oates' own songs, as well as on a couple of Fall Out Boy selections, such as "Sugar, We're Goin Down" and "I Don't Care" and, additionally, performing as a drummer/vocalist on a version of "What a Catch Donnie."
During the production of Soul Punk, Stump contributed a cover of Buddy Holly's "Everyday" to the 2011 tribute album, Listen to Me: Buddy Holly to a positive reception. Victoria Asher provided backing vocals. Stump and the album's contributing artists performed at the tribute event at the Music Box Theater.
Acting work
In January 2008, Stump was a guest star on Law & Order. He appeared in the second episode of Season 18 as Marty Dressler, a lowly employee of an electrical company, who is suspected in the kidnapping of the wife and daughter of an executive. The episode, "Darkness", aired on January 2, 2008, on NBC as part of the two-hour series season premiere. There was a rumor that he was not paid for this episode, but he has debunked that and said that he was paid well for his appearance.
Stump made a short film in 2009, Moustachette which was at film festivals. It stars Stump himself, Pete Wentz, and Yellowcard's Ryan Key. It was released online in September 2011.
Stump guest-starred as a lab technician on an episode of House in the episode "We Need the Eggs" (season 8, episode 17), which aired on April 16, 2012. He also made a cameo appearance in the 2008 film Sex Drive along with his Fall Out Boy bandmates.
Alongside his live-action appearances, Stump has partaken in some voice acting roles, such as a handful of Robot Chicken sketches and providing the voice for the character Ruberiot in the Disney XD cartoon Star vs. the Forces of Evil, where he also provided his vocal talents for the song "The Ballad of Star Butterfly". In 2017, Stump guest starred, with his bandmates, in Cartoon Network's Teen Titans Go! playing himself in the first, third and fourth parts of "The Night Begins to Shine". Their cover of the title song from the special was commercially released.
He has also appeared in The Young Blood Chronicles, Fall Out Boy's eleven-part music video story to support the band's 2013 album Save Rock and Roll with bandmates.
On July 24, 2025, it was announced that Stump would play Abel, the son of Adam, in the second season of Hazbin Hotel.
Personal life
Stump married his longtime girlfriend, Elisa Yao, in 2012. They live in Chicago together. Stump announced in September 2014 that he and his wife were expecting their first child, and on 13 October their son Declan was born.
Stump has ADHD. He lost 65 pounds (29 kg) when Fall Out Boy went on hiatus, due in part to growing health issues. Stump also has synesthesia, specifically grapheme–color and chromesthesia.
In 2012, Stump was elected a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences's Chicago Chapter Governors.
Artistry
Stump occasionally sings in the falsetto register. His vocal style incorporating elements of jazz and blues music.
Some of Stump's major influences are Michael Jackson, Prince, David Bowie, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, who are reflected specifically in Soul Punk. Stump's influences also include bands such as The Beatles and Green Day, and artists such as Elvis Costello, John Cage, Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone, Tom Waits, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky, John Williams, Danny Elfman, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Jerry Goldsmith.
Discography
Fall Out Boy
Take This to Your Grave (2003)
From Under the Cork Tree (2005)
Infinity on High (2007)
Folie à Deux (2008)
Save Rock and Roll (2013)
American Beauty/American Psycho (2015)
Mania (2018)
So Much (for) Stardust (2023)
