Gerard Way facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerard Way
|
|
|---|---|
Way in 2017
|
|
| Born |
Gerard Arthur Way
April 9, 1977 Summit, New Jersey, U.S.
|
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Lindsey Ballato
(m. 2007) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and comic book writer. He is most famous as the lead singer and a co-founder of the rock band My Chemical Romance. He also released his first solo album, Hesitant Alien, in 2014.
Way helped create and write the comic series The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and The Umbrella Academy. The Umbrella Academy later became a very popular Netflix TV show that ran for four seasons. He also started DC Comics' Young Animal publishing group and wrote its main series, Doom Patrol.
Contents
Early Life and Creative Beginnings
Gerard Way was born in Summit, New Jersey, on April 9, 1977. His parents are Donna Lee and Donald Way. He grew up in Belleville, New Jersey, with his brother Mikey Way. Gerard first started singing in public when he was in fourth grade. He played the role of Peter Pan in a school musical.
His grandmother, Elena Lee Rush, was a big inspiration for him. She taught him to sing, paint, and perform from a young age. He has said that she taught him "everything I know." When he was in elementary school, the band Bon Jovi helped him discover his love for music.
Way went to Belleville High School and finished in 1995. He decided to work in the comic-book industry. He studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and earned a degree in 1999.
Music Career Highlights
My Chemical Romance Years (2001–2013)
As teenagers, Gerard and his brother Mikey Way were inspired by many artists. These included Iron Maiden, The Misfits, Queen, and The Smiths. Gerard first wanted to be a guitarist. His grandmother bought him his first guitar when he was eight. He played in small bands like Ray Gun Jones. However, he decided to focus on his art career instead.
Way was working in New York City during the events of September 11, 2001. Seeing what happened made him change his outlook on life. He decided he needed to "make a difference." To help with his feelings, Way wrote the song "Skylines and Turnstiles." This became the first song by My Chemical Romance.
Way also sang on songs for other bands. These included "Kill the Music" by Every Time I Die and "Graduation Day" by Head Automatica. He also sang on "In Defense of the Genre" by Say Anything.
Way has shared that music and art helped him deal with personal challenges. He wrote deeply personal songs like "Helena" to remember his grandmother.
_(6825192746).jpg)
My Chemical Romance announced they were breaking up on March 22, 2013.
Solo Career: Hesitant Alien (2014–2016)
In May 2014, Way announced he had signed with Warner Bros. Records as a solo artist. He was finishing his first solo album. He released a new song, "Action Cat," in June as a preview. He also announced his first solo shows at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2014.
On August 19, Way released a music video for the song "No Shows." This was the first single from his new album. The album, called Hesitant Alien, came out on September 30, 2014. Way said he chose to use the Britpop style in his music because he liked its energy.
In early 2015, Way performed at the Boston Calling Music Festival. On Record Store Day 2016, he released two special songs from Hesitant Alien called "Don't Try" and "Pinkish."
Later Solo Songs and Reunion (2018–Present)
.jpg)
On October 26, 2018, Way released his first new solo song in over two years, "Baby You're a Haunted House." His brother and former bandmate, Mikey Way, played bass on the song. A video for the song was released on YouTube the same day.
On November 15, Way released another song, "Getting Down the Germs." He wrote this song with former bandmate Ray Toro. Way said this song showed where his music was headed next.
On December 14, Way released a third song, "Dasher." It featured extra singing from Lydia Night of The Regrettes. This song is a Christmas story about a girl who loves a reindeer.
On January 24, 2019, Way released a cover of "Hazy Shade of Winter" by Simon & Garfunkel. He worked with Toro again on this song. It was used in the trailer for the Netflix TV show based on Way's comic, The Umbrella Academy. On February 8, 2019, Way released a cover of "Happy Together" by The Turtles, also with Toro. This song also appeared in The Umbrella Academy.
On October 31, 2019, My Chemical Romance announced they were getting back together. They had a show in Los Angeles on December 20. They later announced a tour for 2020, which was moved to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On July 8, 2020, Way released a new song called "Here Comes the End." It featured singer Judith Hill and was on the second season of The Umbrella Academy.
On November 12, 2024, My Chemical Romance announced the Long Live The Black Parade Tour. This tour will happen in North America in 2025. It celebrates their third album, The Black Parade.
Other Music Projects
In 2008, Way and the music project Julien-K remixed "Sleep When I'm Dead" by The Cure. All money from this song went to the International Red Cross.
In 2009, Way and Japanese singer Kyosuke Himuro created a new theme song for Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete. This was a movie based on the video game Final Fantasy VII. Way wrote the lyrics and sang with Himuro. The song, "Safe and Sound," came out on April 29, 2009.
Way also helped produce the album I'm a UFO in This City (2012) for the band LostAlone. He also sang on "Falling in Love Will Kill You" for Wrongchilde, a project by Kill Hannah singer Mat Devine.
In 2015, Way helped write and sang backup on "Louder Than Your Love." This song was on Black Veil Brides singer Andy Black's first solo album, The Shadow Side.
In March 2022, Way was featured on the song Rōnin by Ibaraki. This project is led by Trivium's singer and guitarist Matt Heafy.
Other Creative Work
Writing Comics (1993–Present)
Way first tried writing a comic when he was 16 in 1993. It was a series called On Raven's Wings. The series stopped after the second issue.
In 2007, Way started writing the comic-book series The Umbrella Academy. Its first part, Apocalypse Suite, was released by Dark Horse Comics on May 5, 2007. This comic won an Eisner Award in 2008 for Best Limited Series. The next part, Dallas, came out on November 26, 2008. A third part, Hotel Oblivion, was released in 2018–2019.
Way, Shaun Simon, and Becky Cloonan also created another comic series called The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. This series continued ideas from the My Chemical Romance album with a similar name.
In 2014, Way started writing for Marvel Comics. He wrote for the alternate universe Spider-Man series Edge of Spider-Verse. His story introduced Peni Parker, a Japanese-American student who pilots a robot suit called SP//dr.
On March 21, 2024, Way announced a new comic book series called Paranoid Gardens. The first issue was released in July 2024.
Television Projects (2001–Present)
In 2001, Way helped create a cartoon called The Breakfast Monkey with Joe Boyle. They showed it to Cartoon Network, but the network did not pick it up.
In 2013, Way directed his first TV episode for The Hub series The Aquabats! Super Show!. He co-directed and co-wrote the episode "The AntiBats!" with Christian Jacobs and Jason deVilliers. Way's brother Mikey also appeared in the episode. The next year, Way was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for his writing on the show.
In 2018, the character Peni Parker, whom Way co-created, appeared in the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Way was also a co-executive producer for the TV show based on The Umbrella Academy from 2019 to 2024.
Artistic Style
Many people connect Gerard Way's name with the emo music style. Alternative Press Magazine said that Way's singing is full of strong feelings and passion. Way's singing was influenced by Queen and britpop music. His song lyrics often tell a story. His live shows have been described as "theatrical" and very expressive.
Personal Life
On September 3, 2007, Way married Lyn-Z, the bassist for Mindless Self Indulgence. They got married backstage after a concert in Colorado. Their daughter was born on May 27, 2009. They live in Los Angeles.
Way has shared that he is a first cousin once removed of comedian Joe Rogan. Rogan confirmed this on his podcast in 2019.
Discography
Studio Albums
- Hesitant Alien (2014)
Other Recordings
- "O Waly, Waly" (2014)
- "Pinkish" / "Don't Try" (2016)
- "Into the Cave We Wander" (with Ray Toro, 2016)
- "Baby You're a Haunted House" (2018)
- "Getting Down the Germs" (2018)
- "Dasher" (featuring Lydia Night, 2018)
- "Hazy Shade of Winter" (featuring Ray Toro, 2019)
- "Happy Together" (featuring Ray Toro, 2019)
- "Here Comes the End" (featuring Judith Hill, 2020)
Guest Performances
- "Jet Black New Year" (by Thursday, backing vocals, 2002)
- "Devil in Mexico" (by Murder by Death, backing vocals, 2003)
- "Barnabus Collins Has More Skeletons in His Closet than Vincent Price" (by The Oval Portrait, backing vocals, 2003)
- "From My Cold Dead Hands" (by The Oval Portrait, backing vocals, 2003)
- "Kill the Music" (by Every Time I Die, backing vocals, 2005)
- "Graduation Day" (by Head Automatica, backing vocals, 2006)
- "In Defense of the Genre" (by Say Anything, backing vocals, 2007)
- "Safe and Sound" (by Kyosuke Himuro, vocals, 2009)
- "My Space" (by Evelyn Evelyn, backing vocals, 2010)
- "Professional Griefers" (by Deadmau5, vocals, 2012)
- "Falling in Love (Will Kill You)" (by Wrongchilde, vocals, 2014)
- "Louder Than Your Love" (by Andy Black, backing vocals, 2016)
- "Sailor in a Life Boat" (by Euringer, backing vocals, 2018)
- "Rōnin" (by Ibaraki, unclean vocals, 2022)
Remixes
- "Sleep When I'm Dead" (Remix 4) (by The Cure, remix with Julien-K, 2008)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Yo Gabba Gabba! | Himself | Episode: "A Very Awesome Christmas" |
| 2013 | The Aquabats! Super Show! | Co-writer, co-director | Episode: "Anti-bats!" |
| 2015 | Pancake Mountain | Himself | |
| 2019–2024 | The Umbrella Academy | Co-executive producer |
Images for kids
-
Way in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Gerard Way para niños
