Here are nine of your favorite singers performing as kids/teens, from Hayley Williams to Billie Joe
It takes a lifetime of dedication and practice to become a full-time frontman. After all, our favorite vocalists of the scene had to start somewhere, right?
We're celebrating some of your favorite vocalists by digging these super-old performances, from childhood to high school, out of the vault.
Read more: These photos of bands at their proms are everything
1. Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)
There is, much to our delight, quite a treasure trove of kid-Armstrong videos on YouTube. Here's one of our favorites, where he performs at a school Christmas show as a kid.
2. Parker Cannon (The Story So Far)
The Story So Far's frontman was in a different band in high school called Blind Impression. Fun fact: Blind Impression actually has a song in an EA Skate game! Hear that story right here.
3. Tyler Joseph (Twenty One Pilots)
Tyler Joseph has been grinding it out for his musical career since he was in high school. Check out this performance of the National Anthem at his senior night. His companion in the video, Nick Thomas, is actually a former member of the band!
4. All Time Low
This one's a treat because we get to see the full band! This was the first time “The Party Scene” was ever performed live, back in April of 2005, just a few months before debut album The Party Scene was released.
5. Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides, Andy Black)
When Andy hosted the 2017 APMAs, he opened up the show by sharing this truly hilarious video of him performing for his grandparents as a kid. They probably knew then that he'd grow up to be a superstar.
Read more: QUIZ: Can you guess the year based on the band photo?
6. Hayley Williams (Paramore)
If you haven't heard this one, it will seriously blow your mind. Hayley Williams was in a church project called Mammoth City Messengers around the age of 12-13, according to the video description (so, not too long before she joined Paramore!). Here's one of their songs called “Boomerang.”
7. Jesse Lacey (Taking Back Sunday, Brand New) and John Nolan (Taking Back Sunday, Straylight Run)
We won't try to sum up the entire Lacey versus Nolan controversy for you, but the two were in a high school band together before TBS called Godmunder. Copies of the CD started floating around at sharply inflated prices, so Nolan released the audio for free.
8. Ben Barlow (Neck Deep)
So Barlow isn't necessarily a kid in this one, but this cover of “Dammit” (which is SO GOOD, by the way) came out almost a year before their first EP, Rain In July, which includes fan favorite “A Part Of Me.” Now, years later, Mark Hoppus features on Neck Deep's “December (Again)”!
9. Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance, Frank Iero And The Patience)
During the high school years, Frank Iero was in a band called Pencey Prep, who recorded an album called Heartbreak In Stereo. They eventually changed their name to I Am A Graveyard, but it didn't take long after that for the My Chemical Romance boys to ask Iero to come on full-time.
BONUS: The elusive Gerard Way performance
The lost holy grail of emo performances: Gerard Way was once in a school production of Peter Pan. Although no footage exists, Way does talk about it in the 2006 MCR documentary Life On The Murder Scene.
That's all we've got for you! What's your favorite performances from a young scene singer band? Let us know in the comments.
Watch more: All Time Low share their ‘90s kid memories
