The Killers (2001–present) in 2017 Flowers responded to an ad that
Dave Keuning had placed in the
Las Vegas Weekly in late 2001, whereupon they became the Killers. After several short-lived bassists and drummers, Flowers and Keuning were joined by bassist
Mark Stoermer and drummer
Ronnie Vannucci, and the line-up became official in August 2002. Between 2003 and 2021, they released seven consecutive chart-topping studio albums and have sold over 22 million records worldwide. The Killers are among those
artists who have spent more than 1,000 weeks on the UK music charts during their career. Flowers wrote the lyrics to the single "
All These Things That I've Done" that numbered among the "100 Greatest Songs of All Time" by
The Daily Telegraph and earned one of the band's seven
Grammy nominations. He is also the author of the lyrics of "
Mr. Brightside," which is the third biggest selling/streaming song of all time in the United Kingdom and also holds
the record for most weeks spent on the
UK singles chart, at over 450 weeks. Their second album ''
Sam's Town'', paid homage to Flowers' hometown and family, and earned the band their first
BRIT Awards (Best International Album and Group), and included the chart-topping single "
When You Were Young". Before releasing their first
Billboard 200 No. 1 album
Wonderful Wonderful (2017) and chart topping single "
The Man", the band took a one-year hiatus during which Flowers released his second and most favorably reviewed solo album to that date. On July 4, 2010, the Killers headlined the "Salute to the Military"
USO Concert at the
White House. They performed "
God Bless America" and favorites from their catalogue. On June 22, 2013, the Killers headlined the 90,000-capacity
Wembley Stadium, their biggest solo show to date.
Solo career (2010–present) Flamingo (2010–11) in 2010 Flowers' debut solo album,
Flamingo, was released in September 2010 and charted in the top ten albums in ten countries, including the UK where it charted at number one. The album drew heavy influence from Flowers' hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, and earned Flowers a
Q Award nomination for Best Male Artist (2010). The first single from
Flamingo, "
Crossfire", was released on June 21. It became Flowers' first top ten single in the UK as a solo artist and was certified silver by the
BPI. The video for "Crossfire" featured actress
Charlize Theron and was nominated for Best Video at the
NME Awards.
Flamingo was Flowers' fourth consecutive studio album to reach no. 1 on the UK charts, including work by the Killers, who subsequently earned another four consecutive UK No. 1's. Prior to the release of
Flamingo, Flowers debuted his solo act at the Shimmer Showroom in Las Vegas on August 15, 2010, being named by
Spin as one of the "15 Best Shows of the Summer". Following the release of the album, Flowers embarked on the
Flamingo Road Tour in small theaters across the United States, being described by
Spin as one of the "25 Best Fall Tours"/"Must-See Fall Tours".
The Desired Effect (2015) on
The Desired Effect Tour in 2015 Flowers' second solo studio album,
The Desired Effect, was released on May 15, 2015. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, making it Flowers' second consecutive solo No. 1 album. Flowers stated that the album was "definitely going to be different" from his last album, and he referred to producer
Ariel Rechtshaid as his "co-captain". The album featured performances by notable musicians including
Bruce Hornsby,
Tony Levin,
Joey Waronker,
Carlos Alomar, and
Kenny Aronoff.
The Desired Effect is Flowers' highest yet ranked album on
Metacritic and honored as the Album of the Year (2015) by
The San Francisco Examiner. Reviews positively described the album as Flowers' finest work since
Hot Fuss. The album was preceded by positively reviewed singles "
Can't Deny My Love", "
Still Want You", "
Lonely Town", and "
I Can Change". Multiple tracks from the album were listed on Best Songs of 2015 So Far lists by publications including SPIN, NPR, and Mashable. Halfway through 2015,
USA Today listed the album as one of the top five best albums of 2015 so far.
The Desired Effect Tour included performances in Europe and North America; it ran through October 1, 2015.
MTV rated Flowers' tour stop at London's Brixton Academy five stars. Flowers also performed for U.S. President
Barack Obama at the 2015 National Clean Energy Summit. Flowers also performed at that year's
Royal Variety Performance at the
Royal Albert Hall for members of the
British royal family.
Forthcoming solo albums (2023–present) In an December 2023 interview with
NME, Flowers revealed he was working on at least one solo album that embodied "a little bit of [his] first two solo records," describing the album as "almost wrapped up". In a later interview with
NME, Flowers confirmed that he had two "south west" solo records that are "more in the 'Flamingo' direction". In December 2025, Flowers confirmed that the two solo records that he recorded in Nashville were "complete", with one "almost mixed" and the other following shortly.
Collaborations In addition to his work with the Killers, Flowers has collaborated with
Avicii,
Chrissie Hynde,
New Order,
Travis, and
Robbie Williams. In 2022, Flowers and the Killers invited
Bruce Springsteen to perform with them at
Madison Square Garden. In 2023, he was invited to perform alongside
Elton John at the
Glastonbury Festival. == Personal life ==