Gravel-voiced English vocalist Charlie Simpson made a convincing transition from fresh-faced member of a boy band to authentic hard rock frontman. His first band, the punk-pop trio Busted, enjoyed tremendous success, scoring four number one singles and two million-selling albums, but Simpson became discontented with their teenybopper direction, and in 2003 formed post-hardcore quintet Fightstar as an outlet for his more alternative tendencies. Two years later, he left Busted to concentrate on his own band full-time, and despite his pop background, managed to win over rock skeptics and an entirely new fan base thanks to the group's authentic, credible sound. Following a band hiatus in 2010, Simpson began work on an acoustic solo record and released an EP, When We Were Lions. ~ Jon O'Brien