Actor, singer, JAY BRANNAN born; Brannan was cast in 2003 for the movie Shortbus which featured him in a sex scene, and worked as a proofreader and in other jobs to support himself. He contributed the song “Soda Shop” to the film’s soundtrack, which he stated was his “first professionally recorded track”. Brannan began to record sparse music videos for YouTube, playing songs with guitar, and built an international fan base without corporate sponsorship, using MySpace and Blogspot. In 2007, he appeared in the movie Holding Trevor as the promiscuous best friend of the protagonist, and released a limited-edition EP with four songs named disasterpiece or Unmastered and added two additional songs for a 2008 rerelease.

In July 2008, Brannan released the album goddamned through his own label, Great Depression Records, and toured ten dates, when he had previously toured with about four dates in a row. The same year, Brannan left his proofreading job and sustained himself with earnings from concerts and merchandise. His second album, In Living Color, was released 2009 and reached number ten on the Billboard Top HeatSeekerschart for the week of July 25, 2009. He was voted “#1 Most Eligible Bachelor” by OUT Magazine in February 2011.