“I’m sorry this is so uncomfortable,” Brandon Flowers says apologetically during a long and, yes, rather painful silence. The 29-year-old musician is trying to round out a list of the 10 vocal performances that most influenced him, and in a group dominated by guys, he needs a woman. Shy and hesitant in person, Flowers is nothing like his onstage persona. Whereas that one—the superstar who fronts the Las Vegas–based arena rock band The Killers—sweats swagger and breathes bombast, this one fidgets in his chair inside New York’s Gramercy Park Hotel. This fall, Flowers will take the stage without his three bandmates when he tours Europe in support of Flamingo, his solo debut. If the first single, “Crossfire,” is any indication, the album (named after a road in Las Vegas) will stay true to the Killers’ synths and soaring vocals. But Flowers can’t help it. He’s never been one to conceal his roots and he isn’t about to start now. [read more]