Billy Talent is a Canadian rock band formed in 1993 in Mississauga, Ontario. The band consists of Benjamin Kowalewicz (vocals), Ian D'Sa (guitar/vocals), Jonathan Gallant (bass/vocals) and Aaron Solowoniuk (drums/percussion).
Although they are often described as having punk rock roots, the band claims that they have no bands that they have drawn inspiration from; they did not "emulate popular bands at the time." The sound is original and unique, something different that they recognized when they first started playing together. blank">Artist Bio: Billy Talent. _MuchMusic.com. Retrieved on July 12, 2007.
The band existed for almost a decade before hitting mainstream success. The members met and played in high school under the name Pezz and remained underground in Toronto's indie music scene until 2001. The band renamed itself Billy Talent after running into legal trouble with the old name. It was then that Kowalewicz's connection with a worker in Warner Music Canada's A&R landed the band a record deal and launched them into mainstream success. Bliss, Karen. "blank">Billy Talent". Access Magazine (February 2003 - March 2003 issue). Since then, Billy Talent has made two multi-platinum records in Canada, CRIA Gold and Platinum Certifications for January 2007. _Canadian Recording Industry Association (January 2007). Retrieved on July 4, 2007. and continues to expand their success overseas. As of September 11, 2007, the band has completed sixteen months of touring, and they have returned to Canada for a rest before beginning work on a new album. newsbt_new.jsp?id=4254" target="_blank">Thanks for a great 16 months! (September 11, 2007). Retrieved on September 17, 2007. On _My Chemical Romance's official webpage, Billy Talent will be preforming with them during their US tour.
