Justin Furstenfeld is a record producer, artist, and the lead singer, guitarist, lyricist and frontman of the American rock band Blue October.

Growing up, Furstenfeld listened to hip-hop, rock, country, dance; his favorite artists included Marvin Gaye, The Smiths, Red House Painters and Pink Floyd. His first musical memory was Roy Orbison's ballad, Crying.

During his high school years at Houston's prestigious High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA), he formed a band The Last Wish, which he played in from the age of 13 until 1995. When performing solo, Furstenfeld used the moniker 5591; the number 5591 being his patient number when he was admitted to a mental institution following a break-up with his then-girlfriend, Amanda. He tells this story in the confessionals on the Argue With a Tree DVD (found in the Special Features). Furstenfeld also co-wrote and performed guest vocals on the Canvas song All About You from their album Four Days Awake.

In August 2008, Furstenfeld toured with Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series, in a sold out 4-city book/concert tour.

Furstenfeld is also an artist, and his paintings have appeared on the covers of two Blue October albums, The Answers and History for Sale. His artwork is also featured on Blue October poster's and T-shirts.

When not touring with his band, Furstenfeld resides in San Marcos, Texas. He is the brother of Blue October drummer, Jeremy Furstenfeld. He has a daughter named Blue (born in 2007) to whom several of the songs on the current Blue October album Approaching Normal are dedicated.

Justin Furstenfeld has battled with bipolar disorder through most of his life. He has his condition under control, saying in an interview that "I'm not a danger to myself [anymore]."

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The Texas quintet Blue October formed during the post-grunge boom of the mid-'90s, when vocalist/guitarist Justin Furstenfeld began penning angst-ridden rock songs with the help of his brother, drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld, and violinist Ryan Delahoussaye. Bassist Matt Noveskey and lead guitarist Brant Coulter completed the band's initial lineup, and Blue October released an independent debut album, The Answers, in 1998. The band's emotive brand of post-grunge led to the sale of 5,000 copies in their native Houston alone. Two years later, Blue October made their major-label debut on Universal with Consent to Treatment.

Blue October's seventh full-length studio album, Any Man in America, is a new beginning. An unexpected and unsettling personal shift sparked the music that would become Any Man in America. Singer Justin Furstenfeld found himself mired in the end of a marriage and a tenuous custody battle that consumed him to the breaking point. Instead of falling further, he turned to the studio and began documenting moments in his life in 2008 as the band was working on their last offering, Approaching Normal. The result is thirteen new songs that tell a cathartic tale of heartbreak and healing through unbridled lyrical honesty, anthemic modern rock hooks, and melodic soundscapes.

"I was separated at the time, and my daughter was in Nebraska while I moved back to Texas alone," he explains. "I decided to document everything. If I messed up along the way, I'd tell that too. We called the album my 'Audio Journal' as I began writing. I didn't want the music to just be about me though. I wanted it to help other people in who might be going through the same thing."

That "Audio Journal" follows the dissolution of his marriage, the horrible fallout that resulted, and the closure that finally came. With the crack of a power chord, a haunting piano melody, or the texture of electronic despair, Blue October builds an immersive and often infectious "real life" emotional roller coaster.

However, the band neglected to simply wallow in the negative aspects of this ride. Rather, the music became a tool of empowerment. Justin goes on, "The most important thing in my life was the birth of my daughter. That changed me into a man. This record is my chance to speak my heart because I never got that opportunity to do that in the court system. When my world was turned upside down and my daughter was being taken away from me I was being told ‘you know it is not right but you are going to have to accept it.' In America, the system makes it easier to be a deadbeat father than a man who wants to provide for and love his children. This is my deposition."

Along the way, his band mates were there for him. Justin wasn't alone, and that unity makes for richer, fuller music. "We're in a band together, but first and foremost, we're family," adds his brother and drummer Jeremy. "The album evolved into one man's journey through a really harsh time, but any man could be put in this situation of being kept away from his family. There's nothing that you feel like you can do to change it. However, we've always been right there for each other to deal with what comes along in life."

Since 1995, Blue October has been a refuge for its members and fans worldwide. Over the course of five albums, achieving platinum sales with singles like Hate Me and Into The Ocean along with non-stop touring solidified the band's presence in the music world. They've had high-profile film and TV placements on The Sopranos, Saw III, and NCIS to name a few. Justin was also featured in a unique tour alongside Twilight author Stephanie Meyer in 2008. Plus, they've played to fans in nearly every corner of the world. However, it all simply set the stage for Any Man in America.

After two years of Justin documenting and recording the demos of what would become Any Man in America, the band retreated to an Austin, TX studio with mixer and producer Tim Palmer [Grammy award wining mixer for U2's ‘All That You Can't Leave Behind, David Bowie, Pearl Jam, and Robert Plant]. Co-producing with Justin, Palmer helped the band capture each and every instance that the lyrics describe so vividly. As Justin puts it, "Palmer allowed me the freedom to be that open and honest." Any Man In America is an album with a beginning, a middle and an end. It's a "concept" album, except that this is not a concept, it is Furstenfeld's reality.

The loudest voices will be the audiences everywhere that sing along to these songs with Blue October. Ultimately, that's who the band continues to write for. The frontman sums everything up, "This happens every day in America. I just want to show you can make it through, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel."