Brown was mostly raised in the UK, but also spent time living in the United Arab Emirates as a child. He has one sister, Hannah, who also makes YouTube videos. He describes himself as having “hated” music as a child, gravitating towards science and technology over the arts.[7]
Brown started his YouTube channel as a side project for You and What Army.[citation needed] He began to branch out, posting a broad variety of videos, such as tutorials, educational, vlogs, reviews, skits, and music videos.[8][9]
On 2 February 2015, Brown published the music video for his song "Don't Stay in School", which went viral.[10] In the track, he criticizes the school systems for teaching topics he deems unnecessary, instead of teaching practical life skills or topics that interest students. The song has been subject to controversy for seeming to encourage students to drop out of school. However, Brown has stated that it is merely meant to critique the school system, and the words "Don't Stay in School" refer to the topics discussed in the song.[11] Despite drawing controversy, the song has also received praise from students, teachers and parents.[12][13] The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Comedy Digital Track Sales chart.[14]
Later that year, Brown published the song "Spectrum" featuring fellow YouTubers Cryaotic and Minx focusing on LGBT issues and him voicing his support for the community in collaboration with the UK-based LGBT charity somewhereto_.[15]
In 2017, Brown collaborated with iDubbbz to create a diss track against RiceGum titled "Asian Jake Paul" as part of iDubbbz's Content Cop series.[16] The lyrics were criticized for being controversial and racist.[17] The song peaked at number 24 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart.[18]
^Brown, David (27 October 2016). "My Prince Ea video was removed". YouTube. Boyinaband. Event occurs at 4:36. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
^David Brown [@DavePBrown] (24 August 2016). "It's my birthday yay! Feeling so good about things recently, thanks for being so supportive since I came back :)" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 April 2019 – via Twitter.
^David Brown [@DavePBrown] (24 August 2013). "@jonathanhalsall 26 AAAAAAAAAAA" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Twitter.
^"You And What Army Win Red Bull Bedroom Jam - News". Rock Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^"Kids in Glass Houses Front Man to Judge Red Bull Bedroom Jam 2011". Roadrunner Records UK. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^Kiley, Rachel. "Say Hi To Dave From BoyInABand | New Media Rockstars". newmediarockstars.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^Kang, Inkoo (30 April 2018). "People Are Writing Fan Fiction About YouTubers Now. And YouTubers Are Filming Themselves Reading It". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^Homer, Aaron (4 February 2015). "'Don't Stay In School:' Video Ripping What's Taught In Schools Goes Viral". The Inquisitr. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^Lawson, Richard (6 February 2015). "The Internet Rapper Who Is Telling Kids to Drop Out of School". Vanity Fair. New York City: Condé Nast. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^Berger, Renate (24 October 2015). ""Don't Stay in School" video: Why I support it as a preservice teacher".
^Khorsandi, Shappi (22 November 2019). "My son has reached the stage where he's more influenced by YouTubers than his very cool parents". The Independent. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
^""Don't Stay in School" Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^Gustafon, Paul (10 April 2015). "Youtube Artist Boyinaband Launches New LGBT Music Video".
^ abAsarch, Steven (1 April 2019). "PewDiePie briefly lost the war against T-Series, but is on top again". Newsweek. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^Stone, Brianna (18 October 2017). "Feud between YouTube stars uncovers disturbing jokes about racism and rape". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^""Asian Jake Paul" Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^Alexander, Julia (31 March 2019). "PewDiePie concedes to T-Series in battle for YouTube's biggest channel". The Verge. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^"Comedy Digital Track Sales - Week of April 27, 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
^"Boyinaband talks about his mental health". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.