Matthew West is a well-known singer, composer, and actor from the United States. He is also known for the modern Christian music he has made. So far, he has put out five full-length albums. “You Are Everything” and “The Motions” are two of his best-known songs.
In 2005, he was shortlisted for an amazing 5 Dove Awards and won 2 of them for “Happy,” the song that made him famous and got him signed to a major label. Western won an American Music Award for being the most inspiring artist of the past year.
Early life and achievements: Matthew West
Matthew Joseph West’s voice has been a blessing to Christian music.
He was born in Downers Grove, Illinois, on April 25, 1977. He grew up in a suburb of Chicago, where he found music at a young age. As the child of a minister, he spent his childhood sitting in the front pew and following his mother’s lead as she sang in harmony.
He hoped very much to get a baseball scholarship to college because of how well he did in high school. Instead, he attended Millikin University on a music scholarship for four years, where he also made several solo recordings before graduation in 1999.
Matthew picked up a guitar and started writing songs during his very first year of college.
When he was a student, he performed for every kind of gathering imaginable, from fraternity parties to churches to teenagers.
In 1999, West was a student at Millikin University when he was asked to take part in the GMA Music event in the Rockies.
West initially showed little interest, but he eventually went because he found out that people paid his fee and signed him up.
At the gathering, he struck up a conversation with a Word Publishing rep who took an interest in him and stayed in touch with him until he finished college.
West got his certificate in July 1999. Five weeks later, he got to the finals of a songwriting contest. He won a songwriting agreement.
He has written songs for artists like Rachael Lampa and Billy Ray Cyrus. In 2000 and 2001, he started touring the United States as a solo act. Several musicians have put their spins on the songs he wrote. Matthew’s first top-5 song as a songwriter was “Savior Song,” Rachel Lampa’s newest single.
On July 26, 2002, West suffered a left arm injury.
This was a week or so before he committed to a record deal with Universal South Records. This hurt his ability to play guitar and his music career.
He wasn’t likely to be able to use his left arm fully again because a major artery was almost cut. He was able to move on and finish recording the guitar parts for his first album after the setback.
On December 26, 2003, his debut big-label studio album, Happy, was released.
West partnered with album producers Jason Houser and Kenny Greenbergon “More.” It topped the Christian Adult Contemporary chart of R&R for a record-breaking 9 days and was his first and most popular radio hit. It was so well-received that ASCAP named it Christian Song of the Year for 2004.
“The End” and “You Know Where to Find Me” are two of the album’s singles. In 2004, West set off on a 40-date fall tour with support from Avalon and Mark Schultz, beginning in late September.
At the end of November, the trip came to an end. He was asked to vote on five 2005 Dove Award categories, including “New Artist of the Year” and “Song of the Year.” His debut album’s packaging, titled Happy, got the Dove Award for “Recorded Music Packaging of the Year.”
Early in 2005, Matthew West started working on what would become his second studio album. “History” was made available by Universal South Records on June 21, 2005.
West’s heavy use of his voice over the years caused major health issues, and he underwent surgery in 2007 to remove many polyps from his throat. He took a break from music for some time, but returned in 2008 with “Something to Say”. It was his first album to rank on the Billboard 200 and hit number 8 on the Top Christian Albums chart. Producers were Christopher Stevens, Brown Bannister, and Ed Cash.
He appeared as a guest on America’s Dream: Chasing Happiness episode from March 1–9, 2008, hosted by Billy Graham. The music video for his song “Nothing Else” from his album History also premiered. On June 29th, 2008, West presided over the GMA Gospel Dream competition for Christian musicians. By April of that year, his second song, “The Motions,” had climbed to the top of the Christian AC chart of R&R.
“My Little World” is the opening track of Matthew West’s latest album. It was published in 2010. Another album “Story of Your Life” was released on 2010, October 5.
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West states that the song is his answer to the countless life stories shared by his fans. This uplifting and unforgettable listening experience starts with the song “Title Track” and ends with the song “The Healing Has Begun.”
“The Heart of Christmas” was released in 2011. The studio album “Into the Light” was released in 2012. In 2015, Metthew West published “Live Forever.” It debuted at number 51 on the Top 200 and at the top spot on the Billboard Christian Albums.
The seventh studio album, of Matthew West, “All In” was released in 2017. It included the single “Broken Things,” for which he won the 2018 Dove Award for Songwriter of the Year.
In 2020, West’s label, Story House Music, put out his eighth studio album, Brand New. His work ethic and output stayed the same, and in 2020, he put out “Brand New” on his label.
Controversies and Allegations about Matthew West
Like all successful people, Matthew West also faced a tough time in his life. Matthew West said, “We all have a rough road, and when we’re hurting and need help, we must turn to God.”
West has been through storms of his own. He was just getting started as a musician when he hurt his arm. It almost stopped him. Five years later, he had to have surgery on his voice, which could have ended his career as a singer.
West said that these things had taught him something: “It doesn’t matter how great your life looks on the outside.” No life endures from beginning to end unaffected by suffering, unaffected by adversity, tragedy, or obstacles.
“My life is no different… “I’ve had to get past a lot of obstacles in my life to get where I am now,” “he added. “I know without a doubt that I didn’t solve the problems on my own. I’ve realized the exact opposite, which is that I can’t make it through life on my own because I’m not strong enough. I am not adequate. I can’t make myself smart enough to figure out all of life’s mysteries on my own.”
When he released the song “Modest is Hottest,” which he called “ridiculously absurd,” it was also a hard time in his career. He said that the song was his way of telling his children that their looks don’t define them.
In the song “Modest Is Hottest” which West wrote for his girls, he told them to dress “a little more Amish and a little less Kardashian.”
But the song quickly upset a lot of people, who thought the lyrics were more hurtful than funny. West apologized after he was criticized for a parody song about modesty.
Conclusion
Matthew West is the most inspiring singer. His gospel explains things about how people should obey the will of God after the “turn of the ages,” which is when Jesus died and rose from the dead.
He had a lot of problems in his life, but he stayed strong and kept going with his music career to inspire people. Through his songs, he motivated many people and made them start living again with passion. He is the best gospel singer, and his fans love him.