10 Questions with ... Matthew West

NAME:Matthew West TITLE:Musician LABEL:Sparrow Records

Label:
Sparrow Records

Discography:
Something to Say (January 15, 2008)
Sellout (Independent Re-release, 2006)
History (Universal South, 2005)
Happy (Universal South, 2003)

1) Can you offer a brief rundown of your career?

Well, it all started with a boy and a dream. Just kidding. I won't start that far back. I moved to Nashville in 1999 after graduating from college (That's right, I have a degree). My first contract wasn't a recording contract. Instead I was signed as a songwriter out of college and began my career writing songs for other recording artists. From 1999-2002, I spent half the year in Nashville writing, and the rest of the year touring around the college with my guitar, playing over 200 college campuses, as well as churches and youth groups.

Finally, after being turned down by all of the CCM record labels once (or twice,) I signed a record deal with Universal Records South and released my first record "Happy" at the end of 2003. My first single "More" was this crazy fluke of a hit at radio, going #1 and staying there for nine weeks, which made my mother proud. My second record "History" released in the summer of 2005, forcing the question, "Is every album going to have a one word title that starts with the letter H?"

I have been very fortunate over the past few years to reach people with my music through the radio and touring, and I'm excited to be releasing a new record called, "Something to Say" with EMI and Sparrow Records.

2) Should a good songwriter be a good people watcher? What might be your favorite story that turned into a song?

It is so important for a songwriter not to overlook the ordinary. I have found that inspiration often hides out waiting to be discovered in the deeper layers of what may seem like an ordinary moment on the surface.

There's a song on my last record called "The Last Ones," that I wrote after meeting a little girl named Taylor in Kansas City. Taylor has Downs Syndrome and this precious child just touched my heart. I met her parents as well and over time we all have become good friends. One day I received a package in the mail from Taylor. The package was filled with pictures of her and one picture caught my eye that started this song in my heart. It was a picture of her at a Special Olympics event holding up the medal that she won. My guess was that she probably didn't come in first place, but the joy in her eyes and the victory in that shot inspired the words, "God bless the last ones."

3) Do you have any funny or interesting stories from your visits to radio stations?

When I was first starting out, my label sent me on this massive promotional tour to visit all the radio stations. But instead of bringing new music, we brought food. We traveled on a bus for six weeks armed with gas grills and I humbly cooked burgers for all the radio big wigs. I even wore an apron! I realized that food was the way to radio's heart. Ha! I have some great memories from that crazy "cookout" tour and have made some great lasting friendships with many radio stations from that experience. The only problem is, now every time I visit a station, they ask me where the food is.

4) What's the story behind the new single "You Are Everything"?

Originally, the song was one of the few songs I've written that sort of just fell out. I couldn't really point to one specific thing or experience that inspired the words and music that poured onto the page. I just knew that I felt those lyrics in my heart. Then several months after writing the song, I found out I was going to have to undergo surgery on my vocal chord. I wound up going through this really difficult trial and a very discouraging, weak time for me.

I found myself facing all these "what if" questions: What if my voice doesn't come back after surgery? What if I can't see my music dreams come true? What if I lose this thing that I love so much? What if I can't provide for my family? Coming up empty on answers to those questions brought me right back to the lyrics of "You Are Everything," and suddenly I understood what this song was about. See, I get it now. I understand that even if my voice had never come back, even if I couldn't do music anymore, even if I lost everything I love in this life, I would still have everything I need as long as I have Jesus. I guess sometimes it take losing something to find out what you really have.

5) Is there a specific idea you want to communicate through "Something to Say"?

I hope the album encourages everyone who hears that we ALL have something to say. I think many people feel like they don't have anything to offer to the world or that maybe their voice isn't an important one. Sometimes it's our mistakes that keep us quiet. They think, "Who am I to have anything to say? I've messed up my life one too many times." But that's the beauty of God's plan for our lives. And he doesn't just leave us down here to try and say it all by ourselves. My surgery and silence reminded me that it's not about what WE have to say, but more about what GOD has to say THROUGH us. That's what "Something to Say" is about.

6) Which do you enjoy more: the process or the performance?

Each stage of the creative process has its moments of joy. Each stage can make you want to quit at times, too. But I absolutely love writing songs. There is something so exciting about seeing a song grow from a simple idea to a three-minute message that speaks to the heart.

7) How do you know that you've written a good song? What's your barometer?

You kind of just know. I know that's not the answer that you might want to hear. If I am moved by the song while I'm writing it, I take that as a good sign. There's a song on the new record called "Save a Place for Me" that I wrote with my friend Sam. We were both crying by the end of that writing session. It's a sad song.

8) What's your favorite song to perform live?

"Only Grace" is a song I love to sing. It speaks to me every time I sing it. I just love singing, "If you should fall again, get back up, get back up." I need to hear that because everyday I fall and sometimes it's hard to get back up.

9) You're giving fans the chance to vote on the album cover of the new record. Are you getting some good response from that? Why did you decide to try it?

My thought was to give everyone something to say about "Something to Say." I was sitting around thinking, "I make music and hope that people like what they see and hear, so why shouldn't they have a say in how my record looks and sounds!" The response to the voting was amazing! So many people cast their vote for their favorite cover, and we went with the cover that got the most votes. The fans really did choose the cover. I just can't tell you which one it is yet. Find out on January 15.

10) Imagine life without music - what would you be doing?

I don't have to imagine that, not anymore. I had two months of silence due to my vocal problems to imagine my world without music. At first, I was scared to think I may have to find another job. I am truly passionate about music and songwriting and communicating through my art. But I have learned that if my passion for music, or anything for that matter, outweighs my passion for God then I am heading in the wrong direction. So I'm not scared of life without music. I don't hold on to it as tightly as I once did. Life without God? That I can't imagine.

1) Who would be a dream artist to record with (any genre)?

Something random like Tim McGraw would be cool. I am not ashamed to say I like Country.

2) What is your favorite city to visit?

So many wonderful places, but Chicago remains at the top of my list.

3) What is your favorite road meal?

Breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

4) Do you have any musical guilty pleasures?

I never know what qualifies as a music guilty pleasure. For all I know my music is someone else's guilty pleasure! But I do have a love for Country music, Country songwriting to be more specific. Some of the greatest wordsmiths write country songs, and those songs can tell a story in three minutes that will make you laugh, cry and repeat.