MATTHEW WEST

There’s Strength in a Story

After enduring vocal issues in 2007, West returned to release an impressive three albums in three years. Something to Say, The Story of Your Life, and Into the Light propelled West to even more success and established his name as one of the great Christian musicians of the 21st Century. West reports that The Story of Your Life was inspired by the thousands of testimonies that his fans were sending into him. The album was finished as West retreated to a cabin not far from his house in Tennessee where he spent the next two months writing songs inspired by the stories he was reading.

Alongside his work in the studio, West proved he was more than just a Christian musician by starring in a Christmas film entitled The Heart of Christmas. The film was directed by Gary Wheeler and West starred alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure, the pair helping to score the film a 7.1 rating on IMDb.

Branching Out

West has continued to make music, releasing eight albums to date with his latest, Brand New, making waves in the Christian music scene on Valentine’s Day 2020. West is noted for his social presence, connecting with his wife and two teenage daughters. West reached out to connect with fans during the recent Coronavirus lockdown by releasing Quarantining Life, a humorous insight into life in lockdown with his girls (and his dog!).

With Brand New receiving praise from fellow musicians worldwide, West is focusing his energy on a new chapter in his creative career. This fresh project allows West to experiment more with his own music as well as scout for and introduce new artists to Story House Music, a project launched by West in association with Sony’s Provident Music Group. Such artists include up-and-coming, young Christian musician, Leanna Crawford, who had not even graduated college before West discovered her at a conference and was blown away. West said he was only happy to sign her, inspired by the lack of female Christian musicians, which was pointed out to him by the musical interests of his daughters.

There is a buzz around West and the world is on the edge of their seats waiting for what’s next. With the release of a stripped back version of hit Grace to Grace on May 2nd 2020, could another album be on the cards? Only time will tell but one thing’s for sure: it will be worth the wait.