Matthew West www.matthewwest.com
Songwriters are known to be an introspective breed whose personal experiences shape their music, and over the years Matthew West has definitely plumbed the depths of his soul for sweet inspiration. Yet on his new album, West looked to his audience to provide grist for his creative mill. The result is The Story of Your Life, a spectacular body of work that tackles a diverse array of real life subject matter and finds West exploring tender territory rarely tapped in contemporary pop music.
After going through career-threatening vocal surgery in May 2007, the singer/songwriter re-emerged in early 2008 with the appropriately titled album Something to Say, serving up such memorable hits as “You Are Everything” and “The Motions.” In addition to writing songs that have made him a Dove Award nominated artist in the Christian market, West’s songwriting prowess has also earned him the respect of artists in other musical genres. His songs have been recorded by multi-platinum country trio Rascal Flatts and other country artists such as JoDee Messina, Steel Magnolia and Billy Ray Cyrus. West’s songs have also been cut by other Christian artists, including Michael W. Smith, Mark Schultz, Mandisa, Jump5, Sara Groves, Joy Williams, Salvador, Natalie Grant, PureNRG and Point of Grace.
Though he’s been writing hit songs for years, West says working on his new album was like “stepping out into this unknown world” as he reached out to people to share their stories. “I went to my Facebook page and my Twitter account,” he says of announcing his intentions. “I didn’t want it to seem like a contest so I didn’t go over the top in promoting it. I just went to my core fan base and said, ‘here’s the idea. If you want to send me your story, send me your story.’ We created a link on my website where they could type in their story and click send. We got over a thousand stories the first two days. I couldn’t believe just the amount of stories that came in from every state in the U.S., and then there were 20 different countries represented. I received letters Malaysia, Scotland and all over the world. It was overwhelming.”
West says the most difficult song to write on the new record was the first single. “’My Own Little World’ was the hardest because I had to be honest about my life,” he says. “ Sometimes it hurts to see that on paper and to really let yourself be that honest and that vulnerable. I wrote this song while in the cabin and while being faced with parts of life that– on an every day basis– I choose to ignore. The song says, ‘I turn off the news when I don’t like what I see, it’s easy to do when it’s population me. But what if there’s a bigger picture? What if I’m missing out? What if there’s a greater purpose that I could be living now outside my own little world?’ That song was really written as a personal response to the stories that I had read and the questions that I started asking as I was looking into their world and looking at my own as well. I do turn off the news when it’s too ugly. I’d rather stay in my safe world. I was challenged by this experience and it really did change me. I look at my audience in a different way and the last verse is really is a prayer that I think is my prayer coming out of this experience. It says, ‘Father break my heart for what breaks yours, give me open hands and open doors, put your light in my eyes and let me see that my own little world is not about me.’” Produced by industry veterans Brown Bannister and Pete Kipley, The Story of Your Life is a creative tour de force that challenged West as a songwriter and a man. Though it was a weighty project, it’s far from a heavy listening experience. “I wondered if this record might be the most depressing record that I’ve ever made because of the topics and nature, but I look at the songs now and it’s the opposite, it’s the most hopeful record that I’ve ever made,” he says. “In these songs, I feel this redemption and hope. It’s speaking encouragement to the middle school kid whose been made fun of. It’s speaking new legacy, new life to the family tree of the girl who is struggling with generational baggage.
“This record has changed me. I look at the world in a different way. The words of ‘My Little World’ are how it’s changed me. It’s not about me and that’s the irony of this record is that I’ve never been so excited about a record and it’s not about me. I’m the singer and the messenger and I connect with these songs, and it fires me up.”
After going through career-threatening vocal surgery in May 2007, the singer/songwriter re-emerged in early 2008 with the appropriately titled album Something to Say, serving up such memorable hits as “You Are Everything” and “The Motions.” In addition to writing songs that have made him a Dove Award nominated artist in the Christian market, West’s songwriting prowess has also earned him the respect of artists in other musical genres. His songs have been recorded by multi-platinum country trio Rascal Flatts and other country artists such as JoDee Messina, Steel Magnolia and Billy Ray Cyrus. West’s songs have also been cut by other Christian artists, including Michael W. Smith, Mark Schultz, Mandisa, Jump5, Sara Groves, Joy Williams, Salvador, Natalie Grant, PureNRG and Point of Grace.
Though he’s been writing hit songs for years, West says working on his new album was like “stepping out into this unknown world” as he reached out to people to share their stories. “I went to my Facebook page and my Twitter account,” he says of announcing his intentions. “I didn’t want it to seem like a contest so I didn’t go over the top in promoting it. I just went to my core fan base and said, ‘here’s the idea. If you want to send me your story, send me your story.’ We created a link on my website where they could type in their story and click send. We got over a thousand stories the first two days. I couldn’t believe just the amount of stories that came in from every state in the U.S., and then there were 20 different countries represented. I received letters Malaysia, Scotland and all over the world. It was overwhelming.”
West says the most difficult song to write on the new record was the first single. “’My Own Little World’ was the hardest because I had to be honest about my life,” he says. “ Sometimes it hurts to see that on paper and to really let yourself be that honest and that vulnerable. I wrote this song while in the cabin and while being faced with parts of life that– on an every day basis– I choose to ignore. The song says, ‘I turn off the news when I don’t like what I see, it’s easy to do when it’s population me. But what if there’s a bigger picture? What if I’m missing out? What if there’s a greater purpose that I could be living now outside my own little world?’ That song was really written as a personal response to the stories that I had read and the questions that I started asking as I was looking into their world and looking at my own as well. I do turn off the news when it’s too ugly. I’d rather stay in my safe world. I was challenged by this experience and it really did change me. I look at my audience in a different way and the last verse is really is a prayer that I think is my prayer coming out of this experience. It says, ‘Father break my heart for what breaks yours, give me open hands and open doors, put your light in my eyes and let me see that my own little world is not about me.’” Produced by industry veterans Brown Bannister and Pete Kipley, The Story of Your Life is a creative tour de force that challenged West as a songwriter and a man. Though it was a weighty project, it’s far from a heavy listening experience. “I wondered if this record might be the most depressing record that I’ve ever made because of the topics and nature, but I look at the songs now and it’s the opposite, it’s the most hopeful record that I’ve ever made,” he says. “In these songs, I feel this redemption and hope. It’s speaking encouragement to the middle school kid whose been made fun of. It’s speaking new legacy, new life to the family tree of the girl who is struggling with generational baggage.
“This record has changed me. I look at the world in a different way. The words of ‘My Little World’ are how it’s changed me. It’s not about me and that’s the irony of this record is that I’ve never been so excited about a record and it’s not about me. I’m the singer and the messenger and I connect with these songs, and it fires me up.”