Matt Brouwer

Matt Brouwer

Matt Brouwer at the 2010 Juno Awards in St. John's, Newfoundland
Background information
Born (1980-02-28) February 28, 1980
Origin Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
Genres Singer/songwriter, Pop, Adult Alternative, CCM.
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active 2001 (2001) - present
Labels Reunion Records, Black Shoe Records
Website mattbrouwer.com

Matt Brouwer is a Canadian singer/songwriter who got his start in the music industry while studying music at school in Alberta, Canada. While in college he and fellow students founded the band Monday Night Worship (MNW).[1] Because of the spiritual content of his lyrics he was 'discovered' by a Nashville record company in 2000, and in 2001 recorded his solo debut CD Imagerical. The album was released on May 29, 2001 on Reunion Records. He then formed his own label called Black Shoe Records and released an album titled Unlearning in 2005, Where's Our Revolution (Universal) in 2009, and Till The Sunrise in 2012. Brouwer's music has been hailed for its relentless vulnerability as he shares his life's story of tragedy (the death of his father) and hope (his Spiritual pilgrimage) with his listeners.[2]

Early Years

Matthew Paul Brouwer was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada. His mother is a teacher and his father ran a dairy farm. When Matt was three years old his father was killed in a car accident. The loss of his Dad at an early age had an emotional impact on the singer and is a theme that has permeated many of Brouwer's songs. During college Brouwer found music to be more than a comforting hobby as he co-founded a group of Spiritually curious musicians known on campus as MNW. "It started with a conversation a group of us (students) had about our hunger to not only know about God, but to begin a journey of actually knowing Him," says Matt. MNW released 2 independent CD's featuring songs written and sung by Brouwer, many of which were also featured on his solo debut CD, Imagerical, which was released a year later as Brouwer and other members of the college group parted ways or were also signed to Provident Label Group as separate acts.[3]

Musical career

Matt Brouwer's first single, Water, was a hit on CCM radio's CHR chart reaching #2 on R&R in 2001, the follow up singles, "A New Song", and "Sanity", were top 20 and top 10 hits respectively as well. Brouwer hit the airwaves again with a cover of Sheryl Crow's I Shall Believe which graced Billboard's Christian chart in 2005.[4] The hit "Sometimes" from "Where's Our Revolution" did even better, charting in the top 20 on Billboard in 2010. An acoustic cover version of the Goo Goo Dolls song, "Better Days", also charted for Brouwer on the Billboard Chart in 2011.[5] Brouwer's CD Imagerical was nominated for Best Gospel Album at the 2002 Canadian JUNO Awards.[6] and he won a JUNO Award in 2010 for the album Where's Our Revolution as it was named best Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the year.[7] He has been nominated for 15 GMA Canada Covenant Awards winning 3, and his songs have been featured on TV in the Canadian produced hit teen drama Degrassi.[8]

Personal life

Matt Brouwer married Hannah Dawn Ficker on August 29, 2010 before an intimate gathering of family and close friends at The Woodlands United Methodist Church near Houston, TX. The couple met during a trip Brouwer took to Guatemala, where Hannah's family serves in medical missions.[9] The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in September 2013.[10] In 2015 they announced that their second daughter was born in June.[11]

Discography

Albums

Notable appearances

Songs on compilations

Awards and recognition

GMA Canada Covenant Awards
East Coast Music Awards
Independent Music Awards
Juno Awards
Shai Awards (formerly The Vibe Awards)

References

  1. ↑ Kittle, Ashleigh. "Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  2. ↑ Kathy Douglas (c/o Extreme Dreams Management).
  3. ↑ Christianbook.com: About Matt Brouwer - author bio and information
  4. ↑ Billboard Magazine, 2005.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Juno Awards archive
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Degrassi: The Next Generation: Degrassi Season 10 Music Guide - TV.com
  9. ↑ Love story: From geographically undesirable to inseparable - Houston Chronicle
  10. ↑ Matt Brouwer Blog Post - mattbrouwer.com
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ Losey, Stephen Douglas. "(Review) Imagerical". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  13. ↑ Chapman, Jackie. "Unlearning Review". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  14. ↑ Ross, C.W. "(Review) Where's Our Revolution". Breathecast. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
  15. ↑ Breimeier, Russ. "Christmas Music Wrap Up". crosswalk.com. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  16. ↑ Williams, Lindsey. "Faith, Marriage Inspire "Till The Sunrise"". crosswalk.com. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  17. ↑ "Writing To Remember.". crossrhythms.co.uk.com. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  18. ↑ Matt Brouwer also received five GMAC nominations in 2009, for: Male Vocalist Of The Year, Album Of The Year: Where's Our Revolution, Pop/Contemporary Album Of The Year: Where's Our Revolution, Recorded Song Of The Year: "Come Back Around", and Video Of The Year: "I Shall Believe". GMAC 2009 Covenant Award Nominees. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
  19. ↑ East Coast Music Awards official site. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  20. ↑ East Coast Music Awards Official site. Retrieved 2013-02-19
  21. ↑ Independent Music Awards official site. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  22. ↑ Independent Music Awards official site. Retrieved 2013-19-03.
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