Matthew West

Born on April 25, 1977 in Illinois, US, Matthew Joseph West has spent over three decades cultivating a career as a celebrated contemporary Christian musician. Steered by Jesus, he first found his calling in the late 1990s and began releasing music independently. His first album, September Sun, arrived in 1997, followed by Every Step of the Way (1998), and then Sellout in 200. Later in 2002, he raised the stakes with a signing to Universal South Records and released his first non-independent studio album, Happy, in December 2003. Co-written with LP producers Kenny Greenberg and Jason Houser, "More" secured him a Number 1 Christian Adult Contemporary hit as well as creating a radio staple. His fate was sealed; he was nominated for five Dove Awards in 2005, including New Artist of the Year and Song of the Year. A follow-up album, History, came in 2005 and, following a bout of vocal fatigue caused by haemorrhaging after experiencing polyps, he dropped his third album, Something to Say, whose first single, "You Are Everything", became the most-played song on Christian AC radio in 2008. Reaping numerous awards along the way, Matthew West went on to release another five full-length albums during the next decade, including 2015's Live Forever and 2020's Brand New. A pair of singles surfaced in 2021, including the festive cut "We Need Christmas". In 2022, he unleashed new single, "Me On Your Mind" via Story House Collective with his ninth studio album pulling up in 2023. Preceded by the standout January 2023 single, "You Changed My Name," My Story Your Glory rocketed to the top of Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart and marked the first double album for the award-winning artist. Later that year, an expanded edition of the album featured new versions of songs with Jon Reddick, Mycah Tyler, Cochren & Co., and Anne Wilson. The latter was also included on the follow-up album Don't Stop Praying, released in 2024, which also featured a guest appearance by Stephen McWhirter.