Matt Brouwer

Matt Brouwer (born February 28, 1976[1]) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. While in college, he and fellow students founded the band Monday Night Worship (MNW).[2] 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 albums titled Unlearning in 2005, Where's Our Revolution (Universal) in 2009, and Till The Sunrise in 2012.[3] Brouwer's music is known for its Contemporary Christian message as he shares his life's story of tragedy (the death of his father) and hope (his spiritual pilgrimage) with his listeners.[4]

Matt Brouwer
Matt Brouwer at the 2010 Juno Awards in St. John's, Newfoundland
Matt Brouwer at the 2010 Juno Awards in St. John's, Newfoundland
Background information
Born (1976-02-28) February 28, 1976
Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
OriginNashville, Tennessee, U.S.
GenresCCM, singer-songwriter, pop
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active2001 (2001)–present
LabelsReunion, Black Shoe
Websitemattbrouwer.com

Early years

Matthew Paul Brouwer was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada. His dad ran a dairy farm and his mother worked as a teacher. When Brouwer was three years old his father was killed in a car accident. Brouwer is one of 7 siblings.

While attending college, Brouwer co-founded a group known as Monday Night Worship (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," said Brouwer. MNW released two independent CDs featuring songs written and sung by Brouwer, many of which were also featured on his solo debut CD, Imagerical. Brouwer and other members of the college group eventually parted ways or were signed to Provident Label Group as separate acts.[5]

Musical career

Matt Brouwer's first single, "Water", was a hit on CCM radio's CHR chart, reaching No. 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.[6] 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.[7] Brouwer's CD Imagerical was nominated for Best Gospel Album at the 2002 Canadian JUNO Awards.[8] He won a JUNO Award in 2010 for the album Where's Our Revolution; it was named best Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the year.[9] He has been nominated for 15 GMA Canada Covenant Awards, winning three. His songs have been featured in the Canadian produced hit teen television drama Degrassi.[10]

Personal life

Matt Brouwer married Hannah Dawn Ficker on August 29, 2010, in Houston, Texas. The couple met during a trip Brouwer took to Guatemala, where Hannah's family serves in medical missions.[11] The couple has 3 children.[12]

Discography

Albums

Notable appearances
  • Vocals on Jill Paquette's debut album Jill Paquette (Reunion, 2003)
  • "Better Days" appeared on the TV show Jericho, Episode 1 (Pilot)

Songs on compilations

Awards and recognition
GMA Canada Covenant Awards
  • 2007 nominee, Praise And Worship Album of the Year: The B-Sides Recording, Volume 1
  • 2008 nominee, Male Vocalist of the Year
  • 2008 nominee, Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year: Beautiful Now
  • 2009 Folk/Roots Song of the Year: The Other Side (with Amy Grant and Vince Gill)
  • 2009 GMA Canada/Blessings Christian Marketplace Fan's Choice Award *won[19]
  • 2009 nominee, Male Vocalist of the Year
  • 2009 nominee, Album of the Year: Where's Our Revolution
  • 2009 nominee, Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year: Where's Our Revolution
  • 2009 nominee, Recorded Song of the Year: "Come Back Around"
  • 2009 nominee, Music Video of the Year: "I Shall Believe"
  • 2012 nominee, Pop/Contemporary Album Of The Year: Till The Sunrise
  • 2012 Inspirational Song of the Year: "Ocean"
  • 2013 nominee, Inspirational Song of the Year: "Love Can Find A Way"
  • 2014 nominee, Recorded Song of the Year: "Tonight"
  • 2015 nominee, Song of the Year: "Waking Up"
East Coast Music Awards
Independent Music Awards
  • 2010 nominee, Contemporary Christian/Gospel Song of the Year: "Sometimes"
  • 2010 nominee, Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year: Where's Our Revolution[22]
  • 2013 nominee, Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year: Till The Sunrise[23]
Juno Awards
Shai Awards (formerly the Vibe Awards)
  • 2002 Male Vocalist of the Year
  • 2002 Worship Album of the Year: Imagerical

References
  1. "Matt Brouwer – Singer-Songwriter – BIO". Matt Brouwer – Singer-Songwriter. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  2. Kittle, Ashleigh. "Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  3. "Artist Biography - allmusic.com". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018..
  4. Kathy Douglas (c/o Extreme Dreams Management) Archived July 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. "Christian Music Artist Index - Christianbook.com". www.christianbook.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  6. Billboard Magazine, 2005.
  8. Juno Awards archive Archived February 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Winners + Nominees".
  10. TV.com. "All Communities Feed - TV.com". www.tv.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  11. "Love story: From geographically undesirable to inseparable". February 6, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  12. "Matt Brouwer Blog Post - mattbrouwer.com". Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  13. Losey, Stephen Douglas. "(Review) Imagerical". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  14. Chapman, Jackie. "Unlearning Review". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  15. Ross, C.W. "(Review) Where's Our Revolution". Breathecast. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  16. Breimeier, Russ. "Christmas Music Wrap Up". crosswalk.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  17. Williams, Lindsey. "Faith, Marriage Inspire "Till The Sunrise"". crosswalk.com. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  18. "Writing To Remember". crossrhythms.co.uk.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  19. 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 Archived June 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  20. East Coast Music Awards official site Archived July 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  21. East Coast Music Awards Official site Archived July 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 19, 2013
  22. Independent Music Awards official site. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  23. Independent Music Awards official site Archived March 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-19-03.
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