| Mat Kearney |
|
| Background information |
| Born |
December 1, 1978 (1978-12-01) (age 30)
Eugene, Oregon, United States |
| Genres |
Pop, Rock, Rap, CCM |
| Occupations |
Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments |
Guitar, Piano, CP70, Mandolin, Synthesizer |
| Years active |
2003–present |
| Labels |
Aware/Columbia, Inpop |
| Website |
www.matkearney.com |
Mathew Kearney (pronounced /ˈkɑrni/; born December 1, 1978) is an American musician born in Eugene, Oregon, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Kearney has received critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his Columbia Records debut, Nothing Left to Lose. So far, he has a total of 4 top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40 Chart.
He has toured with John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, The Fray, Jason Mraz, Meiko, Cary Brothers, and Train; and headlined VH1's first ever "You Oughta Know Tour" in the spring of 2007.[1]
Kearney's songs have appeared on the television series: Dirty Sexy Money, Kyle XY, The Unit, Without A Trace, Laguna Beach, The Hills, Bones, Jericho, Friday Night Lights, Wildfire, What About Brian, South Beach, 8th & Ocean, One Tree Hill, Scrubs, The Closer, NCIS and Grey's Anatomy.
His most recent album, City of Black & White, was recorded in Nashville, TN at Blackbird Studios. The album's first single was "Closer to Love", released on March 10.[1]
In May, Kearney toured with Keane and The Helio Sequence for several weeks to promote City of Black & White.[2] It debuted on the Billboard 200 at #13.
Life and career
Early Life
Mat was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon with his two brothers. Both of Mat's parents were quite spiritual. In high school, Mat devoted much of his time to soccer, poetry, and music, though he wasn't playing music at the time. His favorite artists growing up ranged from A Tribe Called Quest all the way to Bob Dylan. Though Mat was a great athlete and student in high school, he rebelled against his parents' beliefs and was known for selling weed by fellow peers.
He attended California State University, Chico in Chico, California where he majored in literature and played soccer until his junior year. It was also at this time when Mat picked up a guitar for the first time. Using a roommate's guitar, he tried covering other songs. Realizing he wasn't too good at it, he began writing his own. Though things were going well for Kearney at school, Chico caught up to him. A school known for its partying, Mat fit right in. In an interview with Christianity Today, Mat said, "I guess I lived it up and did what everyone said you should do in college. I discovered the depth of depravity, the bleakness of that lifestyle. It just wasn’t working. I finally started understanding there must be more to life." Mat continued, "God found me when I was at my lowest point. That was the first time in my life when I really felt like I understood who Jesus was- it was more than knowing about Him, I felt like He met me in that time and place."
Soon after Mat made the decision to turn his life around, he began focusing on music. Fusing guitar with spoken word, or rap, he started to play at coffee shops and soon began to make small amounts of money. At this time, Mat had met friend and future producer, Robert Marvin. The two began to make music together, but Marvin had plans to move to Nashville, Tennessee. Marvin asked Kearney to help the move and Mat accepted the journey. Kearney says, "I helped him pack up his trailer and we put a mattress on the back of his truck. We basically drove cross-country and slept in the back. When we pulled into Nashville we slept in a school parking lot for three days until we finally rented this apartment where the roof was caving in and mice were crawling all over." Mat decided to stay in Nashville to record a few demos with Marvin and after a few months, Mat had no plans on returning. "By the end of the summer, we had three or four songs and I realized this is what I wanted to do. It just clicked. So I called home to my parents in Oregon and said, ‘I’m not coming back’ and I never left Nashville."
Nothing Left to Lose
At a concert in Houston in 2006, Kearney revealed that his song "All I Need" was written based on two of his friends from New Orleans and their story during Hurricane Katrina. "All I Need" was featured on Grey's Anatomy and began to chart on iTunes top 100 downloaded songs. It peaked at #94 on the Billboard Pop 100. It was also featured on NCIS.
Additionally, Kearney's song "Renaissance" was written about friends from Oregon who survived a severe car crash.
His song, "Where We Gonna Go From Here?", was featured during the third season of Grey's Anatomy and on the first season finale of ABC Family's show Kyle XY. Most recently, the song was also featured in the Season 7 opener of NBC's Scrubs and in an episode of Royal Pains.
"Nothing Left to Lose" was the title track and first single off Kearney's second album. It peaked at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100, week of February 10, 2007. It was also used in a 30 second trailer for the 2007 movie Catch and Release and a fragmented relationship in Dirty Sexy Money.
Kearney's single, "Breathe In, Breathe Out", debuted in September 2007, and marks the singer's fourth and highest profile placement in Grey's Anatomy. The song is currently used as the theme in television promotions for the series' fourth season, including a music video that premiered on September 19 during the fourth season preview.
The song "Won't Back Down" was originally written without piano accompaniment. It was added by Harrison Mudd, a relative of Kearney's friend, to help his girlfriend get through tough times.
City of Black & White
Kearney's most recent album, City of Black & White, was released through Columbia Records on May 19, 2009.[1] The song "Here We Go" was featured on the CW's The Vampire Diaries.
Awards
- GMA Dove Awards
- 2006: Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song – "Trainwreck"
Discography
Albums
Singles
Media appearances
- Last Call with Carson Daly (April 21, 2006)
- WB Morning Show - "Nothing Left to Lose" (August 30, 2006)
- Late Night With Conan O'Brien - "Nothing Left to Lose" (November 9, 2006)
- Late Show with David Letterman - "Nothing Left to Lose" (January 19, 2007)
- VSpot Top 20 Countdown (January 21, 2007)
- Tonight Show with Jay Leno - "Nothing Left to Lose" (February 8, 2007)
- Ellen - "Nothing Left to Lose" (March 21, 2007)
- CBS Saturday - "Nothing Left to Lose" (March 2007)
- VSpot Top 20 Countdown (March 2007)
- A&E's Breakfast with the Arts - (November 15, 2006)
- Tonight Show with Jay Leno - "Undeniable" (August 29, 2007)
- Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien - "Closer to Love" (July 22, 2009)
Band
Current
- Mat Kearney - Vocals, Guitar, Piano
- Jeremy Lutito – Drums, Piano
- Tyler Burkum – Guitar, Lap Steel
- Dan Brigham – Guitar, Keyboard, Bass Drum
- Tony Lucido/Adam Keafer – Bass
References
External links
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Mat Kearney |
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| Singles |
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