Adam Watts
Most artists, if they were in Adam Watts’ shoes, would have been more than content with the impressive musical resume he had amassed in his career. Having co-produced three highly successful Jeremy Camp records (Stay, Carried Me, Restored), been honored with a nomination for singer/songwriter of the year at the Los Angeles Music Awards, secured a songwriting contract with Disney, and co-wrote/produced a song that reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart (“Beautiful Soul”, Jesse McCartney), he was already in a category that few will ever achieve. Then he wrote, produced, performed and recorded virtually every aspect of his debut solo album, The Noise Inside, and landed himself amongst the top ten best new artists in Contemporary Christian Music (Christianity Today).
But what sets him apart from other artists are not these accomplishments alone; Adam Watts has set his sights on the transparent showcase of his life and love of the Lord, and he’s capturing the hearts of his listeners because of it. It’s what left one reviewer predicting, when recommending The Noise Inside as one of the best introductions to Christian music for a new believer, that Adam “might just become the most important Christian artist to come along this decade” (Christian Music Times). “What I really want is to write the type of music that makes the artist disappear and turns the listener's attention back on themselves and hopefully upward toward God. I think music is at it's most powerful when it brings into focus some segment of reality and causes the listener to look deeper into their own lives and walk with the Lord.” And it is this type of agenda-less, vulnerable artistry that makes The Noise Inside so compelling. It’s sound will skirt any attempt to limit it to a specific genre, but in the graceful overlap between pop, rock, and acoustic guitar, the emotional & spiritual truths will be heard throughout.
Fearlessly reflecting both highs and lows is perhaps the highest virtue of all in his music; Watts is not afraid of presenting emotional valleys along with the peaks. His hope is that that an accurate portrayal of experience will translate to a spiritual appeal that is subtle, yet powerful. In the song “Meaningless Things,” Adam confronts the issue of materialism with pinpoint accuracy: “We can be kings of meaningless things, or we can be slaves of love.” He continues to illuminate his own frail humanity in tracks such as “Critical Condition,” where he states, “I found a way to look like a window and slam shut like a door... I just can’t seem to listen, help me I’m in critical condition.” Lyrical evidences of the hopeless plight of humanity—hopeless without help from above--will inevitably affect you throughout The Noise Inside. Adam always directs the listener back to his point, that a life without meaning is a life not worth living. Yet, whispers of hope answer his own pleas for help on songs like “I Wanna Be Like You”: “So dizzy, Sick and twisting, So ugly, Sad but true. I can’t be left unguided. I can’t be without you.”
For Adam, the process of capturing his thoughts and feelings in song is as therapeutic as it is entertaining. “Songwriting is such a gift from the Lord. It's one of the deepest ways that I can make sense of my own thoughts and feelings. I believe the creative experience is also a way that the Lord speaks to me and through me. Sometimes experiences don't even seem all the way real until I have a chance to write a song in response to them. When inspiration hits, I have to get the song out as quickly as possible--so the emotion is as pure as possible.” Recognizing his gifts, his words, his melodies, and his achievements as God-inspired in every song, Watts leaves you yearning not only for more sound, but for more of the source behind his sound as well.
After his production work with Jeremy Camp, BEC Recordings courted Watts to join the label in 2004. And Adam couldn’t be more excited about the situation: “It has been very freeing to partner with a label that allows me to be true to myself and write vulnerable music. It’s like a dream scenario. Because I am not doing this just to sell records or pay the bills, I can focus on what is most important: sharing my life experiences and relationship with Christ with the audience.” This partnership led to more open doors, and soon after the release of The Noise Inside, Watts released his first single to radio, ”God of Grace,” and audiences across the nation were introduced to his poignant presentation of quiet hope across the airwaves. He then joined Camp on a five-week national tour in late 2004, which proved to be a tremendous exposure tool for his career.
Now, with the release of his second single “Meaningless Things” to radio in March 2005, Watts is poised to gain the exposure his music undoubtedly deserves. Amidst producing, drumming, songwriting and recording, he looks for opportunities to play to audiences as often as he can, with the rich, confident presence that only a seasoned performer like Adam can deliver. Within the inevitable highs and lows of the music industry, he will, most assuredly, continue to keep his heart centered on the goal ahead of him without distraction. “ I believe God uses music to transcend everyday life and navigate around our personal walls and our preconceptions. It's a humbling thing. My goal is to make music that, by the grace of God, can cause people to seek and love Him even more.” |
