In just over a decade, Matt Maher has if the weather is a challenge. It’s hard to grow
become a significant contributor towards stuff on the Avalon Peninsula, you’ve got like six
good songwriting within the church. He’s also feet of topsoil and that’s it. The north Atlantic is
a gifted recording artist and his many honors just constantly blowing and there is not much
include nine Grammy nominations to date and shielding you from it. So, it teaches you that
numerous number one radio hits. you just have to learn to be resilient in life, and
sometimes it teaches you how to find joy in the
Just a few years ago, along with Audrey Assad Oh Mercy and Stu G, Matt penned “Oh Mercy”, a moving continues to this day. About a month ago most that was impressed upon me growing up there.
interpretation of scripture from the Beatitudes, of the Avalon Peninsula, which is sort of the little I think when my faith and Jesus came fully into
and his composition, “Lord I Need You”, is sung section of the island that is the most easterly view, as a guy in his early twenties, as I look
around the world. point, and where the capitol city, Saint John’s, back, it makes me appreciate where I came
is, got clobbered with a snowstorm that beat from even more.
hardest moments. That’s definitely something
In early March, Matt will not only release his the record for the most amount of snow in a new full project, Alive and Breathing, but also single day, I think it was like ninety-something [WM] Your website page states, “Intrinsically
commence an extensive international tour year, centimeters, and I was FOMOing out, because linked to the human condition are the desires
beginning with The Road Show, joining fellow my cousin was talking about it and I was wishing to be known, understood, and heard, to count
artists such as Bethel Music, Martin Smith I was there. I thought to myself, “Either you for things that matter.” Is this your personal
(Delirious?), Unspoken, Elle Limebear, and have emotional problems, or you understand mission statement?
more. For the most updated tour schedule, visit what it’s like to be part of a community that in his tour page. the midst of so much hardship still manages to [Matt] Ha! For those eighteen months
come together and still have these profound (laughs). I would say that as a Christian that is
This summer, Matt will be performing at This Is experiences as a community”. And that’s what stuff that always matters and never goes away.
the Day, the largest annual worship gathering happened. The day after the snowstorm people I think as an artist there are moments and
in Central Europe. The multi-artist event will were outside digging each other’s houses out. aspects of Christian life and its challenges that,
be held in Budapest, Hungary at the newly A woman went into labor during the storm and once again, seem to rise to the surface. I think
constructed Puskás Stadion with more than when her family got home, all of the neighbors that was associated with Echoes, and I think
60,000 attendees expected. Other scheduled had dug out her driveway for them. It’s just a at the time when that record came out those
performers place with an incredible sense of charity and were some of the things I was reflecting on.
hospitality. I learned some of the basic tenets What does it mean, the desire to be known?
of the Gospel there, and I would say specifically What does it mean to have a platform in your
Additional global performances will be held this my music. Newfoundland does have its own life that counts for things that are of more of
fall including his home country of Canada, a specific musical heritage. It’s got Acadian an eternal perspective? For example, are you
European tour with Rend Collective, and a first- influence, and it’s also got some Irish, Scottish a Jason Isbell fan at all? He is an amazing
of-its-kind festival in Burgundy, France. Maher and English. There are also a couple of out- songwriter and just released a new song called
will also join the Michael W. Smith and Friends port towns that were settled by Portuguese “Be Afraid”, that captures some of the tension
event in Hawaii. and French. So, there is a musical heritage with the moment that we live in. What I was
include
Chris
Tomlin,
Rend
Collective, Pintér Béla, and Csiszér László.
there that is really strong, and it is a very strong trying to talk about is that we kind of live in a
[WM] My great grandparents immigrated to part of people’s identity. I think this happens day and age where there is constantly a long list
the United States from Nova Scotia and New especially in places where there is a sort of of grievances that we’re presented with every
Brunswick, and you hail from Newfoundland, hardship, whether it is economic hardship, of day in society and in the world which we live in.
which is even further northeast. Newfoundland Depending on how you choose to respond you
is so incredibly beautiful, and the seaport can be seen as either someone who is using
capital of St. John’s is breathtakingly colorful! your platform to raise awareness or wasting
I can’t imagine that growing up there would your platform because you’re not speaking up
not impact your soul. How do you think this all enough about it.
might have influenced your songwriting?
C.S. Lewis has a quote, and you can Google
[Matt Maher] It influenced who I am, and still
How to correctly pronounce “Newfoundland”
March 2020
it for accuracy, but it basically says we must
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