Growing up, Matthew West wanted to be a baseball player. He was a big fan of the Cubs and the captain of his high school baseball team. He was hoping to go to college with a baseball scholarship. Instead he ended up getting a music scholarship. After a seeing Steven Curtis Chapman concert he was inspired pursure a career in Christian music. He started, while still in collage, as an independent artist. He made 3 independent albums, September Sun (1997), Every Step of the Way (1998), and Sellout (2002). In 2003 he was signed by Sparrow Records.
His first studio album was Happy (2003). The first single from the album, “More”, was a record-breaking sucess. It was played more than any other song on the Christian AC chart in 2004 and was #1 for nine weeks. His next album was History (2005) which is described as a journey through significant moments in his life. The following year Sparrow re-released his indie album Sellout.
After Matthew West’s first tour as headliner, during a regular vocal checkup, he was told there was a problem. He would need surgery on his vocal cords if he wanted to continue to sing. This was a very difficult time, documented in a DVD called Nothing To Say. After months of rest, Matthew West released his album Something To Say in 2008.
Leading up to his next album Matthew West asked his fans to send in thier life stories. Over 10,000 stories were sent in. He spent two months in a cabin reading stories and writing songs inspired by what he was reading. In 2010 he released the album The Story of Your Life. That was followed by a seasonal album called The Heart of Christmas (2011). Meanwhile, people kept sending in thier stories and asking if he would do another album based on fan’s lives. Now, with more than 20,000 stories to be inspired he begain his next album. Matthew West’s fifth studio album is called Into The Light (2012).