Adam Young (singer in Owl City)
Adam Young |
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Adam Young (born July 5, 1986) is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, producer and the founder of the synthpop project Owl City. He has also fronted numerous other musical projects, including Sky Sailing [1] and Port Blue.
Owl City
Career beginnings
Adam Randal Young originally began creating music in his parents' basement while suffering from insomnia, giving him the inspiration to begin writing his own version of music, while working loading trucks in Owatonna, Minnesota.[2] Under the name Owl City, he developed a MySpace following and self-released two albums. His second album Maybe I'm Dreaming, released in 2008, reached #20 on the Billboard Electronic Albums Chart, despite not having been released by a major record company. His debut album Of June, released the year before, peaked at #16 on the same chart. In 2009, Young signed a deal with the record company Universal Republic. He has stated that he is a committed Christian.[3]
Ocean Eyes
Under Universal Republic, Young released the album Ocean Eyes. His hit single "Fireflies" sold 650,000 copies in its first week and was the iTunes Single Of The Week. Ocean Eyes reached the top ten in the US album charts and topped the US electronic charts. In February 2010, iTunes released their list of highest-selling songs since 2003. "Fireflies" was listed at #24.[4] After the success of Ocean Eyes, Young began touring under the Owl City moniker. The touring band consists of Adam Young (lead vocals/keys), Breanne Düren (backup vocals/keyboard), Matthew Decker (drums), Laura Musten (violin), and Hannah Schroeder (cello).
Sky Sailing
On June 29, 2010, Young announced that he would be releasing his early recordings under the name Sky Sailing. Sky Sailing's debut album, An Airplane Carried Me to Bed, was made available exclusively through iTunes on July 13, 2010.[5]
Port Blue
A guise used for more instrumental, ambient productions, under this moniker Adam Young has released three albums - The Airship in 2007, Arctic in 2008, and The Albatross Ep in 2008.
Photography
Adam is also a hobby photographer with a lot of his work on display at http://adamrandal.com/
Personal life
After singer/songwriter Taylor Swift released her 2010 album Speak Now, it was alleged that her song "Enchanted" was dedicated to Young. Young responded by posting a cover of the song on February 14, 2011 via his website,[6] adding the lines: "I was enchanted to meet you too/I was never in love with someone else, I never had somebody waiting on me/Cause you were all of my dreams come true, And I just wish you knew/Taylor, I was so in love with you."[7][8]
Collaborations
Adam Young has provided vocals for a different producers and their projects, including:
Chicane - Middledistancerunner (2010)
Armin Van Buuren - Youtopia (2010)
Adam Young has also produced music for a few different artists including:
Relient K - Terminals (2009)
Shamar - I Don't Know Why (2010)
List of projects
References
- ^ "Skysailing Music". Sky Harbor Entertainment. 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (2009-11-20). "From Mom's Basement to the Top of the Chart". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Moring, Mark (2010-04-20). "Owls, Fireflies, and Jesus". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ "Factbox: Most-downloaded iTunes songs". TVNZ. 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ "Sky Sailing offers free track download". Sky Harbor Entertainment. 2010-06-29. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ Young, Adam (2011-02-14). "Adam Young's Blog To Taylor Swift". Owl City: The Official Blog. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ Vena, Jocelyn (2011-02-14). "Taylor Swift Gets Valentine's Day 'Enchanted' Cover From Owl City". MTV. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ West, Key (2011-02-14). "Taylor Swift Gets an Enchanting Valentine's Day Message". People. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)