| Matt Redman | |
| Birth Name: | Matthew James Redman[1] |
| Birth Date: | 14 February 1974 |
| Birth Place: | Watford, England |
| Instruments: | Vocals, guitar |
| Genre: | Worship, contemporary Christian, pop |
| Label: | sixstepsrecords, Sparrow, Integrity |
| Associated Acts: | Passion Worship Band |
| Occupations: | Singer-songwriter, worship leader, author |
| Years Active: | 1993–present |
Matthew James Redman (born 14 February 1974) is an English Christian worship leader, singer-songwriter and author. Redman has released 16 albums,[2] written 8 books,[3] and helped start three church-plants.[4] He is best known for his two-time Grammy Award-winning single, "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)".[5] Co-written with Jonas Myrin, the single reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Christian Songs chart in 2012.[6]
Redman was born on 14 February 1974,[7] and raised in Watford, England. The family had moved to Chorleywood, a small commuter town, when he was around the age of two.[8] His father took his own life when Matt was seven years old,[9] and he and his brother were raised predominantly by his mother. His mother later remarried into an abusive relationship that took a great toll on the family.[8] At the age of 10, he converted to Christianity after attending a mission service by Luis Palau at London's QPR football stadium and was encouraged by Mike Pilavachi, an Anglican church youth leader to lead worship in his teens.[10]
Redman was converted to Christianity at the age of 10 and attended the Anglican church of St Andrew's Chorleywood, in Hertfordshire. It was there he learned to play guitar, and at the age of 20, he began leading worship services and released his first album.[11] In 1993, Redman helped found alongside his pastor, Mike Pilavachi, Soul Survivor, a global Christian movement and yearly music festival aimed at youth.[12] From 1994 until 2002, Redman led worship services for Soul Survivor Church, Watford.[13]
In 2002, after a sabbatical in America to record Where Angels Fear to Tread, Redman moved to Brighton. In 2004 he and his wife joined a new church plant, The Point, in West Sussex,[14] led by pastor Will Kemp.[15]
In 2008, Redman, along with his wife Beth and their three children, moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to help plant Passion City Church with Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin. In August 2010, they returned to the UK with their children.[16] [17]
Matt recorded his first album, Wake Up My Soul, at ICC studios in January and February 1994. The album had an impressive line-up of Christian musicians including Iona's Mike Haughton, percussionist Martin Neil, Split Level's Adrian Thompson, Helen Burgess and Les Moir on bass, and was produced by Martin Smith.
In 2002, Redman co-wrote with his wife Beth, the 2002 Dove Award-winning "Blessed Be Your Name" (Worship Song of the Year) and the Grammy Award-nominated "Our God."[18] Since then, Matt and Beth have co-created some of Redman's most successful songs including, "You Never Let Go", "Face Down" and "Let My Words Be Few".[19] In February 2011, Redman joined Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, and Nathan and Christy Nockels at LIFT – A Worship Leader Collective where his 2011 live album, 10,000 Reasons, was recorded.[20] On 28 July 2012, "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)", the title track of Redman's new album, topped the Billboard Christian Songs chart, where it stayed for 13 weeks. It was his first No. 1 hit on American Contemporary Christian radio.[21] [22] The single went on to win two Grammy Awards, for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song and Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance and was certified Gold by RIAA in 2018.[23] Matt has also won thirteen Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards.
The album's success came immediately after Matt Redman and LZ7, a Manchester-based Christian rap and urban music group, released the song "Twenty Seven Million" on 27 February 2012, to raise awareness for the anti-human trafficking movement. The record, charted on the UK Singles Chart reaching No. 12. Redman toured internationally with the band, to raise awareness for the cause through worship.[24]
Redman's songs have been covered by a number of contemporary Christian music (CCM) artists including Matt Maher, Michael W. Smith, Jeremy Camp, Rebecca St. James, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, Tree63, Kutless, Stellar Kart, and Hillsong United.[25] He has regularly collaborates with other Christian musicians including Chris Tomlin and Tim Hughes.
In 2019, Redman announced he had signed with Integrity Music, with new music coming in late 2019, and a new album in 2020.[26]
He has authored and edited multiple books on Christian worship, including The Unquenchable Worshipper and the book Facedown which accompanied the album of the same name.[27] He and his wife co-wrote the book titled "Blessed Be Your Name" with the hopes to bring others to trust God and his goodness, no matter the circumstance.[28]
He married Beth Redman, who is also a songwriter and author. The couple has five children.[17]
On 13 July 2023, following reports of allegations of abuse committed by Mike Pilavachi, Redman released a statement in which he identified himself as one of Pilavachi's alleged victims. In his statement, Redman said, "I have spent years trying to fully heal from my time at Soul Survivor".[29] In April 2024 he released a short documentary entitled Let There Be Light in which he described his experience.[30] [31]
| Year | Title | Peak chart position | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [32] | US [33] | US Christ. [34] | Certifications | ||
| 1993 | Wake Up My Soul | — | — | — | |
| 1995 | Passion for Your Name | — | — | — | |
| 1997 | The Friendship and the Fear | — | — | — | |
| 1998 | Intimacy | — | — | — | |
| 1999 | The Heart of Worship (US release of Intimacy) | — | — | — | |
| 2000 | The Father's Song | — | — | — | |
| 2002 | Where Angels Fear to Tread | — | — | 38 | |
| 2006 | Beautiful News | — | 156 | 8 | |
| 2009 | We Shall Not Be Shaken
| — | 136 | 13 | |
| 2011 | 10,000 Reasons
| 149 [35] | 60 | 1 |
|
| 2015 | Unbroken Praise: At Abbey Road Studios
| 58 | 50 | 1 | |
| 2016 | These Christmas Lights
| — | — | 15 | |
| 2017 | Glory Song
| — | 112 | 2 | |
| 2020 | Let There Be Wonder (Acoustic)
| — | — | — | |
| 2023 | Lamb of God
| — | — | — | |
| Year | Title | Peak chart position | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | US | US Christ. | |||
| 2004 | Facedown
| — | — | 19 | |
| 2005 |
| — | — | 41 | |
| 2013 | Your Grace Finds Me
| 68 | 28 | 1 | |
| 2020 | Let There Be Wonder
| — | — | 10 | |
| Year | Title | Peak chart position | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | US | US Christian | |||
| 2010 | Ultimate Collection
| — | — | — | |
| 2012 | Sing Like Never Before: The Essential Collection
| — | — | 23 | |
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bub. [37] | US Christ [38] | US Christ Airplay [39] | UK | ||||
| 2003 | "Blessed Be Your Name" | — | — | — | — | Where Angels Fear to Tread | |
| 2006 | "You Never Let Go" | — | 17 | — | Beautiful News | ||
| 2011 | "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" | 3 | 1 | — |
| 10,000 Reasons | |
| "Never Once"[41] | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2012 | "Twenty Seven Million" (with LZ7) | — | 45 | 12 | non-album single | ||
| 2013 | "Your Grace Finds Me" | — | 11 | 10 | — | Your Grace Finds Me | |
| 2014 | "Mercy" | — | 37 | 28 | — | ||
| 2015 | "It Is Well With My Soul" | — | 34 | 24 | — | Unbroken Praise | |
| "Unbroken Praise" | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2016 | "His Name Shall Be" | — | 35 | 21 | — | These Christmas Lights | |
| "Help from Heaven" (with Natasha Bedingfield) | — | — | 33 | — | |||
| 2017 | "Gracefully Broken" (with Tasha Cobbs Leonard) | — | 18 | 17 | — | Glory Song | |
| 2019 | "One Day (When We All Get to Heaven)" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "The Same Jesus"[42] | — | 46 | 34 | — | Let There Be Wonder (Live) | ||
| 2020 | "We Praise You" (with Brandon Lake) | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020 | "Upon Him" | — | — | — | — | ||
Grammy Award wins
Best Contemporary Christian Music Song – "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)"
Dove Award wins[45]
Church of England