Mark Alan

He may only be 23 years old, but singer/songwriter Mark Alan has already experienced a roller coaster ride as a recording artist. The troubadours spent the past nine years in the spotlight, first appearing in a pair of Minneapolis based bands before running the solo route, which hes successfully straddled full time for the past five years. Along the way hes sold out a pressing of his 2001 indie album Here I Am, racked up an additional string of sales Read more on Last.fm …read full bio

He may only be 23 years old, but singer/songwriter Mark Alan has already experienced a roller coaster ride as a recording artist. The troubadours spent the past nine years in the spotlight, first appearing in a pair of Minneapolis based bands before running the solo route, which hes successfully straddled full time for the past five years. Along the way hes sold out a pressing of his 2001 indie album Here I Am, racked up an additional string of sales with 2004's Something That Lasts and broke additional boundaries both publicly and critically with 2005's The Broken EP. Along the way hes kept a steady concert calendar, hitting at least a hundred shows across the country each year, including opening slots for the likes of Dove Award winners Jeremy Camp and Sanctus Real. Add in acclaim at the internationally recognized United Kingdom Songwriting Contest (where his hit Got Me Flyin scored the best Christian/Gospel song nod in 2005 and his ballad Fragmented Dreams made it to the finals) and the journey has truly been productive. But take a listen to any of Alan's exceptional albums, catch him in concert, experience a service where hes leading worship or meet him on the street and the troubadour is anything but the type of guy whod pump himself up. Instead he'll be the first to give God the glory, while asserting his artistry is merely a tool to win souls towards salvation. "The deal is, this is the direction in which Ive been called and I feel a big sense of security knowing this is what Im supposed to be doing," Alan relates. "I'm not defined by what I do, which is a common trap a lot of artists can fall into. Making music is an extension of who I am and it hasn't been an overnight thing by any means. And I'm not saying that in an arrogant way, but if you only know the sleepless nights, the blood, sweat and tears! That being said, I feel like I've poured my whole heart and soul into this and its entirely in Gods hands and control." That carefully aligned equation of confidence and humility has obviously fostered an incredible appeal just as fervent for followers when catching Alan in front of 50 people in a cozy coffeehouse or 5,000 in a worship leadership role. Though hes played for literally any age group regardless of demographic, Alan especially reaches out to young people, from tweens to teens to twentysomethings seeking a deeper relationship with God or even faith for the first time. "I want to be a light to the youth of America and be a positive impact on culture," Alan asserts. "I want to give them hope to make it through today, tomorrow, next year, especially when they dont feel like they have any. My goal is to share what Gods put on my heart with as many people as possible." In order to continue his effectiveness, Alan will remain a road warrior throughout the coming year, while continuously refining the songs that will appear on his next project. His initial demos have already earned favored reception from several record labels who are currently courting the tunesmith, though Alans kept his feet firmly planted on the ground with the focus solely on his initial initiative. "Im a firm believer that love goes a long way," he sums up. "Whenever I perform for people or get to meet anyone, I'm never one of those people who go in with the motivation of what can they do for me? Instead its how can I help meet your need? And I've found that people rarely get that. Unfortunately, societys become all about how we can gain from one another rather than taking the time to love on people, encourage them and build relationships that plant seeds for the kingdom." Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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…shrink me down again