Jon Foreman | |
|---|---|
 Jon Foreman in April 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jonathan Mark Foreman |
| Born | (1976-10-22)October 22, 1976 (age 48) San Bernardino County, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Folk rock,gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, guitarist |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, harmonica, cello, keyboards |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Switchfoot,Fiction Family |
| Website | jonforeman |
Jonathan Mark Foreman (born October 22, 1976)[1] is an American musician who is the lead singer, guitarist, primary songwriter, and co-founder of thealternative rock bandSwitchfoot. As a solo act, Foreman has released 14 extended plays and two studio albums.
Foreman was born inSan Bernardino County, California, but his family moved to Massachusetts and Virginia Beach during his childhood. There he became fast friends with Todd Cooper, who encouraged him to learn guitar.[2] Cooper was later a guitar tech for Switchfoot, although he left in 2005 to pursue his own musical career.
After several years, Foreman and his family moved back to Southern California, this time settling inEncinitas. He graduated fromSan Dieguito Academy in the North County Coastal area of San Diego, California.[3][4] Foreman attendedUC San Diego and later dropped out to follow his singing career.[5]
Foreman married Emily Masen in 2002, and the couple had a daughter in 2012.[6] The couple welcomed their second child, a son, in June 2018.[7]
One of Foreman's favorite pastimes is surfing,[5] and when not on tour, he resides inCardiff-by-the-Sea, a beach community inEncinitas.[6]
Foreman is a committednondenominational Christian; however, his goal with Switchfoot has always been to make music for all people. "For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us 'Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind — and that's what we want."[8]
Foreman's father, Mark, served as the senior pastor of North Coast Calvary Chapel inCarlsbad, California.[9] His mother is Jan (née Carlton).[10]
Foreman citesElliott Smith,[11]U2,[5]The Police,[11]James Taylor,[11]The Beatles,Radiohead,[12]J.S. Bach,Ronny Jordan,Miles Davis,Keith Green,Nirvana,Johnny Cash,[5]Bob Dylan,[5] andLed Zeppelin as some of his musical influences.[13] In 2001, he was awarded the "Les Paul Horizon Award" for the most promising up-and-coming guitarist at the annualOrville H. Gibson Guitar Awards in Los Angeles.[14]
Foreman has made musical contributions away from Switchfoot, including writing withMolly Jenson.[15] He appeared on the song "Deathbed" onRelient K's 2007 album,Five Score and Seven Years Ago. In September 2009, Jazz musicianKarl Denson released the album "Brother's Keeper," on which two songs were co-written by Foreman, and one song, "Drums of War," was solely written by Foreman, which he also sang on.[16] He wrote "Running Away from Me" forMeat Loaf's 2010 albumHang Cool Teddy Bear. Foreman collaborated with Ryan O'Neal for theSleeping at Last song "Birthright."[17] Foreman has also contributed to the booksThe Art of Being[18] andNew Way to be Human,[19] the latter written by producerCharlie Peacock.
In 2006, Foreman andNickel Creek memberSean Watkins started collaborating on a duo project originally called "The Real SeanJon", which was later renamed "Fiction Family."[20] Their self-titled debut,Fiction Family, was released on January 20, 2009.
"The album was recorded and written in parts because Nickel Creek and Switchfoot are both hard working, touring acts, we were rarely home from tour at the same time," said Foreman. "Consequently the tracks were passed back and forth between Sean and I. Whoever was home from tour would chip away at the songs with no real expectations at all, mainly just for ourselves and for the love of the song I suppose. We came up with a few cowboy rules for the project: No double tracking. No pussyfooting. No tuning of vocals."[21]
In November 2012, the band released an extended play titledHoliday EP. Their second studio album,Fiction Family Reunion, was released on January 29, 2013.
Foreman has also worked on various solo projects, independently releasing four EPs, titledFall,Winter,Spring, andSummer, released byCredential Recordings andlowercase people records.[22] In October 2008, Foreman releasedLimbs and Branches, a collection of songs from the EPs along with two new tracks. In April 2009, he wasGMA Dove Award-nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year.[23]
In 2015, Foreman released the EPsSunlight,Shadows,Darkness andDawn, which contain 25 songs; one for each hour of the day with one extra.[24][25][26] Each song was produced by a different producer, with Foreman sending in tracks recorded backstage while on tour.[24] They were mixed byFuture of Forestry's Eric Owyoung.[27]
Foreman's debut solo albumDepartures was released in February 2021.[28] The album featured collaborations withLauren Daigle &Madison Cunningham.[28]
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Foreman's songwriting tends to be very dynamic, and he often employs a wide range of different instrumentation, including, but not limited to: guitar, violin, cello, trumpet, mandolin, sitar, flute, saxophone, clarinet, synthesizer, piano, miscellaneous percussion, and harmonica. Foreman has always aimed to use interesting instrumentation when writing forSwitchfoot, mostly on some of the band's first albums such asThe Legend of Chin,New Way to Be Human, andLearning to Breathe.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Current [29] | US Christ. [30] | ||
| Departures |
| 60 | 12 |
| In Bloom |
| ||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [31] | US Christ. [30] | US Alt. [32] | US Rock [33] | US Folk [34] | ||
| Fall |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Winter |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Spring |
| —[A] | — | — | — | — |
| Summer |
| 162 | 6 | — | — | — |
| The Wonderlands: Sunlight |
| 104 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 |
| The Wonderlands: Shadows |
| —[B] | 4 | 20 | 26 | 8 |
| The Wonderlands: Darkness |
| —[C] | 7 | 22 | 30 | 3 |
| The Wonderlands: Dawn |
| — | 11 | — | 35 | 6 |
| 25 IN 24[37] |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Doubt[38] |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Love |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Fear |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Belief |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Departures (EP) |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ. [30] | US Heat. [39] | ||
| Fall & Winter | 33 | 24 | |
| Spring & Summer |
| 34 | — |
| Limbs and Branches |
| 36 | — |
| The Wonderlands: Sunlight & Shadows |
| — | — |
| The Wonderlands: Darkness & Dawn |
| — | — |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ. AC/CHR [40] | |||
| 2007 | "The Cure for Pain" | — | Fall (EP) |
| 2008 | "Your Love Is Strong" | — | Spring (EP) |
| 2015 | "Caroline"[citation needed] | — | The Wonderlands: Sunlight (EP) |
| 2016 | "Your Love Is Enough (The Inland Mix)" [citation needed] | 12 [D] | non-album single |
| 2021 | "Side By Side" (featuring Madison Cunningham) | — | Departures |
*Original version is onThe Wonderlands: Shadows (EP)
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| Other | |
