Matt Gilman

A Christian music artist, Matt Gilman is a singer and songwriter who has said that his goal as an artist is "to provoke this generation to search out the knowledge of God." Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Gilman's father was a Lutheran pastor, and at the age of eight he started studying music, focusing on the piano. At 14, Gilman began following in his father's footsteps, leading worship at the family's church. In 2002, Gilman attended a conference on worship music at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, and he said the experience "opened up a whole new understanding of worship with the Word of God." After serving an internship with the International House of Prayer, Gilman became a worship leader in their prayer room, and began exploring new ways to use music to advance the scriptures. In 2008, Gilman collaborated with Cory Asbury, another musician affiliated with the International House of Prayer, to record the album Holy, which was released by the House of Prayer's record label, Forerunner Music. In 2013, Gilman and his family (he and his wife have two sons) relocated to Orlando, Florida, where he now serves with the Orlando House of Prayer; Gilman soon began blocking out plans to record an album of his own. After successfully financing part of the project through Kickstarter, Gilman went into the studio with producer Ed Cash, recording a handful of new songs as well as numbers like "Holy," "As the Deer," and "You Made a Way" that had become favorites with faith and worship groups. Gilman's album, Awaken Love, was released by Forerunner Music in the fall of 2013.