You might not have heard of Owl City yet, but you will very soon. There has been an unprecedented MySpace buzz among students about Owl City’s Adam Young—already they have streamed over 35,000,000 (as in MILLION!) plays of his songs. This never happens! Interestingly, there is also a buzz about Adam’s personal faith. While Owl City songs are primarily about relationships, they clearly set up opportunities to talk about “the hope” Adam has in Christ. That is why we have chosen to include Owl City in Youth Leaders Only. Interlínc President, Allen Weed, recently had an online interview with Adam. Here’s what the guys talked/typed about. UPDATE: Owl City was chosen by iTunes as the “Single Of The Week” for July 13-19. On the first day, Owl City was #2 in sales on all of iTunes! (Be sure to listen to "Fireflies" ... click at the bottom of the article)
What do you hope will happen when someone hears your music?
I hope it reaches down from the deep sky, delicately loops its soft silver filaments under your arms, and lifts you up so high above the city lights and crashing waves that it leaves you breathless and you can see from here to eternity.
Where do you get the inspiration for your music?
A lot of it is due to traveling. From what little of the world I’ve seen I’ve gathered enough inspiration to write enough songs to last me the rest of my life.
Touring and recording can be a tough and demanding. What makes it all worth the effort?
I got an email from a girl a few months ago. She told me she’d given up on life, decided to call it quits and was ready to take fourteen OxyContin pills when she turned on the radio one last time and heard a song of mine. Whatever it was about the song I’ll never know, but she told me it made her stop and think about how fragile and so very important a single life is. She threw the pills away and wrote me the email to thank me for doing what I do. Things that like really put you in your place as an artist—they give you a different perspective and make you realize that God may choose to use your music in ways you may have never expected. That was a sobering experience.
How did your youth pastor/youth ministry experience impact you?
I spent a lot of Wednesday nights at my youth group in high school. Looking back, it’s obvious how important that was in terms of grounding me in spiritual things. My youth group helped me get through some of the toughest years of my life at an age when things can feel totally overwhelming and frightening,
How did you come to know Christ?
I heard a young woman give her testimony at a church in Minnesota when I was 16 years old and God really spoke to me. I’d grown up in a Christian home but never truly understood what it meant to live a life for Christ. Her words really challenged me to grow in my relationship with Christ. Since giving God control of my life, I’ve
seen Him work in absolutely incredible ways both in and around my life.
What do you have in place to keep growing in your relationship with Christ?
I have a good Christian friend who prays for me daily, and I for him. We keep each other accountable and it keeps us both focused on Christ, making sure we are truly living wholesome moral lives that glorify Him. My parents are also a wonderful prayer support system for me.
Check out the Bible Study for the Owl City song,
“The Saltwater Room” on page 44.
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