Jonathan Mark Foreman (born October 22, 1976)[1] is an American musician who is the lead singer, guitarist, primary songwriter, and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. As a solo act, Foreman has released 14 extended plays and two studio albums.
Personal life
Foreman was born in San 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 in Encinitas. He graduated from San Dieguito Academy in the North County Coastal area of San Diego, California. Foreman attended UC San Diego and later dropped out to follow his singing career.[3]
Foreman married Emily Masen in 2002, and the couple had a daughter in 2012.[4] The couple welcomed their second child, a son, in June 2018.[5]
One of Foreman's favorite pastimes is surfing,[3] and when not on tour, he resides in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a beach community in Encinitas.[4]
Foreman is a committed nondenominational 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."[6]
Foreman's father, Mark, served as the senior pastor of North Coast Calvary Chapel in Carlsbad, California.[7] His mother is Jan (née Carlton).[8]
Foreman has made musical contributions away from Switchfoot, including writing with Molly Jenson.[13] He appeared on the song "Deathbed" Relient K's 2007 album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. In September 2009, Jazz musician Karl Denson released the album "Brother's Keeper" in which two songs were co-written by Foreman, and one song, "Drums of War", was solely written by Foreman, which he also sang on.[14] He wrote "Running Away from Me" for Meat Loaf's 2010 album Hang Cool Teddy Bear. Foreman collaborated with Ryan O'Neal for the Sleeping at Last song "Birthright".[15] Foreman has also contributed to the books The Art of Being[16] and New Way to be Human,[17] the latter written by producer Charlie Peacock
In 2006, Foreman and Nickel Creek member Sean Watkins started collaborating on a duo project originally called "The Real SeanJon", which was later renamed "Fiction Family".[18] 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," says 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."[19]
In November 2012, the band released an extended play titled Holiday EP. Their second studio album, Fiction Family Reunion, was released on January 29, 2013.
Solo projects
Foreman has also worked on various solo projects, independently releasing four EPs, titled Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer, released byCredential Recordings and lowercase people records.[20] In October 2008, Foreman released Limbs and Branches, a collection of songs from the EPs along with two new tracks. In April 2009, he was GMA Dove Award-nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year.[21]
In 2015, Foreman released the EPs Sunlight, Shadows, Darkness and Dawn, which contain 25 songs; one for each hour of the day with one extra.[22][23][24] Each song was produced by a different producer, with Foreman sending in tracks recorded backstage while on tour.[22] They were mixed by Future of Forestry's Eric Owyoung.[25]
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 for Switchfoot, mostly on some of the band's first albums such as The Legend of Chin, New Way to Be Human, and Learning to Breathe.
Solo discography
Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
