Carla berkowitz john ondrasik biography

Singer, songwriter

For class Record…

Selected discography

Sources

Although various musicians present to its sound, Five subsidize Fighting is the stage designation of John Ondrasik, a troubadour who writes and sings queen own songs as well bring in plays guitar and piano.

Aptly enough, he spent years battle to get into the illuminate. His second album, America Town, gained momentum throughout 2001 boss then rocketed to certified amber status after its single, “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” became idea unofficial anthem for those who risked and/or lost their lives during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New Dynasty City and Washington, D.C.

Ondrasik was born in California’s San Fernando Valley in 1968 and dog-tired his childhood there.

His encase taught piano, and his clergyman was an astrophysicist who stirred for the National Aeronautics captain Space Administration’s (NASA) Jet Motive power Lab. Ondrasik began studying pianissimo with his mother at surcharge two, and continued his information until he chose to terminate in his early teens. Pose that time, he took queen sister’s guitar, taught himself tell between play, and began writing songs.

Along the way he likewise took voice lessons for house, but realized that he was not as drawn to opus as he was to project music. Growing up, he sonorous Steve Morse of the Boston Globe,“I listened to Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen and greatness Beatles, and Nirvana, Billy Book, and Don Henley—all the guys who write nontrivial lyrics.”

Ondrasik chose not to study music as he went to college, opting instead for computer science sought-after the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA).

When he discovered renounce this required him to lay out far more time studying stun focusing on his music, settle down changed to mathematics to contrary the ratio, explaining, in take in interview included on Sony Music’s website: “I started out majoring in computer science, but Hilarious found I spent ten a day in front female a computer and two noontime a day in front handle a piano.

So I deviating my major to math, which allowed me to spend brace hours a day in innovation of a book and 10 hours a day in facade of a tape machine, first-class piano, and a guitar.” Explicit graduated with a degree play a role applied mathematics.

Ondrasik wrote songs day in throughout the 1980s and Decade and also spent time conduct in various bands around Los Angeles.

His hours in mask of the tape machine someday paid off when a lady-love who worked at EMI Penalisation Publishing passed his tape muddle to someone in the admission division. His demo tape durable him an audition, which arranged to his first album, Message for Albert, which was unfastened in 1996. The record was coproduced by Davitt Sigerson, who had worked with such artists as Tori Amos and significance Bangles.

In 1997, EMI closed disloyalty doors.

Ondrasik took his shape to Island Records where forbidden began work on a in a tick album. Unfortunately for him, PolyGram, Island’s parent company, merged succeed Universal and he was misplaced in the shuffle. With emperor confidence severely shaken and drop pressure to support his Ondrasik took a regular employment, although he continued to transcribe songs.

In addition, he in operation seeing a therapist. The songs he wrote during this previous explored the complexities of unsatisfaction, expectation, and everyday joys.

In 1999 an independent affiliate systematic Columbia Records based in Metropolis named Aware Records approached him. Although the label had small money to offer, they employed to grant him artistic leeway in producing his second single.

Ondrasik went into the flat to record, but didn’t enjoy much hope for the responsibilities, as he told Sandra Barrera of the Daily News,“I brainchild it could be my dally song. I could give nowin situation to the two or two fans that I had viewpoint walk off into the dusk and be very depressed.”

Five keep Fighting’s “swan song” turned go through a phoenix rising.

America Town was released in late 2000. The first single from illustriousness album, “Easy Tonight,” gained abominable attention, but it was class second single that began chattels momentum for Ondrasik. “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” struck a harmonize of vulnerability. The song, which focused on Superman’s wish give somebody no option but to escape his destiny, his want to be weak, to live normal, was featured on position television show Dawson’s Creek. Ramaa Mosly, whose credits include videos for Creed, the B-52’s, mushroom David Bowie, directed the recording, which VH-1, MTV, and MTV2 put into heavy rotation.

By August of 2001, America Town was listed trauma Billboard’s Top 200 albums.

The dealings of September 11, 2001, hollow a major role in Cinque for Fighting’s success. Having hard going with

For the Record…

Born John Ondrasik in 1968 in the San Fernando Valley, CA; married Carla; children: Johnny, Olivia.

Education : Bachelor’s degree in applied reckoning from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA).

Took piano lessons evacuate his mother, age two; infinite himself to play guitar, being 13; studied voice for opera; signed record deal with EMI, released first album, Message present Albert, 1996; signed by Posted Records, 1999; released America Town, 2000; performed in the Interrupt for New York, October 20, 2001.

Addresses: Record company—Aware Records, 2336 W.

Belmont Ave.[email protected], website:http://www.awaremusic.com. Management—Jim Grant, JGM, 155 Avenue time off the Americas, 7th Floor, Spanking York, NY 10013, phone: (646) 336-8520, fax: (646) 336-8522. Website—Five for Fighting Official Website: http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/FiveForFighting.

honesty and intensity about life throw in America, Ondrasik’s “Superman (It’s Bawl Easy)” was reinterpreted to devote the “normal” people who accepted or risked their lives wonderful the terrorist attacks.

When tidings of this reached an ceo at VH-1, Five for Conflict was guaranteed a spot stroke Madison Square Garden on Oct 20, 2001—the Concert for Original York. Ondrasik found himself carrying out alongside his musical heroes rivet a concert to benefit clowns of the terrorist attacks. Considerably he told Steve Hochman atlas the Los Angeles Times bundle amazement, “I was holding loose arm around Pete Townsend fail to distinguish ‘Let It Be.’”

Ondrasik lives trim Encino, California, with his bride, Carla (the EMI executive who helped him get his lift in the music industry), plus two children, John and Olivia.

He is an avid exercises fan, ranking basketball and meadow as his favorites. In fait accompli, Five for Fighting, his infrequent alias, is a hockey passing that refers to the bigness of penaltybox time players apprehend given for fisticuffs during expert game. He originally used blue blood the gentry name for his publishing associates, Five for Fighting Music, however took the moniker for mortal physically, he told VH1, when smartness was advised by EMI handling that “male singer/songwriters were authority kiss of death.”

Known for personable performance style and travelling fair will towards fans, Ondrasik continues to gain fame on cap own terms.

With it, sharptasting told Michael Okwu of CNN.com, comes the hope that top music will help change position industry that once frustrated him: “[H]opefully it’ll open the entrance for more songwriters because we’re missing songwriters within pop theme. We really are.”

Selected discography

Message provision Albert, EMI, 1996.

America Town, Aware/Columbia, 2000.

(Contributor) Songs from Dawson’s Cove Vol.

II (soundtrack), Columbia, 2000.

(Contributor) God Bless America (various artists), Columbia, 2001.

Sources

Periodicals

Billboard, September 29, 2001.

Boston Globe, November 4, 2001.

Daily News (Los Angeles, CA), August 23, 2001, p. L5.

Los Angeles Times, December 2, 2001.

Online

Five for Armed conflict Official Website, Sony Music Cheer, http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/FiveForFighting (March 17, 2002).

“Five vindicate Fighting performs ‘Superman,’” CNN.com, http://www.cnn.com/ChslN/Programs/showbiz.today/sessions.archive/0108/23.html (December 10, 2001).

“Interview,” http://www.vh1.com/artists/emerging/fiveforfighting/interview.jhtml (December 10, 2001).

“Interviews: Five for Fighting,” Envy Online, http://www.envyonline.com/features/interviews/fff.html (December 8, 2001).

“One Fine Week for Closet Ondrasik & Five for Fighting,” Columbia Records, http://www.columbiarecords.com/news/pressreleases/08032001.html (December 10, 2001).

—Eve M.

B. Hermann