Matt Thiessen

Matt Thiessen
Thiessen performing at Wonder Jam 2009, at Canada's Wonderland
Background information
Birth name	Matthew Arnold Thiessen
Born	(1980-08-12) August 12, 1980 (age 36) St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Origin	Canton, Ohio, United States
Genres	Christian rock, alternative rock, pop punk
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Gotee, Capitol, Mono vs Stereo
Associated acts	Relient K, Owl City

Matthew Arnold "Matt" Thiessen (born August 12, 1980) is a Canadian-American musician, singer and songwriter known for being co-founder, lead singer, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for the Christian rock band Relient K. With Relient K, he has released eight full-length albums, including three that were certified Gold, and three that peaked in the top twenty on the Billboard 200. Outside of his work with Relient K, Thiessen maintains a low-profile side project called Matthew Thiessen and the Earthquakes. In 2009, he co-produced and collaborated on Owl City's album Ocean Eyes.

Thiessen founded Relient K in 1998, with guitarist Matt Hoopes, and bassist Brian Pittman, and recorded the demo All Work & No Play the same year. The recording attracted the interest of Toby McKeehan who signed the band to his label Gotee Records. Between the years 2000 and 2003, Gotee released three full-length albums, one Christmas album, and four EPs with Relient K. In 2004, their fourth album Mmhmm was released on both Capitol Records and Gotee, and peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard 200. After recording another EP in 2005, Mmhmm and Two Lefts Don't Make a Right...but Three Do, their 2003 album, were certified gold, followed by their 2001 album The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek in 2006. In 2007, Gotee, Capitol, and EMI released Relient K's fifth studio album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago, which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. After the release of the double EP The Bird and the Bee Sides in 2008, the band signed with Gotee's Mono Vs. Stereo imprint, on which they released their sixth studio album, Forget and Not Slow Down, again reaching the top twenty of the Billboard 200. Thiessen and the other members of Relient K have taken up A&R positions for the label as part of the record deal.