Owl City

In the state of Minnesota lies a small town called Owatonna with roughly twenty-two thousand inhabitants; within that city is a quiet road with a modest house. In that house there’s an unkempt basement with no windows. Within those confines you’ll find Adam Young of Owl City hard at work, creating his electronic and melodically infectious brand of music with a simple and singular beauty. Inside this “cave,” as Adam likes to describe it, he has begun to quickly win over a large audience thirsty for something genuine, something sublime. The proof is in the music as Owl City’s first official CD – Ocean Eyes – was released July 21st, 2009 and debuted at #27 on the Billboard Top 200, #2 on Billboard’s Electronic Albums chart and #3 on the Digital Albums Chart.

So one has to ask: how did this Owl City phenomenon begin? How does a young artist writing songs underneath his garage, acoustic foam and books everywhere, reach an audience of millions? “I’m still trying to figure it out,” Adam laughs. “Back in June of 2007 it kind of started on a whim. My parents were away for the weekend, and wanting to be loud and make some noise and whatever, I began writing versions of what became my first, self released cd - Of June. I put it up on MySpace the following month and didn’t tell anyone.” Word of mouth began to spread for Adam’s music, with demands coming from various parts of the country for an album. Maybe I’m Dreaming, released in March of 2008, was Owl City’s full-length debut. The album has garnered great critical praise and is a clear representation of Owl City’s progression as an artist. Adam has become a phenomenon on MySpace with 18 million profile views and 90 million plays, which is outstanding in such a short span of time. It’s clear that, from his basement, Owl City is making a colossal impact on the music scene.

Owl City’s future is as exciting, expansive and mellifluous as its music. Adam’s main focus will be to continue playing out live and satisfying a fan base that is growing and always eagerly anticipating new material. “I’ve loved every minute of it so far, and I’m looking forward to what’s going to happen next.” So are we.