Michael David O'Brien (born August 23, 1964) is an American
Christian music
Christian music is a genre of music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christianity, Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence and lament, and its f ...
ian and
worship leader
Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the 20th century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found in a wide range of churches, including many ...
, who primarily plays
Christian pop and
contemporary worship music
Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a distinct genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has evolved over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are of ...
. He released eight solo albums since 1990. He was a touring member of the
Heritage Singers, before becoming a full-fledged member of
NewSong, in 1999.
Early and personal life
Michael David O'Brien was born on August 23, 1964, in
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, where he resided until he was 11 years old. Then he moved to
Lafayette,
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
where he got involved in music at
Comeaux High School. He graduated there and attended
USL studying vocal performance. He worked as a
bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep or barman or barmaid or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the Bar (establishment), bar, usually in a licensed bar (establishment), establishment as ...
in several restaurants and then in his early-twenties, moved back to Miami to live with his sister Dana for a couple of years.
He met his wife, Heidi, in the singing group the
Heritage Singers. They were married on March 3, 1989, and then in August they moved to
Encinitas
Encinitas (Spanish language, Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. Located in Southern California, it is approximately north of San Di ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
where Michael took a job as a Young Adult Pastor at North Coast Christian Fellowship. His wife Heidi worked there as well.
The couple would move to
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
in April 1991. Working at the Cooker as a
waiter
Waiting staff (British English, BrE), waiters () / waitresses (), or servers (AmE) are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a Bar (establishment), bar and sometimes in private homes, attending to customers by supplying them with food an ...
until in 1993 he would sign a songwriting deal with Meadowgreen Music. During that time, he sang with a group called Bash and played keyboards for the Allies, Allison Durham and Twila Paris. Michael then signed a record deal with Benson Records in 1994. He recorded 3 CDs with them. He would then join the group Newsong as their lead singer in 1999 until 2006. He has been solo ever since.
He and his wife had four children. They currently live in
Columbia,
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. His son, Joseph O'Brien, took part in 2018 in
season 13 of ''
America's Got Talent
''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distributed by) and ...
''.
NBC America Got Talent: Joseph O'Brien page
/ref>
Career
O'Brien started his music recording career in 1990, with the album, ''Someone Needs to Tell Them'', which was an Indie project.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Someone Needs to Tell Them'' (1990)
* ''Michael O'Brien'' (1995)
* ''Conviction'' (1996)
* ''Godspeed'' (1998)
* ''Signature Songs'' (2000)
* ''Something About Us'' (2007)
* ''Be Still My Soul'' (2010)
* ''Christ'mas'' (2013)
* ''Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs'' (2015)
* Crown Him (2020)
* All I Have is Christ (2024)
* Ascending (2024)
with NewSong
* ''Sheltering Tree'' (2000)
* ''The Christmas Shoes'' (2001)
* ''More Life'' (2003)
* ''Live Worship Rescue'' (2005)
Duets
* ‘’ Nicole Mullen ‘’
* ‘’ Larnelle Harris ‘’
* ‘’ Lenny Leblanc’’
* ‘’ Steve Green ‘’
* ‘’ Dallas Holm ‘’
* ‘’ David Meece ‘’
* ‘’ Natalie Grant ‘’
* ‘’ Russ Lee ‘’
* Charles Billingsly
* Meghan Lambert
* Mikey OBrien Jr.
* Timmy O’Brien
* Joseph O’Brien
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Michael
1964 births
Living people
American performers of Christian music
Musicians from Miami
Musicians from San Diego
Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee
Songwriters from Florida
Songwriters from California
Songwriters from Tennessee