Matthew West's 'Hello, My Name Is...The Acoustic Tour' Gives Fans a 'Chance to Go Deeper' by Bringing Life to Testimonies (INTERVIEW)

Contemporary Christian singer Matthew West spoke to BreatheCast about his upcoming "Hello, My Name Is...The Acoustic Tour," and touched upon his inspiration behind songs, how he tries to reach the audience, and much more.

A four-time Grammy Award nominee, West said his acoustic tour will give his beloved fans a "chance to go deeper." For the shows he was able to create what he described as an "ebb and flow as the night demands." There are no rules; just a unique set list, and him diving into the lives of the people who have inspired his music.

West will hit the road on March 17 for the first date of his acoustic tour. He said he is modeling the tour after the one-man show of legendary country music singer Garth Brooks. The Nashville based singer described that his show will have a similar feel as the concert Brooks put on live from the Encore Theater at the Wynn Las Vegas.

He said the Las Vegas show appealed to him because he enjoyed the intimacy of connecting with his audience. West explained, "I'm the kind of artist that interacts with the crowd throughout the whole night." Musically, his set up will be similar to a one-man show having only one other musician occasionally jumping on stage to assist with background vocals or instrumentation.

West is a well-established writer with a song catalog which includes cuts for the Rascal Flatts, Billy Ray Cyrus, Diamond Rio, and countless others. His songs are often inspired by true stories.

His hit singles "Forgiveness" and "Hello My Name Is" (which landed at a record breaking No. 1 on the National Christian radio chart for 17 weeks straight) were both songs that West wrote from testimonies he received from fans. West explained that his desire for this acoustic tour is really to delve in greater detail into those powerful testaments.

"My goal is to go deeper into discovering the powerful stories that have gone into inspiring the songs," he said. During the concert West will showcase videos of people whose true-life stories inspired his songs. "They will be my band," he said.

West also promises that the acoustic tour will not have the same restraints that a live concert has with time. "A few nights I get to hit the road and all bets are off, I can play whatever songs people want to hear." The relatable aspect of the testimony is what excited West the most. He said, "These stories are powerful keys that really open the door to some unique ministry."

His 2010 studio album, The Story of Your Life, was inspired by 10,000 stories from every state in the U.S. and 20 countries.

His new hit single "Do Something" was inspired by a college student named Andrea and he said, "While it has a potential to be tragic, its such a victory story." Andrea had an opportunity to take a course for micro financing in Uganda and while in Uganda she came across an orphanage in which the children were being abused and neglected by the people who were in charge of the facility. Andrea, heartbroken by the injustice stayed in the country and took the initiative to do something and have the orphanage shut down.

"Here she is, she went from a college student to an activist " he said. The government shut down the orphanage and put the children in her care. Andrea now resides in Uganda running an orphanage of about 150 children. "It all happened because one girl rose above and trusted the Lord to use her."

"Hello My Name Is...The Acoustic Tour" Dates (all dates subject to change)

March 13 Savannah, TN
March 14 Sikeston, MO
March 15 Henderson, KY
March 16 South Bend, IN
March 20 Grove, OK
March 21 Longview, TX
March 22 McAllen, TX
March 23 Sugar Land, TX
April 2 Warner Robbins, GA
April 4 Beaumont, TX
April 6 Austin, TX
April 10 Chambersburg, PA
April 11 East China, MI
April 13 Somerset, KY
April 23 Yankton, SD

Check out the video for "Do Something" below:

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the interview with West in which the singer opens up with BreatheCast about staying humble in the midst of all his success, his song writing process and more.

For more information visit MatthewWest.com