In the time since Jason and I started working together, a lot has happened. We founded a charity for children and young adults with diabetes called the Jason Dunn Diabetes Foundation (www.jasondunnfoundation.com); we put together an 8 state tour to support this foundation; and now, we have launched a campaign through a website called Faith Launcher (www.faithlauncher.com) to help pay off the debt from Jason's new album, Abandon Progress, but also, hopefully, to raise money for our foundation.
I would like to ask you to consider helping Jason and me by supporting his Faith Launcher Campaign. You can do this by going to www.faithlauncher.com; Signing Up; Logging In; and going to Jason's Campaign page. We have created many tiers of support with corresponding perks. Any support you can give would be greatly appreciated. I realize many of you may not be fans of Jason's music, but what you are supporting is positive music for our youth. We need to encourage artists like Jason who are keeping their music pure for our children. Our kids are exposed to enough junk; let's give them something positive to listen to!
I can't thank you enough for considering my request. Below I have posted Jason's Story so you can hear from him why he needs your support! God Bless you all!
Hey, I’m Jason Dunn,
you may know me as the former lead singer of Hawk Nelson, but as of last April,
I’m just me, “A Band in Progress”. I think the number one question people
like to ask me is why? Why did you leave Hawk Nelson? The short
answer, it was time. The longer answer, I'll get to that later.
First I want to tell you a little story about one of my biggest life struggles
that turned out to be one of my biggest life motivators.
I have always wanted
to be a musician. I started playing the piano at the age of four, and by
eleven had taken up the guitar (much cooler) and started my own band. I
had decided I was going to be BIG! A year later, I was diagnosed with
Type 1 Diabetes. In my mind, I had basically been issued a life sentence.
Sleepovers at friends’ houses…OVER; school trips… NOT FOR ME; eating junk food…
FORGET IT! Every birthday party I went to, instead of cake, I was chewing on a
carrot or eating a granola bar. I was embarrassed of my life!
My passion for music
kept me moving forward and at seventeen I started a new band. We played
anywhere and everywhere; two years later that band became Hawk Nelson and in
2003 we signed a record deal with Tooth & Nail Records out of Seattle, WA.
Everything came to a
screeching halt in 2005 when I went to bed one evening and woke up in the
Emergency Room the next morning. All the touring and un-scheduled living
had taken its toll, my diabetes was winning. This was the final straw for
my doctor, who had seen me dealing with sugar lows much too frequently.
He gave me an ultimatum, “Get a pump or quit touring”. With a $10,000
loan from my record label, I got a pump. The pump finally made managing
my diabetes while on the road possible.
My years with Hawk
Nelson were incredible! I toured non-stop for ten years, travelling all
over the world and selling over half a million albums. I was featured on
television and in a movie, won numerous awards, and played to packed arenas.
In 2011 a simple
conversation with a boy and his mother shook my world. They stopped me on
a cold December night after one of my shows, and the mother shared with me that
I was her son’s role model. He had been recently diagnosed with Type 1
Diabetes and, like me, he felt like a write-off; but when he discovered that
his favorite singer had diabetes, he knew he could do anything he put his mind
to, just like me.
For my entire teenage
years and much of my young adult life I was angry at God because of my
diabetes. What did I do to deserve this? Why would He allow something like this
to happen to me? That night, through that woman and boy, God answered
every question I had ever screamed up at Him. I decided to stop being
angry and embarrassed by my diabetes and instead use it to help other young
people, just like that boy.
The following year we
(Hawk Nelson) wrapped up our 5 record deal with our label 'Tooth & Nail'
records. For me I felt it was the perfect time to start something new, to
build something from the ground up. It was an exciting and refreshing
thought, and I felt the need for change, so in April of 2012 I set off on a
solo adventure, leaving Hawk Nelson behind.
So here I am, almost
one year later, with an album ready to be released; and a passion like I've
never felt before. In January of last year I announced a project under
the name “Lights Go Down”; after a month of intense studio work, I
realized it wasn’t working. I recorded an entire album trying to be
something I wasn’t, an acoustic singer song-writer. I scrapped that
album, and lost my $20,000 investment, only to realize that I was the voice of
Hawk Nelson for 10 years and I shouldn’t be running away from that, but instead,
embracing it.
I started over and
spent much of 2012 writing and recording my debut album, Abandon Progress with GRAMMY® nominated songwriter and producer,
Aaron Rice (TobyMac, Mandisa, Rachael Lampa).
I also made a long
time dream come true, I started a foundation to support children and young
adults with diabetes, The Jason Dunn Diabetes Foundation (www.jasondunnfoundation.com). I took my diabetes story on the road
last fall, playing shows to support my foundation; meeting young people with
this disease; and using my story to encourage them. I want to be a role
model, someone these young people can look up to, to bring them hope.
Recording an album is
an expensive proposition and, for this album, I wanted to do it
independently. Though my music stays true to the style of my former band,
writing for this new project has been a refreshing season of not worrying about
satisfying band-mates, labels, or fitting into genres. The downside is
the cost. Most people do not realize what goes into making an
album. An artist has to pay for the producer, musicians, mixing, and
mastering; not to mention the costs of album artwork, packaging, creating the
physical CD, and shipping. Needless to say, I am asking each of you to
help support my album so I can pay off all this debt.
I would never ask you
to do this without a great deal of thanks and some epic perks. Those of
you who support me will have the first opportunity to receive my awesome new
line of merch, AND my even more awesome new album! Oh, and did I mention,
I will get to spend quality time with several of you; whether it be when I sing
you a song on Google+; hang with you at my sweet online CD release party; hit
the greens at my local mini-golf course; or even party with you in your living
room at your own private acoustic show!
I have always had the
best fans and I know you will help me to make my campaign a success. The next
chapter has just begun; Abandon Progress
is due out in May. How this next chapter is written depends on the
support of people like you. I have put years of savings into this album;
I am proud of it, and excited to share it with each and every one of you.
Your support will help me to make these new dreams a reality. The initial
$20K will help me to pay off my album, but any monies above that will go to my
charity, helping other young people dream big despite diabetes.
Invite everyone you
know to join the party and let’s raise $20K+. I can’t wait to begin this
journey with all of you!
