Adam can never forget the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach just as he was about to perform for the first time as Owl City.
"The whole time leading up to it I was trying to put it in the back of my head," he says of the gig, which took place Feb. 13, 2009, at Minneapolis' Varsity Theatre, not far from his tiny hometown of Owatonna, Minn. "Then I show up and the place is sold out, and it's way bigger than I thought it would be.
"I'm standing backstage before I go on, just so terrified. I didn't know if I could be the frontman, if that fit who I was," Young recalls with a laugh. "But the second I stepped onstage it ignited such a passion for re-creating this stuff I made in my basement. I was like, 'Wow, this is really what I want to do.'"
Barely two years later after the release of “Fireflies”, an electro-emo single by Owl City which fueled Young’s journey from a home-recorder to a 100 Billboard chart topping performer, the shy 24 year old has yet to travel more: his greatest challenge lies in growing his fan base and proving to all that the band’s second single “All Things Bright and Beautiful” to be released on June 14 from Universal Republic is worth listening to.
"Everyone always says that the sophomore release built on freshman success is the hardest thing you'll ever have to do," Young says. "I've definitely lost a lot of sleep worrying about it." Universal Republic co-president Avery Lipman adds, "A hit like 'Fireflies,' is it a blessing or a curse? The answer is 'yes.'"
The fact that Young has already proved his worth as an album seller, puts every body’s apprehensions to rest. The 2009 full length by Owl City, “Ocean Eyes” sold over 1 million copies as stated by Nielsen SoundScan. Last year Sky Sailing, Young’s side project released “An Airplane Carried Me to Bed” selling more than 26,000 copies. "That kind of puts Adam in a different category in terms of other artists who've come out with big singles," Lipman says. "There's clearly a greater connection that exists out there, something that brought kids in and made them want to buy albums and tickets and merchandise."
Steve Bursky, Owl City’s manager stated that Universal Republic has begotten the idea of Young partnering with top 40 hitmakers like Dr. Luke and Starsmith to work on his album: "But what made 'Fireflies' so successful was that it wasn't that," Bursky says. "At a time when everything on the radio all sounds the same, it cut through. My advice to Adam was, 'Do what you do-go in your basement and create.'"
The marketing VP for Universal Republic Frank Arigo claims that pinpointing the process is the focal point of the label’s campaign."The thing we've made an effort to do is give Adam's fan base an inside peek at his creative process," Arigo says talking about a five minute video on Vevo that has already attracted half a million viewers since it was uploaded on March 18. More campaigning strategies behind the cameras consist of a track by track coverage of the album which will be available after being released on Vevo, Facebook and the official website of Owl City.
"This is stuff we didn't have access to last time," says Arigo, who adds that in terms of a "direct connection" with fans, "Adam is one of the best we have. When he tweets, it's not coming from the label or management."
Bursky shares Arigo’s views, discussing the important role that radio performed to make “Fireflies” so successful, but also the risks involved in "putting Adam in a place where we're relying on things we can't control. I can't control if the PD at [WHTZ New York] likes the new Owl City record," he continues. "But I can control how we keep our artist engaged with his audience."
Owl City’s six week tour of North America starts on June 13 from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. However, Young says he is looking forward to this trip with much less anxiousness than his first performance in Minneapolis.
"I'm still figuring out how to get back into the swing of things after stepping out of the head space of making the record," Young says. "But now I wouldn't trade the challenge for the world."
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