“I believe thateveryonegets three rounds in their life,” saysmusician, songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, and recording artistDavid Foster. “For me, two are completed and I’m on to Round Three.I think you have to change it up every round. My mantra isretreat and attack in another direction, which I’ve donetwice. NowI’m going to do it again.”
Foster’sfirst round wasasastudio musician, arranger, and recording artist. His second roundwasbecoming one of the mostsuccessfulsongwriters andrecord producers in history —shepherdingalbums that have collectively sold in the hundreds of millions. This period of his four-decade career also found him creatingThe David Foster Foundationandvolunteeringhis time and talent to over 400 charities, as well asbecominga household name as a performer throughout Asia where he tours annually.
For his third round,Fosteris gearing up to take on Broadway withseveralprojects.These include writingthe musicfor a new musical aboutthe iconic, animated characterBetty Boop,which will be directed byTonyAward-winnerJerry Mitchell.
As one of themostillustrious composers of our time, Foster’s skill setofcreating hits, writing indelible melodies, andbuilding dramatic moments,hasprimed himforthis thirdround.“I think Broadway andI are a perfect fit,”he says.“The story becomes the co-writer. It’sa newadventure andcreative outlet for me that I’vealways believed I could do and now it’sbecome areality.It’s alsoexcitingbecause, as a producer,I’ve spent35 years in a room with no windows, churning out music. Now I plan toimmerse myself in New Yorktheaterculture and learn the ropes slowly, and I’m not afraid of that.
Foster seems constitutionally incapable of resting on his laurels, and his relentless drive haspropelled him throughout hiscareer.Few other individuals can claim tohave their fingerprints on more major moments in all of popular musicthan David Foster. He hascreated hit songs and award-winning gold and platinum albums for a diverse array of artists including Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder,Earth, Wind & Fire,Diana Krall,Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, Seal, Chaka Khan, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Chicago, Hall & Oates, Brandy, ’N Sync, Boz Scaggs,and Gloria Estefan. He hasescortedsingers who have straddled both pop and classical styles like Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban into the mainstream. He hascreated culture-defining soundtracks for blockbuster films likeThe Bodyguard, Urban Cowboy,andSt. Elmo’s Fire; and crafted timeless holiday classics, including perennial best-sellers like Josh Groban’sNoel,Michael Bublé’sChristmas, Celine Dion’sThese Are Special Times, Rod Stewart’sMerry Christmas Baby, Andrea Bocelli’sMy Christmas,and Mary J. Blige’sA Mary Christmas.
For hisremarkablework, Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards, including three for Producer of the Year, an Emmy Award,aGolden Globe,andracked upthree Oscar nominations for “Best Original Song.”He has alsoearned a reputation as a keen spotter of new talent, playing a key role in the discovery and career launchesof Celine Dion,Josh Groban,and Michael Bublé.
In 2008 and 2011,Foster stepped out as performer in his own right as the host of “Foster & Friends”—two star-studded concert events in Las Vegasthatcelebratethe music from Foster’s unparalleled catalog. The shows were filmed forGreat Performance on PBSand Foster’sHit ManandThe Hit Man Returnsbecame PBS’ highest-rated pledge drive shows of the decade.Foster isalsoahousehold name as a performer throughout Asia where hefills arenas on his frequenttours.
In 2015, Foster became a celebrity judge on the smash hit TV showAsia’s Got Talent. Billed as the biggest TV show in the world, it is broadcast throughout Asia into 20 countries and just completed his third season. In 2019, he became the anchor judge on World’s Got Talent in China – the first international entertainer to hold a major TV position in China. The show airs on Friday nights primetime to 150 million viewers. Foster is the Global Grand Brand Ambassador for AirAsia.
“In Asia, audiences believe that the person who writes and produces the songs is as important as the person who sings them,” Foster says. “Sowhen you playa song that you’ve written and the entire 10,000-seat arena sings every word, that’s pretty thrilling.”
In 2018/19 Foster started touring the US with his show ‘An Intimate Evening with David Foster’. The shows garnered rave reviews and were so successful that he will embark on a 50 city US tour in 2020. As a result of this success, Foster filmed a new PBS Special – An Intimate Evening with David Foster – which aired on PBS Great Performances November/December 2019.
An official feature documentary on his career and life debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) September 2019. David Foster: “Off The Record” is an up close and personal look at the extraordinary career of a producer, composer, and entertainer who has helped sell more than a half billion records working with some of the most successful artists of all time. Powerful and sometimes humorous, the film follows Foster’s relentless ambition, hunger, and rise to the top, as he becomes an iconic producer and songwriter.
In 2020, Foster will release a simple yet complex piano solo album, Eleven Words. While Foster is primarily known for writing and producing huge, chart-topping hits for megastars, David steps back to his roots, seated at the grand piano and delivers emotional and meaningful piano melodies.
In his own words, Foster talks about his lifelong passion of the piano. “A lifelong passion began for me as a child sitting at the piano. Never could I have imagined that a kid’s passion of playing melodies at the piano, would lead me to where I am today. From a very young age, I was always drawn to the piano. I can’t think of any other instrument that captures and touches so many different emotions. It is the entire range of the orchestra at your fingertips. It was so cool, fun and even therapeutic just sitting at the piano and creating these melodies – this is me in my truest form and the piano has always been my go-to place. What I truly wanted to do with this album, is strip away the lyrics and all the production that I’m known for, leaving just the melodies….”
It’s not surprising that Foster becameaconsummateperformer.Born in Victoria, British Columbia,he began studying piano at age four. As the story goes, his mother was dusting the family piano,hit one of the keys, and was shocked when David correctlycalled out, “That’s an E!”,thus discovering he had perfect pitch. The son of a maintenanceyardsuperintendent and a homemaker, Foster haschronicled his life in the highly regarded,best-selling autobiographyHit Man.
Foster has made charitable work his life’s other priority.Meeting withayoung girlfrom his hometown who wasawaiting a liver transplanthada profound impact and ledhim tocreate The David Foster Foundationin 1986.Its missionisto provide financial support to Canadian families with children in need of live-saving organ transplants, along with a new focus onorgandonor awareness.Four years ago, theFoundation had a mandateraisea $30 million endowment. “We’ve moved that goalpost to $50 million and I think we’ll get there by the end of 2017,” Foster says.Hehasalsovolunteered his time and talent to over 400 charitiesover the past two decades, including the annual Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night, The Andre Agassi Foundation,and Carousel of Hope. Tapping into his vastnetworkof friends and superstar artists,Foster has enabledthese eventstoraisemillions of dollars for worthy causes.“The gift of music has brought me many rewards,”hesays. “What better way to honor those gifts than to pay it forward. It’s not just a responsibility,it’s a must.”
Fosterhas also been rewarded with professionalhonors, includingbeing inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2002, The Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2007, The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010,and the SongwritersHall Of Fame in the U.S., also in 2010.In2013, Fosterreceivedhis star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. Itislocated on Vine Street in front of the iconic Capitol Records building, adjacent to the stars of his musical heroes—John, Paul, George and Ringo—a thrill for the self-described “biggest Beatles fan on the planet.” The location is doubly meaningful as Capitol was the label that signedFoster’sband Skylark in 1971. Their hit “Wildflower” became aTop10 hit and launchedFosteron hisunendingroad to success.
Reflecting upon receiving a star on the Walk of Fame, Foster says, “One hundred years from now, my great-grandchildren will go, ‘Hey, there’s my great-grandpa,’ and having a star next to The Beatles … outside the building where I first got signed … that’s perfect.”
