ASCAP New York Sessions Keynote Interview with: Rob Thomas

Grammy Award–winning singer–songwriter Rob Thomas, who for more than 10 years has penned an incredible array of hit songs for everyone from Mick Jagger, Carlos Santana and Willie Nelson to his own work as a solo artist and with matchbox twenty, will be ASCAP's guest for a special New York Sessions Keynote Interview. From the moment matchbox twenty exploded on the scene more than a dozen years ago with their album Yourself or Someone Like You, which produced a string of hits such as "Push," "3am," "Real World" and "Back to Good" and sold over 14 million copies, Rob Thomas has continued to defy expectations, evolving into one of the most creative, accomplished and successful singer–songwriters of the modern rock era. He earned three Grammy Awards for co–writing and singing on the Carlos Santana worldwide #1 smash "Smooth" – recently named Billboard's second most successful single of all time, and has penned indelible hits for other artists such as Marc Anthony, Daughtry, Travis Tritt and Mary J. Blige, among others. Collectively he has contributed to the sales of nearly 100 million albums and has twice been named Billboard's Songwriter of the Year.

After releasing two more albums with matchbox twenty, Thomas's first solo album, Something to Be, shot to #1 on the album chart, producing the hits "Lonely No More" and "This is How a Heart Breaks," and marking the first time a male artist from a rock group had debuted at number one with his own solo debut since the Billboard Top 200 was first introduced. In 2007, Thomas released the single "Little Wonders" from the soundtrack to Disney's animated feature Meet the Robinsons, and the reunited matchbox twenty released a greatest hits album featuring six new tracks called Exile on Mainstream which spawned the #1 hit "How Far We've Come." As he prepares to release his second solo album in 2009, we are thrilled to welcome Rob Thomas to share his insight, expertise and advice with New York Sessions.