About

Adam is a self-proclaimed slightly-obsessive, partially-self-taught, ambidextrous, introvert… but more importantly, he is a Christ-following husband to his wife Natalie and a father to his two and half year son, Rowan. He's also writing this in the third person because, well, he doesn't know why. But, let’s back up. 

Adam was born in Laguna Beach hospital 1975 and was blessed to have been raised by artistically supportive Christ-loving parents in the mellow suburbs of Mission Viejo. Contrasting these calm surroundings was Adam’s introverted and intensely focused temperament.

Adam’s first artistic passions were drawing and storytelling, but by age 12, he was all about drumming. His love for music and recording evolved, and at age 19, he found his core artistic purpose in singing & songwriting, and began recording his own music as an artist. By night, he was a drummer in cover bands, playing in the clubs and bars around So. Cal., while by day, he wrote & recorded incessantly, gathering a catalog of hundreds of introspective songs which documented his emotional, intellectual and spiritual life through the language of modern songwriting.

This began a creative journey that includes, songwriting, production, engineering, mixing, mastering, carpentry, knife-making, photography, filmmaking, screenwriting, graphic design, and mixed-media fine art. Adam also plays just enough guitar, bass and piano to stumble his way through the making of his seven solo albums, the first of which was released in 2004 on BEC/Tooth and Nail Records (EMI). This first album was named one of the Top Ten Albums of the Year by Christianity Today, who also recognized Adam as one of the Top Ten Best New Artists of 2004.

During these formative years, Adam began two longterm collaborative relationships with Gannin and Arnold, and with Andy Dodd. Adam and Andy formed Red Decibel Productions in 2001. In 2002 they began a long standing collaborative relationship with Jeremy Camp by co-producing his first two albums “Stay” and ‘Carried Me”. Both albums were certified Gold and launched Adam’s career.

In 2003, during a whim of pop songwriting, Watts co-wrote and co-produced a song called “Beautiful Soul” which was recorded by Jesse McCartney. This song changed everything. It became a worldwide radio hit, which led to a lucrative publishing deal with Walt Disney Music Publishing. This publishing relationship continued for a decade, during which Adam worked with on such projects as High School Music 1, 2 & 3, all 4 seasons of Hannah Montana, Pixar’s Brave, and Camp Rock 1 and 2, to name a few… He has also worked with artists including Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas, Plain White Ts, Hey Violet and American Idol Alum, Colton Dixon. Adam has worked with companies including EMI, Sony, Warner Brothers, Provident and Capitol Records.

To date, Adam has co-produced 11 Number One Songs on the Contemporary Christian Music Charts. In total, Adam has written and produced songs on over 50 Million Albums Sold Worldwide and has had songs in the Billboard Top 100, eight years in a row. 

Throughout his career Adam struggled internally with the divide between art and commerce. As a partial result of a longstanding and ever-growing desire to increase the depth, meaning and significance in his life and work, Adam parted ways with Disney in 2013 and subsequently formed a production and artist development company called Broken City Artists with his friend and partners Gannin Arnold and marching arts luminary Mike Jackson. Shortly thereafter, Adam sold his Disney Publishing catalog and signed a new publishing deal with Reservoir Media.  

In 2014, at the urging of Biola Professor Jack Hafer, Adam began writing down his thoughts and concepts about the creative process and the dilemma that exists as the intersection of art & commerce. These writings became Adam’s first book: “The Human of Being Art: A Holistic Approach to Being an Artist and Creating Art”, and with it came a blossoming desire to guide & mentor artists.