The Los Angeles, California, USA-based outfit Five For Fighting (an alias used by multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter John Ondrasik) has gained comparisons to artists such as Elton John, Satchel, and Ben Folds Five, owing to its penchant for specializing in gentle and introspective lovelorn compositions.
Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, Ondrasik began piano lessons at the age of two, and picked up the guitar from his older sister just as he became a teenager. He put music on hold to attend UCLA, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics. Shortly after graduating, Ondrasik had a change of heart, and secured a recording contract with Capitol Records in the late 90s. Five For Fighting’s tenure with the label only lasted for a single release, 1997’s Message For Albert, before Capitol and Ondrasik parted company.
By 2000, Ondrasik had once again landed on his feet, signing a recording contract with Sony Records and issuing Five For Fighting’s second effort, America Town. The album achieved platinum status, buoyed by the radio success of the track ‘Superman (It’s Not Easy)’. Despite a lengthy gestation, the follow-up The Battle For Everything (2004) was also successful and generated the minor hit single ‘100 Years’. Ondrasik’s third Sony album, Two Lights, followed in summer 2006.
