Dan Evans grew up captivated by a love of music and a dream of sharing it with any available audience. A native of Frankfort, Illinois, he spent his teenage years honing his skills on the guitar and piano, and later welcomed the challenge of writing and performing his own songs. Inspired by numerous artists from Keith Urban, George Strait, Rascal Flatts and the Eagles, Dan’s desire to pursue music as a career became less of a dream and more of a priority.
But even as his popularity increased with young audiences in the Chicago area, a single shadow loomed over his aspirations: his constant battle with obesity and self-esteem. At age 21, Dan was forced to come to terms with the fact that there would be no room for his 310-pound frame in an industry driven by outward appearances.
However, his lifelong battle with the scale and his own insecurities came to a screeching halt in 2008 when Dan and his mother, Jackie, were chosen to become contestants on season five of the hit reality television show “The Biggest Loser.” Dan Evans quickly became a household name amongst the show’s 18 million viewers. He lost 136 pounds and subsequently found the doors to his childhood dreams flung wide open.
“Since my time on the show, I have met so many people who watched me every week and told me how much my determination inspired them. I’m honored to be an encouragement to people and my goal as an artist is to remind every audience I encounter that personal issues and insecurities should never keep you from pursuing the things you love. I have my life back now and I want to inspire others who have similar dreams, but lack the motivation to achieve them.”
Just months after his own huge personal victory, Dan Evans is maintaining his status as a poster child for personal revolution. His debut album, Goin’ All Out, was released in the fall of 2008 and bowed at #7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. Dan co-wrote four of the album’s 11 tracks with Nashville heavyweights including Dave Berg, ASCAP’s 2008 Songwriter of the Year, and Stephanie Lewis, ASCAP’s 2002 Songwriter of the Year. The album was produced by acclaimed songwriter and producer Russ DeSalvo and guitarist/composer Jim Kimball, a noted engineer who has recorded and collaborated with artists including Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, and N*Sync.
The country-rock project, influenced by Dan’s musical role models Keith Urban, Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw, celebrates victory over life-limiting issues and speaks as sincere, energetic testimony of hard won self-confidence. “Letter To My Addiction (Free At Last)” is an inspiration to anyone who has struggled with addiction as Dan did, before The Biggest Loser helped him to have a healthier relationship with food. “No more looking in the mirror at somebody I don’t recognize,” he writes. “Now without you I can see who I am, who I’ve always been inside.”
But perhaps it is the album’s title track and lead single, “Goin’ All Out,” that best reflects Dan’s new clarity of vision and purpose, both personal and musical. “Gonna fire up all this passion/Throwing my whole heart in/I’m goin’ all out,” he declares. With his powerful vocal delivery, infectious energy and steadfast optimism, Dan assures us he’s in it to win it. With a vast community of fans cheering him on, we may rest assured this Loser will come out on top.
