What is your name?
Matt Wright
What is your genre of music?
I used to do pop rock (think male Avril Lavigne) but have ventured into electro, pop and dance.
Give us a little bio about you.
I started out my career when I supported Son Of Dork (James Bourne from Busted’s spin-off band) at legendary London venue, Shepherd’s Bush Empire. From there I toured parts of the UK and made appearances on television. I went on to record a full album (Darker Than Light (Special Edition)) with Son Of Dork’s Steve Rushton as producer and co-writer back in 2007-2008. Since then, I have redefined my sound to a more pop/dance vibe, whilst working with the likes of Reece Robertson and Alex Elliott, and in recent times, I have seen great success racking up over 200,000 views across just 2 videos on TikTok for my songs, ‘OMT’ and ‘Take Me Somewhere’. Additionally, I have had tracks ‘OMT’, ‘Falling’, ‘Heartbreaker’, and most recently, ‘Thank U (Bringing Us Down)’ featured on several BBC Introducing shows across BBC Radio Sussex and BBC Radio Surrey.
What made you go into music?
Since I was very young, I have been completely obsessed with music and so I guess it was a natural progression. I started out wanting to record some cover songs with an old friend of mine and he said if you’re paying for a studio, why sing covers, write something yourself – so I did! It just grew and grew from there.
Who are your influences?
I have always been a big admirer of Michael Jackson’s talents – such an incredible singer and dancer and I’m not sure the world will ever see someone achieve his magnitude of success again. I love Angels & Airwaves, OneRepublic (I would LOVE to work with Ryan Tedder), Sigala, Chicane, John Newman, Ofenbach, NOTD, Charlie Puth, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears and SO many more
Are you signed?
No, I am an unsigned artist.
You released your new single ‘Heartbreaker’, tell us more about the single and the meaning behind the song.
The song is a classic “I’ve had my heart broken enough times, that I want to be the one breaking someone else’s heart for once” kind of story. Also,I recorded the song several years ago but I feel like it’s kind of got a mixture of Years & Years and Becky Hill style, combined with old-school EDM vibes and maybe even some of Enrique Iglesias‘ ’Euphoria ’album elements too? I also added previous singles, ‘OMT’ and ‘Take Me Somewhere’ to it, just for some diversity.
Describe each track in two words.
‘Heartbreaker’ – intense banger.
‘OMT’ – summer anthem.
‘Take Me Somewhere’ – beautiful love
What was the writing and recording process like?
I love writing songs and with ‘Heartbreaker’ it just came really naturally – I wrote it quite a few years ago, just after I came out of a relationship and felt the anger and hurt we all go through, and turned it into something I am super proud of. I think it’s relatable to most people.
Who did you work with on the EP?
‘Heartbreaker’ was co-written with the insanely talented Alex Elliott – I’ve recorded a lot with him and he’s just awesome! He’s easy to work with and gets my ideas and we work so well together. ‘OMT’ and ‘Take Me Somewhere’ were beats produced by Thirty Three Beats (a guy called Uzi) and that was fun, but ‘Take Me Somewhere’ vocals were recorded with Alex and the track was eventually re-produced by him. Great fun all round though!
Will we see a music video for any of the tracks and if so tell us more about the creative process and who you will you work with?
There already is one for ‘Heartbreaker’ – check it out now!
The video was created by Sam Cadman (@losttog on Instagram) and was so much fun to make! I actually managed to get Ollie King from BBC Three’s ‘I Kissed A Boy ’(as hosted by Dannii Minogue) to star in the video too, along with my partner!
Do you have any live shows coming up?
Unfortunately not yet but would love to book some for 2024!
What else can we expect in 2024?
I have a couple of other songs that BBC Radio Sussex and BBC Radio Surrey played in 2023, that I would love to release this year and an idea for a video for one of them too!
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Good question, global superstar?! Haha! I have no idea but I would LOVE to collaborate with the likes of Chicane, Sigala, Ofenbach and NOTD, but to even work with one of them would be amazing!
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
“If you don’t ask, you don’t get” – the worst someone can say is “no”, so it’s always worth asking!
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget? Do you mean when I watch a gig?
If so, the actual performance itself (are they energetic and engaging to watch?), the setlist (a good mix of their back catalogue?), engagement with the audience (do they draw you in to what they have to say?), the stage setup (is it an interesting backdrop or stage props used?) and anything special (do they do anything unique for the show? Special guests? Announcements?).
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Instagram – @mattwrightofficial, TikTok – @mattwrightofficial, Facebook – @mattwrightmusic but if you click here, you can find all my socials and content here
