Matt is an award-winning independent music artist, songwriter and producer based in London.
He grew up in Nottingham in the UK and studied Music and Performing Arts at Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) in the early 2000s, before settling in London.
Over the years, Matt has crafted his own distinctive style of songwriting and production, carving a unique niche for himself with his individual brand of queer-themed rock music and videos, and garnering millions of YouTube views along the way. His music combines elements of rock, punk, alternative, pop and storytelling; his narrative songs and candid lyrics deal openly with the joys, pains and experiences of growing up as a gay teen and being an out and proud gay man.
After several years of being advised by music industry execs to remove all "gay content" from his work for commercial appeal, but always believing in a more honest, alternative route in which he could remain true to himself, Matt decided to do things his own way! In 2010, wishing to retain creative control over his artistic output, Matt launched his own record label - Young Lust Records - which he runs from his London studio. This creative freedom has enabled him to manage and oversee his own projects and to collaborate with a number of exciting artists and creators from around the globe.
Matt’s debut single - Football Song - was released worldwide by Young Lust Records on 7 June 2010, with beautiful artwork by Italian comic book illustrator Jacopo Camagni. The video for the song features Matt reminiscing about a school crush on the captain of the football team (complete with dancing footballers!) and was selected by Attitude Magazine as "Our 2010 World Cup Anthem".
His follow-up single - The First Time - was released on 7 November 2011, alongside two '80s-inspired club remixes from Amsterdam-based remixer/producer Matt Pop (RuPaul's Drag Race). The video for The First Time was shot in Buenos Aires in Summer 2011 and is a collaboration with award-winning Argentinian movie director Alexis Dos Santos (Glue, Unmade Beds, Random Strangers).
These first two singles and videos gained Matt recognition from around the globe for his pop rock-driven style of music, candid lyrical content and unashamedly open videos.
"Gloriously gay, sweetly romantic, wonderful touching music" - STEPHEN FRY
"One of the most adorable music videos we've seen in a long time" - INSTINCT (on The First Time)
"An empowering soundtrack...A music video that will make you want to be a teenager all over again" - OUT MAGAZINE (on The First Time)
"Stunning" - STAR OBSERVER
Matt released two further singles in 2012 - Behind Closed Doors and Testament - collaborating with Berlin-based visual artist Arno to create the video for the latter. In October 2012, Matt won two RightOutTV Music & Video Awards: SONG OF THE YEAR for Behind Closed Doors and BEST VIDEO SO FAR for Football Song.
Matt's fifth single Radio-Friendly Pop Song, released in March 2013, comments on his (and others') experiences of the entertainment industry as an out artist at that time. The song's official lyric video proved a big viral success and gained him a much wider international fanbase, helping to generate millions of video views across Matt's YouTube channel.
Matt's debut solo album Not Thinking Straight was co-produced with UK record producer Mark Crew (Bastille, Rag 'n' Bone Man). A blend of heavy guitars, big vocal harmonies and anthemic choruses, the album contains 13 tracks that deal with themes and issues surrounding gay life, relationships and experiences. It was released worldwide by Young Lust Records on 8 April 2013 on CD and digital. For the Not Thinking Straight artwork, Matt teamed up with San Diego-based comic book illustrator Joe Phillips, creator of Joe Boys Comics and director/animator of Stonewall & Riot and The House Of Morecock. The album art includes 18 stunning original illustrations by Joe, each telling a unique story based on the songs' lyrics. Joe Phillips also directed and animated the official video for When Boy Meets Boy, Matt's sixth single from Not Thinking Straight. The Gay UK called the short film "one of the best music videos we've seen in a long time."
In October 2013, Matt won two further RightOutTV Music & Video Awards: BEST POP/ROCK VIDEO for When Boy Meets Boy and, for the second year running, the prestigious SONG OF THE YEAR award, this time for Radio-Friendly Pop Song.
In November '13, Matt released a Christmas single - a fun pop-punk cover version of Mariah Carey's Oh Santa!, putting his own unique spin on the diva's festive hit single. Then in December '13, Matt won both the ALBUM OF THE YEAR award (for Not Thinking Straight) and the SONG OF THE YEAR award (for Radio-Friendly Pop Song) at the 2013 Co-operative Respect 'Loved by You' Awards, voted for by the public.
On 14 July 2014, Matt released Cover Boy: a 7-track covers EP and another co-production between Matt and Mark Crew. Cover Boy's lead single Finally is an edgier, rock-infused reworking of Ce Ce Peniston's classic 1991 dance anthem. For the Finally music video, Matt put out a call to his fans via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to send in photos of what 'Pride' meant to them. Receiving hundreds of fan submissions from over 20 countries around the world, the project brought together Matt's international fan-base in an on-screen celebration of LGBT Pride.
Other tracks on Cover Boy include versions of Belinda Carlisle's 'Summer Rain', Björk's 'Hyperballad', Madonna's 'Sky Fits Heaven', Jimmy Eat World's 'Big Casino'; the dramatic, 7-minute epic Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young, written by Jim Steinman for the 1984 movie Streets Of Fire; as well as 'Run With Us' - the theme tune from classic '80s/'90s television series The Raccoons.
Run With Us was released in August 2014 as the second single from Cover Boy. The accompanying music video is a nostalgic homage to The Raccoons comprising clips and footage from the original animated series, made with exclusive permission from the show's creator and director Kevin Gillis.
In November 2014, Matt won the RightOutTV Music & Video Award for BEST LYRIC VIDEO, for Finally.
Matt spent 2016 recording his second full-length LP, M/F. Co-produced by Matt and UK rock producer Lee Batiuk (Deaf Havana), the 12-track album was recorded at studios across London, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire UK, and in Warsaw, Poland. It features guest appearances from London's The Killer Horns, Polish diva extraordinaire Ola Bienkowska and UK singer/songwriter Zarif, and was mastered by the legendary Ted Jensen at New York's Sterling Sound.
On 1 December 2017, Matt released Bored of Straight Boys - the first single from M/F. A 6-minute, tongue-in-cheek rock epic, the song calls out aggressive machismo behaviour and “lad” culture, and was described by Out Magazine as "the anti-bro anthem we've all been desperately waiting for". The accompanying music video was created by UK visual artist John Howe and brings to life the song’s lyrics through a series of hilarious animated characters and set pieces.
On 26 January 2018, LGBTQIA (A New Generation) was released as the second single from M/F. Described by Gay Times magazine as "a storming queer rock anthem", the song’s lyrics and accompanying music video (also animated by Howe) pay tribute to queer history and all the LGBT+ pioneers, activists and trailblazers who paved the way and dedicated their lives to the fight for equality. The single and video were released to coincide with the UK's LGBT History Month which, in February 2018, marked the fifteenth anniversary of the repeal of Section 28. The song is also a celebration of today's generation of fabulous, open-minded youth and acts as a call to arms against those individuals and institutions that still try to oppress freedom, equality and progress.
Matt put out two further singles - Soldiers and Twinks - in the first half of 2018, followed by the official release of M/F on 6 July 2018 on Limited Edition double 180g transparent Vinyl, Digipak CD and across all digital and streaming platforms.
For the M/F artwork, Matt collaborated with Indonesian photographer heartpatrick to create a range of beautiful images for the various physical and digital releases. As with previous album Not Thinking Straight, each track is again accompanied by its own unique image designed to compliment the song’s lyrics and themes. The 15 new ‘M/F' commissions are displayed across a 28-page colour booklet (for the CD release), a 12” 8-page booklet and gatefold sleeve (for the vinyl) and a 21-page digital booklet (for the iTunes release).
On 7 August 2018, a live action music video was released to Matt’s YouTube channel for M/F’s fifth single I’m Totally Obsessed With Him. Filmed throughout the beautiful spaces of London’s famous Shoreditch Town Hall, it’s a joyous, wild ride that pays tribute to a variety of eras and showcases Matt fronting his band and performing alongside a diverse ensemble of fun characters, complete with crazy costumes and wigs, fierce divas, hot men, drag queens, a choir and some fabulous throwback dance routines! Upon its release, G-Scene Magazine described Matt and the video as “unapologetically fabulous!”
Matt’s brand new studio album Tales of Queer Suburbia will be released in 2024, featuring 13 new, original songs.