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Hi Matt, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Hey! I’ve been doing great. Everything’s been crazy busy since the album came out, but all good stuff. Thank you for asking.
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Devil’s Dance?” Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
“Devil’s Dance” is about a situationship I had a few years back. I went into it knowing that it wasn’t going to last but the other guy fell very fast and hard. I did a lot of self-sabotaging in relationships back in the day. Originally when I wrote it in 2020, I didn’t want to put the song out, which now I’m extremely glad I did. At the time I wasn’t connecting super hard to it, but one of my best friends (shoutout to Vanessa) convinced me that I was crazy and this was THE SONG.
There is an official lyric video for the song, which already has over 150K views in it’s first two months. Any plans to release a full video for the track?
I’m shocked at how many people have watched the lyric video already. I would absolutely love to make the official video. I just need to have the right team behind me to bring the vision to life.
The single comes off your new album Accelerate – what’s the story behind the title?
I was between 3 titles for the album, but Accelerate felt like it captured the energy and intensity of the album the best. I had written the title track in 2020 and halfway through making the album, it really just clicked that it was the best fit, and I knew I wanted it to be a one word title.
This is your second album. How was the writing and recording process for Accelerate compared to 2020’s No Shame?
They were worlds different! The biggest thing for me was that I knew vocally I had a lot to work on from No Shame. I started working with my current vocal coach in January 2020 and worked with me to be a better vocalist and a better vessel for my songs. I had a lot to learn about what keys my voice sat best in too. And recording these songs felt so easy once I got to know my voice better. I think from that, I started to write differently too, and learned to give myself more room on a track and let certain parts breathe more.
What role does Washington, D.C. play in your music?
D.C. played a massive role. I’m from the area originally so it’s home for me, and I really grew into myself as an artist and overall person there. I live in Los Angeles currently, but both of my first two albums were written while I was living back there, and the inspirations for all my songs came from my D.C. life. Also, the majority of Accelerate was recorded at Vault Studios in D.C. with my longtime producer Jake Vicious, who produced several tracks and mixed most of the album.
The album weaves between genres including synth-pop, dance and pop-rock. Who would you say are some of your influences?
For the most part, all of my influences had been female artists. I grew up loving and being inspired by artists like Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift, who are both really chameleonic creators. And I knew I also wanted to be that. I drew influence from Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black from the lyrical aspect of being the anti-hero and knowing I was the bad guy in certain situations, which played a part in making songs like “Devil’s Dance” and “Leave It Haunted.” I love music that has a catchy pop sheen with brutally honest lyrics.
LA Weekly recently named you as one of the Top 10 innovators revolutionizing their industry! Congrats on the accolade. Has music always been a focus for you and has being a musician always been the goal?
Thank you! It has been. For years I worked pretty much as a songwriter knowing I wanted to be an artist, but was too scared to make the jump. I still have a lot of ground to cover as an artist, and I still feel like I haven’t scratched the surface of what I can do. I want to rule the world haha.
How did the pandemic impact you as an artist?
It was an interesting and conflicting experience actually. Most of these songs were being written during shutdowns and I knew what I was creating didn’t match the moment and the tone. The songs were high energy and sonically intense when the world was going through a collective tragedy, and things were somber. I felt like I was making an album that would resonate better post-pandemic. So I waited and sat on a lot of the project for a long time.
What else is happening next in Matt Thompson’s world and where can people go to find out more about your music?
My album is just getting traction and charting at North American radio and a couple of my songs are on their way to U.K. radio too! I’ve also been seeing people make videos to my tracks on Tik Tok which has been really cool! I also want to perform more live and do festivals. That would be amazing! And people can go to find more about me and my music through my Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok.
https://www.instagram.com/mattthompsonmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100027208253004
https://www.youtube.com/@matt_thompsonmusic
