Since moving to Los Angeles from New Jersey at the age of 16, the multi talented, Finn Matthews is no stranger to the music industry. We are so excited add Matthews to the list of “On The Rise” artists by Total Access Pass. Read our conversation with him below!
For our readers who aren’t familiar with you and your music, can you share with us how you began your musical journey?
Ever since I was little I was always drawn to music. I started out playing piano when I was 8 years old, which progressed into singing and playing guitar.I was very lucky to meet a mentor, Elijah Blake at a very young age. He introduced me to a ton of music that I hadn’t ever encountered and that changed my relationship with music forever. I posted lots of covers online of me playing my favorite songs. When I was 15 years old, I started making short little beats for fun. Over the next few years until now I was constantly producing and writing.
Who/what inspired you to begin your musical endeavor? Was it music being played in the house while you were young? Listening to the radio?
Music was something that I naturally loved, but when I met Elijah Blake was the first time I really considered pursuing music as a career. He helped me see my potential as a true artist. I remember as a little kid, I used to think that the radio had little people inside of it playing the music and I always thought that was awesome.
You recently released your newest single, “Into The Open.” Can you take us through the creative process? What does this single mean to you?
I made the song over the course of a few weeks. The first day I had the beat and the rough layout of the song. I immediately knew when I started writing how I wanted it to sound. The contrast between the verse and the hook was really important as I was doing the production. The idea I had was that it would feel like two entirely different worlds in one song and I think I accomplished that. The song is about self love and it represents a time in my life where I was making great improvements to myself and my perspectives on the world were shifting. These are all things that we feel when we grown up and I wanted to capture that in a song.
Your most streamed song on Spotify is “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” If someone who doesn’t know Finn Matthew’s visited your Spotify, is this the song you would want them to listen to first?
I would rather people to listen to my newer music first. I think my older songs are cool but I wasn’t too sure who I was as an artist at the time and I’ve evolved a lot since then. If people want to see what Im really about, if recommend listening to newer stuff 🙂
Your last release in 2019 was “Sunny Daze,” how does that song differ from “Into The Open.”
They’re super different from each other. Sunny Daze is about finding my way in a new place, and Into the Open is about creating change within myself. I love both songs and they both represent different times of my life.
What usually comes first when creating something new? A melody? A chord? Lyrics?
It can start with anything. Usually it’s chords or a guitar riff because i’m always noodling on the guitar and figuring out new stuff. Once I build a bit of a beat around some chords, I will freestyle some melodies and maybe lyrics. The songs usually just flow out of me and it’s very effortlessly
With nearly 1/3 of 2020 being complete, what have you accomplished, and what do you hope to accomplish with the remainder of the year?
The main thing I’ve accomplished this year is making the majority of the songs that are going to be on my album. I’m putting the final touches on the songs now. I also made an amazing music video for Into the Open that I’m very proud of. For the rest of the year I’m planning on releasing my album, hopefully being able to do some shows and promoting my music 🙂
Amidst the pandemic and the lockdown order, what have you been doing to pass time?
I’ve been reflecting a lot on things, planning, and trying to accept the experience and not allow it to control me. I’ve made some great new songs since quarantine and I’m very excited about those.
What can fans expect from you within this upcoming year?
I will be releasing my debut album, a bunch of content, doing more shows than ever (once it’s safe). I’m still planning a lot of my year due to COVID disruptions but its going to be a good year!
Where do you see yourself musically in 5 years from now?
I hope to be doing exactly what I’m doing now but on a much larger scale. By then I would love to have toured the world and sold lots of records. I also want to get into producing and writing for other artists as well as possibly doing music for films. I plan on exploring every aspect of music.
Do you have a message for your fans? And do you have a message for people who have yet to discover you and your music?
To any of my supporters, I just want to say thank you! It’s amazing that there are people who listen and care about my music. For anyone who hasn’t heard of me yet, I wanna say thank you as well for being open and accepting of my art.
