The other day I was listening to the radio, and a Dash Berlin song came on. While listening, I was digging the beat and fell in love with the vocals. I looked it up and discovered Matt Simons. I had never heard of him before, but was itching to learn more.
Matt is a singer/songwriter, and learned to play saxophone at an early age. He released his first EP in 2012 and has seen success all over the world topping charges in Europe, South Africa and the Americas. I was so impressed with his vocals on “With You,” I sent him a message on Facebook. We became quick friends and he agreed to do an interview. A similar thing happened a few weeks ago. You might remember an interview I recently did with Niels Geusebroek. Funny story… They are friends! Anyway, it was really fun getting to know more about Matt and I am excited to share his story with you here today. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Matt Simons.
Your single “Catch & Release – Deepend Remix” has over 213 million streams on Spotify. Did you ever think this single would be such a big success?
I never expected to have a song as successful as the “Catch & Release” remix. It feels incredibly special as a relatively unknown artist to be able to watch one of my songs grow legs and run in the way that one has.
You will be in Europe this fall on a pretty aggressive tour. Tell me more about that tour and some of the cities you’ll be visiting.
This tour is aggressive but I’m also hoping we can include some more cities the next time around. I’ve played all these cities in the past and while I absolutely love playing them, not including countries like Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain and Portugal feels like we’re leaving some out.
I love Europe… Spend a lot of time overseas. Out of all the places you will be performing, where are you most looking forward to visiting?
My favorite place to play is The Netherlands. My music first took off there, I had my first top 10 single there, I played my first ever sold out tour there and it just feels a bit like home every time I go back.
Do you have support on this tour, or is it just you?
Yup! On the Europe leg I’ll be supported by Nathan Angelo and Daniel Docherty. In the States and Canada I’ll be joined by my good friend Chris Ayer who I’ve been touring with for almost a decade.
I haven’t seen you live yet… What can fans expect from a live performance?
Depending on which city it will look a bit different. In The Netherlands I’ll have full band, a horn and string section. On the rest of the Europe leg I’ll have full band and a cellist. In the United States/Canada I’ll be playing duo with a drummer.
Tell me more about PIAS Recordings.
PIAS Recordings is one of the largest indie labels in the world and I’ve got a very special relationship with them. Most artists end up hating their label (for good reason) but I love my PIAS folks to death and we’ve been through a lot together.
You have a degree in Jazz Saxophone Performance. When did you know you wanted to be a musician and tell me more about going to college for Jazz Saxophone Performance.
I’ve known from a very young age that I wanted to be a musician. No other subjects in school really interested me all that much and I always seemed to have a knack for music. I discovered saxophone when I was 12 and got really interested in jazz music when I was in high school. When I was applying to college it was a no brainer, I wanted to major in jazz performance.
I’ve always been fascinated with singer/songwriters. What is your songwriting process like? Do you sit down to write a song or do they just come to you?
One thing seems to be true over and over again, the good songs come easy. I feel like the most important thing to start with when writing a song is the concept. I like to get into a room and first figure out what we’re going to write before anyone even plays a note.
You did the vocals on the Dash Berlin single “With You.” What was it like working with him? Tell me more about that single. It’s fire!!!
So, “With You” was actually a song I put out in 2012 and was already well known in The Netherlands before Dash Berlin remixed it and included it on his album. My version of the song ended up becoming one of the most popular funeral songs in The Netherlands. People using my music as a final send off to their loved ones is one of the highest compliments I can receive as a songwriter.
We first connected on Facebook. When I asked for an interview, I sent you an interview I did with Niels Geusebroek as an example. Small world… You guys know each other! How did you two connect?
Yeah! The Dutch music industry is a pretty small world and we’ve crossed paths a few times. Niels Geusebroek is a brilliant songwriter and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.
Do you ever make a mistake on stage?
I sure have! I played Pinkpop in 2016 and forgot the words to the 2nd verse… It’s one of my more popular songs in the country and I really blew it in front of 8,000 people.
Tell me more about your relationship with Traverso Management.
Eddie Traverso has been my manager for about 5 years now. He’s got a ton of experience in the music industry and has been a huge factor in all of my success the past few years.
You are based in Brooklyn. I love NYC. Where are some of your favorite places to see a show? Also, what are some of your favorite restaurants in the Big Apple?
Actually, a brand new venue called Brooklyn Steel just opened up in my neighborhood about a 5 minute walk from my apartment. It’s quickly become my favorite place to see a show in NYC.
Favorite restaurants in my neighborhood include Mesa Coyoacan, Llama Inn, Harefield Road (for brunch) and Bamonte’s Restaurant.
Besides the European tour, what is next for Matt Simons?
New album! Coming March 2019. Hopefully summer festivals and another tour will follow.
Thank you for doing this, man. Really appreciate the time! In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Thanks for having me! Happy Holidays!
Connect with Matt Simons:
Website: http://mattsimonsmusic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattsimonsmusicpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattsimons
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/msimons5
