Matt Thompson – Dizzy

By starrymag | May 18, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I consider myself to be a pop chameleon. I grew up on so many different genres from singer-songwriter, rock, dance/electronic, country and R&B. So, I like fusing those elements together. I feel like a lot of my songs are anthemic with big choruses. 

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) My biggest influences and inspiration have been female artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. Their music always resonated strongly with me.

 

Q) Talk about the stories behind your song “Dizzy” and your upcoming single “Mean to Me.”

 

A) “Dizzy” came together super quickly! I was working on a bunch of new songs last summer and one of my producers, Ryan Binhammer, sent me the track and the ideas really came flooding in! Once the “Dizzy” concept hit me, the song really wrote itself. And it’s a super fun song. It’s all about me and my poor taste in guys and being a red flag magnet.

 

“Mean to Me” is a really special song to me. I kinda fell in love with one of my best friends. There was a period of time where we went without talking, and when we came back into each other’s lives, he was being inconsistent with communicating and I started to feel unimportant to him. And I wrote this song as a plea that I was willing to fight for us if he was, too. I sent the song to my producer Jake Vicious and he really took the song to another level. I love it so much!

 

Q) What do you think it is about your songs that fans connect to?

 

A) I’d like to think it’s my honesty and telling my authentic story. I read somewhere that “authenticity is the ghost on a track” and I wholeheartedly believe that. When it’s something you’ve experienced, it rings true on a track and fans can hear that. 

 

Q) “Dizzy” was written in under 90 minutes! What do you think it was that motivated you so much to get this one down?

 

A) Ryan and I have really good musical synergy and he created a fun rhythmic dance-pop track that felt like the perfect sound for the concept. 

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

Every song is different which is the magic of it all. Sometimes it starts with a track and other times a melody that comes to my head or I’ll sit at the piano and play until something comes to me. With “Dizzy,” the track came first, but with “Mean to Me, it was lyrics and melody that I came up with acapella. 

 

Q) Ryan Binhammer lent a hand in production on “Dizzy” and Jake Vicious on “Mean to Me,” but how much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I’m pretty hands on with the direction of production. Before producers do their thing, I generally give them a direction I want to go in, and influences and vibes that I’d like to be incorporated. A lot of times, producers really nail it. Sometimes I’ll hear a production and go in with ideas and we add those in. But I’m very involved. 

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

 

A) Yes! There will be a second album very soon.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) Definitely festivals and outdoor venues. I have a lot of anthemic songs and performing them when it’s warm out with a hyped crowd creates an amazing vibe. 

 

Q) With concerts currently on hold, what do you miss most about being on stage?

 

A) The energy! As the artist, you really do feed off the energy of the crowd and making a connection with the fans. I feel so empowered and invincible on stage. I miss that feeling.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) I’d love to do collabs with artists in other genres. I’d love to do something with Kelsea Ballerini. She and I have a lot of the same influences, so I’d love to hear us on the same track. Dua Lipa would be so dope, too.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) Lately, I’ve been listening to Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” and Brandy Clark’s “Big Day in A Small Town.” Brandy’s a country singer and one of the strongest writers. Her storytelling is INCREDIBLE. “Homecoming Queen” is my fav off of it. 

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) In general, these days social media is a crucial tool in how music circulates. I tease a lot of clips on my Instagram stories and it’s all at fans’ fingertips which creates an intimate connection that music should make. It’s important for fans to establish a one-on-one relationship with the music.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Thank you just doesn’t cover it. It makes me feel super fulfilled to know my fans hear these songs and feel like they’re not alone. When they reach out and tell me that over social media, it’s the most gratifying feeling. They’re the reason I’m here today.