Matt Johnson – Sound In The Signals Interview
You've got quite the background with performances in Oliver Twist and Les Miserables and your success in your former band, One True Voice. I understand you first discovered your passion for entertainment when you watched children's entertainers at your parent's business, Greenacres Animal Park. Will you tell us a bit about your background and music for those who may be unfamiliar?
Matt: What you have said above pretty much hits the nail on the head about how I started. People always called me a ‘little showman’ when I was a kid. Entertaining people was my passion and making people laugh, music came later on.
You just released your debut original single "Get Over You". It's a beautiful song and a wonderful introduction to your original work. The video is also very interesting. Tell us about writing this song and about the inspiration behind the video.
Matt: The song is about someone I know who struggles with their marriage. I’m the fly on the wall in this situation. The lyrics came before the melody and were written about a year earlier. The title came from a conversation between me and this third party, leaving someone after years together can be tough, this person said to me “I guess I would need to find away to get over her” I remember that line and it stood out for me. Their marriage has been a constant battle for a long time and not knowing where you stand with your partner is a bad situation, this lead to lines such as “I need the truth it’s going to hurt, but lying just feels worse”. The song is probably the most ‘real’ situation I’ve written about; I did not have to add any “filler lines”. The video was directed by Jessica Hughes, a talented film graduate from London. My background is very ‘pop’ so I wanted to work with someone who was not ‘pop’ and more ‘indie’ in their mind set. Jessica is very much “down with the kids” that’s how I would put it lol. We discussed ideas and I really wanted the film to have a ‘cinematic feel and look’. The video attempts to tell the story of the couple, and in my opinion the actress in the video did a great job! I met with a lot of video directors before Jessica but I just got a good vibe from her and I rely heavily on my gut feeling in the music business. Her motivation was to make a great story telling video and not money which was the perfect attitude. We are already planning the next video which has a very exciting concept!
"Get Over You" is the first single off your upcoming solo album Chaplin Road which is set to be released on July 29th. We got a great first look into the album with "Get Over You". What can fans expect from this album? Can you describe the differences about recording this album compared to recording as a group?
Matt: Get over you is my introduction single; because I am on my own label I get to chose what songs I release and in what order. I did not want to release a song that gets to the chorus in 30 seconds because it was not natural. I spent a lot of time trying to write for radio and I never had success that way. I feel writing something meaningful and organic connects with people. The album will be a collection of stories, some of my own stories and some from an observational point of view. The most important thing is the stories are real and are about things I have seen or experienced in life. I want my album to be a ‘grower’, I don’t mind if people need to hear it a few times to fall in love, I want people to be able to play my music in 5 years without it sounding dated. Working with Steve Power is great because he tries to use real instruments where possible which I think makes a real difference, it’s not so much the sound but more about the players. I have had some great musicians on this record/album that play for the likes of Adele, so it really comes through on the recording. I could not even compare this recording to my Popstars The Rivals days, this album is my journey, I call the shots and have complete say and control over every aspect. My previous group was zero say and the first time I would hear the single would be the day of recording. I feel like a musician making this album and not a young boy singing in a pop band.
Steve Power (Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow) is producing the album. What does he bring to the album and what's it been like working with him?
Matt: Robbie was always a big hero of mine growing up, I think it’s because he is a performer at heart and I think my journey in music has been similar, obviously he has had a different level of success than me but what I love about music I think Robbie does too. I also sang in the same pubs and clubs when I was 15 years old as Gary Barlow so I just felt a connection to the who heritage of Steve Powers past. You always wonder when you produce music at home what it would be like to work with the “big boys” in London. Would it be any different or are you just paying for the name? Those questions were answered for me when I started recording. It was amazing, I just could not believe the level of perfection. Nothing would go by un-noticed. Both Steve and his assistant Rohan dedicated more than 100% into the sessions with seriously long hours. Even after his success of selling over 40 million albums, Steve looks at you no different and gives you the same time and effort as a major label artist which is humbling. Steve put his own stamp on the record and arranged the chorus BV sections and played around with the tempo, key and arrangement. It was truly a magical experience that I plan to repeat.
You've been doing a unique feature leading up to to the release which is filming a "Behind The Music: Matt Johnson Video Blog Series" on Youtube. This is a neat idea and one that I'm sure fans are enjoying. What inspired this idea and what can fans see with these videos if they've missed it so far?
Matt: I just want to share my journey with people, there are so many musicians out there who are trying to do what I am doing and they all need help and advice. So much goes in to making a record and I think people are interested in that. I think it’s good for indie artists to see what you can do on your own, you do not need a major label to get going. The YouTube community is different to other platforms, they are very loyal and they care about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. The music business is hard and it’s far from glamorous so I want to show people that side. If I can also help other musicians to avoid mistakes that would make me feel better. I am tired of music companies ripping bands off. Going forward I want to continue with my vlogs, you just have to be brave and open up to people and that is the only way to connect in my opinion.
You also perform monthly live lounge acoustic cover sessions. Can you tell us a bit about this and how you select the songs you will sing?
Matt: I started doing covers just to build a fan base really through discovery, using the same ideas that others have done such as Boyce Avenue. It’s common knowledge that performing covers can increase and drive fan discovery. I wanted to let people know I’m a singer and put myself out there. It's not good to disappear for 2 years and make an album and come back, people get bored and move on unless you’re signed to a major label, the indie model is different to the major one. I remember getting 1000 streams in a week on Spotify in 2014 and I was so shocked! This just grew and grew and now I get about 30,000 a day so it’s completely crazy and it funds my entire music project! My acoustic tracks are very mixed genre wise, I always consider any song and any style. I did not want to limit myself to just ‘credible songs’ and I covered all kinds of stuff. For example there is a song called ‘Beautiful In White’ someone asked me to cover this for their wedding and I agreed…this is a proper love song, borderline cheese in places but the truth is people love it!! I nearly didn’t upload it to Spotify but now I just cannot take it off, It’s on course to have over 1 million streams in 12 months, it also gets around 100 downloads a week on iTunes and has charted in 8 different countries, so who am I to judge. Before I uploaded covers to Spotify/Youtube I was so focused on the UK but now I think globally. I have a massive following in the Philippines, Brazil and so many places I’d never heard of before, people love British artists and singers. The online community love the fact that I do not stick to the same style or genre, one fan said to me that it keeps things fresh and interesting. My personal spotify playlist is full of different music and bands and I think people are the same. I do not mind doing a soul track then a pop track, I just do what feels right. I have no plan when it comes to picking songs, I try to cover big hits as this drives more engagements and creates more opportunities for my original stuff. I sometime pick classics like ‘Livin On A Prayer’ or take fan requests, everything is considered.
I see continued success for you and wish you luck with the upcoming album. Is there anything fans should know before the album debuts? How can they keep up with news about the album and your other ventures?
Matt: Get yourself to my youtube channel youtube.com/mattjohnsonmusic and hit subscribe, if you are on Spotify then follow my profile, I am on every social platform going. If you visit my website mjofficial.com then all the correct links are there. The people and fans are everything to me, the music industry can be really stuck up their own arse at times but real people online are amazing and as long as they are happy I have a career.
Thanks for the interview. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Matt: No not really you have asked some great questions, thanks for the support it means a lot.
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-L.Burden
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