An Interview With Rising Singer-Songwriter FINN MATTHEWS On His Recently Released Single “Half Hearted” and Much More!

Photo Credit– j3collection

At just seventeen Finn Matthews has accomplished more than a lot of recording artists do their whole lives. He independently moved to LA, found a mentor in R&B songwriter and artist, Elijah Blake and is releasing his first single later this summer.

The music will make waves in the pop sphere with unheard-of blends of soul. Finn’s career as an artist started when he was 9 years old and happened to accompany his father to a meeting he was having with Blake. As Blake finished up with a recording artist, Finn sang along in the background as he vibed to the music being created. At the end of his session Blake turned to Finn’s father and told him his son was next. “Every generation has their own superstar that acts as a time stamp for young love and youthful memories in song form,” says Blake of his protege Finn. “I truly feel that Finn possesses the kind of star power to be “it” for the new phase in music culture that’s happening now.”

Born and raised in a suburb of Atlantic City, Finn is the boy next door who you want your kids to roll with. In style he’s unapologetic about his “urban meets high fashion” threads, he’s an avid sneaker collector, likes to skateboard with his friends on the weekends and has a passion for photography. “I have always loved music because it allows me to express myself,” says Matthews. “I can’t wait to share my voice with the world.”

Elijah Blake, who penned hits such as Usher’s Climax, Rihanna’s No Love Allowed and has also been in the music business since his teens, has established Finn as a recording artist and will play an integral role in the release of his single and anticipated album.

Learn more about Finn Matthew in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! What are some words you would use to describe 2016 for you and your music? What were some of the highlights? What are you most excited about for 2017?

I would describe 2016 as “preparation.” It was me working on original music, shooting videos, doing some photoshoots. What I’m most excited about in 2017 is releasing more of that music to the world and performing.

Growing up, did you always want to be a musician? Can you recall your earliest musical memory? Could you see yourself doing anything else today?

I was always attracted to music as a kid, but I didn’t really know that I wanted to commit everything to music until I was about 9. My first musical memory was when I was 6 – I specifically remember this happening: My family and I were at an airport on our way to go skiing in Colorado. I was listening to a song on my mom’s MP3 player and I was unknowingly singing along. Some elderly couple approached by parents and commented how I could sing. I was embarrassed when I found out, but that’s my first memory of music.

What was it like moving to LA? How soon after moving did you meet your songwriter mentor, Elijah Blake? What was that meeting like and how important to your career has he been?

I actually met Elijah several years prior to moving to LA. I was tagging along with my dad and he was going to hang out at the studio with one of his friends. My dad is not in the music industry but his friend happened to be working with Elijah. As they were recording their song, I was singing along and Elijah noticed that I was singing it well. Then he gave me a lot of music to study, helped me with my signing, and helped to keep me motivated. He has been one of the most important people to me and my career. He is like a brother to me.

You recently released your debut single called “Half Hearted.” What was the inspiration for this song? Can you describe how it came together?

The song was a collaboration with a few writers, namely Mike Mac, Michael Motasic, and Jordan Baum. After the song was written, I went in the studio and recorded the vocals and worked on the production with Sam Barsh and Charlie Wilder.

How creatively involved were you with the making of the video for “Half Hearted”? What was that process like for you?

The director, Erik White, was the creative mind behind it the video, but I was welcome to give my input on scenes as well. I enjoyed working with him because he was very specific with suggestions like “turn your head this way” or “walk like this” which made it easier to understand. Shooting the video was very fun. I was a bit nervous at first, but performing to the camera came naturally.

When do you hope to release more music? Do you have a lot of songs written already?

I have lots of songs that I can’t wait for everyone to hear. You will definitely hear more music from me in the coming months – I’m so excited about it!

I see on your Facebook page that you’ve put out a few covers. How do you decide what song to cover? Are you constantly working on a new one? What’s up next? What’s been a favorite cover that you have done?

I usually cover whatever song I am really enjoying at the time. I am always looking for new music to listen to, some of which would inspire a cover. My favorite cover is probably “Love Me Now” by John Legend. That is an amazing song.

Do you have plans to play live around LA soon? Where can fans see you perform next?

Yes! I am working right now on putting together an upcoming showcase. You’ll hear more about that very soon!

Has anything about the music business surprised you? What has come pretty easily to you and what has been the most challenging?

Nothing about the industry in specific surprised me yet. The easiest part for me was the creative aspect of everything. Creating new songs, producing, playing piano and guitar, and singing, of course. What has been more difficult for me is being more interactive and being myself around new people.

Who are some of your favorite musicians? What musicians would you love to work with in the future?

Some of my all-time favorite musicians are people like Michael Jackson, Prince, and Miles Davis. People today that I would love to work with are people like Ed Sheeran, Labrinth, and Alessia Cara.

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people take away from your songs?

I want people to get an overall positive and uplifting feeling from my music, but I also want the songs to make them think about where they are in life or what they are doing. For example “Half Hearted” is about not giving your all to something. Like, “why are you even doing this if you are not going to fully commit?”, and I want people to be able to relate this to their own lives.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

I just want to remind everyone to keep on the lookout for new music, videos, and content very soon at www.finnmatthews.com .