At only seventeen, rising pop artist Finn Matthews is about to make waves with his soulful voice and debut single, “Half Hearted.” 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 R&B songwriter, artist and soon to be mentor, Elijah Blake. Fast forward a few years, and the teen just dropped his first music video and is in the midst of constantly creating, working on a live show and planning more song and video releases. Check out the video for “Half Hearted” and get to know Finn Matthews below, before he becomes everyone’s new favorite pop artist.
Interview by Shannon Shumaker
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for anyone who might not be familiar?
Hi! I’m Finn Matthews. I’m a singer from New Jersey. I moved to Los Angeles last year, and I just released my first single, “Half Hearted” a few weeks ago.
You got your start at a fairly young age, so what first inspired you to become involved in music?
I was always naturally attracted to music as a child. I started taking piano lessons first, which then evolved into singing. I remember just really loving music.
Do you remember which artists really influenced you at first? Has that changed at all now, a few years later?
The first artist I remember really admiring was Michael Jackson. When I was a kid, my dad would play his music videos on the TV, and I loved how high energy and iconic they were. Now, I still admire Michael, but I have gotten into a lot of R&B and gospel music, which has helped me with singing tremendously.
Speaking non-musically, is there anything else that really inspires you to write and create?
Thinking of different interactions that you’ve had with people is always a good starting point for being creative. Most music today is based off of human interactions, but personally, I just like to vibe with music and be inspired by whatever is on my mind.
You just recently released your first singles, “Half Hearted” and “I Wrote A Love Song.” These being some of the first music many people will hear from you, was there anything you wanted to accomplish with either or both of these songs?
With these songs, and any songs I create, I want people to be able to relate to them. I want people to be able to put themselves in my shoes, or vice versa.
What is the story behind “Half Hearted”?
Half Hearted is a story about not being fully committed to something. “Give me it all, or give me nothing at all” is repeated throughout the song, and that’s really the message. Why buy a whole sandwich if you’re going to throw out half? it can be applied to anything.
You also just released a music video for “Half Hearted.” How was filming? What was the highlight of working on the video?
Filming the video was really fun and interesting since it was as completely new experience. Personally, my favorite part of doing it was performing the song in front of the camera. I thought it was going to be hard and I was kind of nervous, but it ended up being easier than I thought, so i just had fun with it.
You’re already starting 2017 off strong with these two singles, and it looks like you’re already working on some more new music! When can fans expect to hear some new songs?
You can expect new songs in the very near future. In the meantime, you can see some covers on my Instagram @finnmatthews!
Do you have any other big plans for the coming months or the rest of the year?
Yes! I am working on putting together a live performance, working on more videos, and of course, new records.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks! You can stay updated on what’s happening with me on my website finnmatthews.com or you can follow me @finnmatthews. Thank you!
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