We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matt Zimmerman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Matt thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I think I’m taking the leap at the right time into a creative career, but it’s taken a lifetime to this point to develop the skills and experience necessary to risk everything on a career in the music industry. Music has always my passion, and I knew from a young age that being a songwriter and performer was my calling. I honed my craft for 20 years working with talented musicians, many of which mentored me along the way. Every year my dedication to this path has grown, and in turn so has the depth and breadth of what I can offer. Losing my Dad to COVID in December of 2020 was the catalyst that helped me see that life is short, and that if I didn’t want regrets later in life, I needed take a chance on myself. After he passed, I promised myself I was going to go for it. I dug in my heels and focused on taking part in as many professional development opportunities that I could, renewed my networking efforts with folks in the industry, wrote a bunch of new songs, and began booking shows as things reopened after the pandemic. I self-produced five songs to completion and had them mixed down in Nashville, and in the summer of 2022, I decided to take the leap. Over the last year I’ve enjoyed writing more songs than ever – both solo and co-writes, performing whenever possible, touring to Calgary twice, and even showcasing down in Nashville. Now that it’s been almost a year of being an independent performing songwriter, I can say that even with all the ups and downs, it’s been the most fulfilling year of my life; but it didn’t happen overnight. It took years of practice, patience, guidance, perseverance, and grit to make it to this point. Over the years I’ve often asked myself, what is success in the music industry? Is it a number one song, or being an “A list” artist? After 20 years with one foot in the industry and being fully invested now, I believe I can safely say that success is being able to do the thing you love to do, and making a living doing it. I’m not sure if my creative career started when I was a child, in university, or a year ago, but I’m sure glad that I get to live it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a performing songwriter from Manitoba, Canada that blends Neo-Trad Country and Canadiana Folk Rock to create a unique northern look at Country music. My songs focus on love, hard work, and good times. I’ve performed as far west as Banff, Alberta; as far east as St. John’s, Newfoundland; and as far south as Nashville, Tennessee. I’m inspired by many performing songwriters, including Chris Stapleton, Alan Doyle, and Alan Jackson to name a few. I love honest and authentic music, and try to convey those attributes in my own writing and performing. I believe that honouring my authenticity sets me apart from others in the Country genre who may have chosen a cookie-cutter trend approach. By avoiding this, I hope that I’m doing those who came before me proud by remembering that music is art, and timeless music doesn’t follow a trend. The goal I’m focusing on right now is trying to turn the heads of folks in the music industry and land my first cut as a songwriter.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding thing about being a performing songwriter is moving someone with music. Whether it’s tears, laughter, deep thought, or dancing; when music physically or emotionally affects a listener, I know I’ve done my job. I love seeing people get up to dance and have a good time when I play guitar and sing, or when they get rowdy and yell when I bring the energy of the performance up. On the flip side, moving someone to tears with an emotional song is just as powerful, and it’s hard as the performer to not get wrapped up in the feelings that surround the room. I’d like to share a story of how music moved someone profoundly right in front of my eyes. A few years ago, I was playing at a hospital as part of a not-for profit called Artists In Healthcare Manitoba. I was sitting in the dining area of a unit getting ready to put on a group performance for the patients when a health care aid wheeled a lone patient by. I asked if they’d like a song, and the aid said that would be okay. I began playing “You Are My Sunshine” with the goal of reaching the elderly patient who was not doing well, slumped over in her wheelchair with a glazed look in her eyes. As the song went on, she began to perk up, and eventually as I reached the final chorus, she opened her mouth and began to sing along – that’s when the jaw of the health care aid dropped. After I finished, I asked the aid why it was so surprising. She replied that the patient hadn’t said a word in a year and a half. Music has that power. It can move people, even in their darkest days.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think people already do a great job of supporting the artists that they love. Going to shows, talking about their favourite artists to their friends, and listening to the artists’ music are all great ways of showing that support. I would just ask the music lovers out there to think about how they are consuming the music that they enjoy. In the digital age, songwriters and even the artists performing the songs are not compensated fairly under the current arrangement. Directly purchasing a single or an album is still the best way to make sure that your favourite musician can keep the lights on and produce more songs for years to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mattzimmermanmusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mattzimmermanmusic