Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Matt Long. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Matt, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

In more recent months, I have been having the same conversation with multiple people. Being an artist sometimes feels like you’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean paddling as hard as you can. You are clearly moving in a direction, but there is no land in sight and you have to trust your instincts and your compass! Being an artist/entertainer doesn’t always have a clear path. I have been struggling whether or not to get a “real” job several times over the past year. It’s not that I haven’t been making money doing music, but rather, am I supporting myself with music and the answer isn’t always yes! I am constantly emailing venues or bookers to get shows and usually after sending about 100 emails, you hear back from maybe one or two and that can be really frustrating! I recently had an idea for a song called the “Winds of Change” and I was thinking about the life of an artists is always changing direction.

The winds of change will come to you I promise
So set your sails be ready for new tides
The winds of change will bring a new horizon
Brighter Days, brighter nights, brighter life

I wrote down this verse to remind myself that change isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes it feels like you are in a constant state of ebb and flow and sometimes it feels like your in stagnant water. But in order to move towards a goal, an artist must continue moving forward even if everything isn’t exactly planned out.

Matt, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Growin up, I was always interested in music. I started playing trumpet in elementary school and picked up the french horn in high school. Junior year I decided to pick up the guitar, because our youth group was in need of a music leader on Wednesday nights. From there the floodgates started opening up as my music interests started changing. I started to become more interested in how to play songs I heard on the radio. I tried learning them on guitar started utilizing difffernt genres and sounds into my music. My senior year of high school I applied for a music scholarship to Point Loma Nazarene University and got accepted and given a vocal scholarship where I studied classical voice. Post college I became a worship leader and a music educator! It wasn’t until 2017 that I wrote my first song and ever since the music has been pouring out of me! In 2018 I released my first EP called Talk of the Town and in 2020 I released 2 more singles and moved to Nashville. Yes in the middle of a pandemic…Crazy! My music was once described to me as ” What Peter Gabriel and Muse would sound like if they teamed up and had a baby!” With my classical training, I blend contemporary folk, jazz, and pop and offer listeners a unique experience. I believe that what sets me apart from others, is my authenticity to myself and my music. Being a musician first and a songrwiter second, I try to make the music as compelling as possible so that the listeners want soak in as much in as possible. Shrek once said that he was an onion with layers and I would like to describe myself and my music similarly. The more you listen the more the layers unfold and you learn more about my journey and why I write music.

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

I believe the best way to support Artists and Creatives is to buy their merch, go to their shows, listen to the music, or share their posts. In a content driven society, we have the opportunity to be in front of millions of people scrolling through TikTok, IG, and Facebook. However, those things don’t always pay the bills! I saw a study that said purchasing a $20 t-shirt from your favorite artist or band is the equivalent of 6,000 streams on Spotify. To me that’s wild! Although I would love 6,000 people listening to my music, I would rather sell 5 shirts and make $100. I know is it sound crazy, but social media and Spotify streams don’t pay rent. So in my humble opinion, if there is an artist you absolutely love… go to every show you can, buy their merch (all of it, if possible), and share their music with anyone and everyone. That’s how society can better support artists and maintain a thriving eco system!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the act of creating and performing is probably the most rewarding aspect of being an artist. Getting in the room with other musicians and creating a brand new song or even just putting lyrics to music is awesome. Sometimes you can just sit around the living room without speaking and communicate just by playing music. It’s freakin’ cool when everyone is vibing/creating together. I think another rewarding aspect of being a creative is connecting with another person. I have had several opportunities where someone has come to me to tell me that my song helped them through the most difficult part of their life. That’s wild! To connect with someone so deeply through your music or art is incredibly moving. It’s amazing to hear those stories of transformation and to see what a person went through and how your music/art helped them get through their difficult situation. Its wild to think that my music could impact someone so deeply!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/mattlongmusic

Image Credits
Kyle Fitzpatrick, Pime Hernandez, Eric Neilson, Piper Landon, Janie Davidson.