We were lucky to catch up with Matthew Runaway recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

This one is funny for a country singer, but this is how it all started. I actually started music pretty late in life. In Grade 11, my mother had a friend bail on a Def Lepard show and so naturally, she had an extra ticket. She asked if I wanted to go and I remember saying “No, it’s all good.” The date got closer and she convinced me to go because otherwise, the ticket would go to waste. So I decided…why not. I wasn’t expecting much from that night, so this particular moment still stands out clear as day. Phil Collen was playing the lead guitar to the intro of “Pour Some Suger On Me” and the energy in the building instantly changed. I was hooked. I remember staring at him in fascination. I told myself at that moment that this is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. It really all comes down to that small moment, and to think that I didn’t even want to go to attend in the first place. I often think about these very small decisions we make in life that could or could not change our lives forever, This was one of them. The next day, I told my mom I wanted to get a guitar. I knew I would have to work for it. After a month or so, I saved up a bit of money to buy a cheap acoustic guitar from my high school music teacher. My mom told me that if I played consistently for a year, she would help me buy an electric (what I’ve always wanted). So I did it. I practiced for 5 hours a day for the next year which lead me to my first electric guitar. I picked a beautiful Epiphone Les Paul Custom Sunburst. The rest is history… I was hooked and continued to practice until I was good enough to start playing in bands. Singing came a bit later in life, but the guitar was really the first love that got me hooked on music.

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?

Matthew Runaway is a rising country singer/songwriter from Perth, Ontario. Raised on a diligent cattle and crops farm, Matthew’s songwriting style speaks his established work ethic, recreating the stories he’s lived and the memories he’s made.

In his early 20’s, Matthew’s ambition decisively drove him across those county lines and throughout North America with his previous EDM rock band, Aspire. With much success, Matthew simultaneously pushed forth with his writing career.

Matthew has since taken his stories to Nashville, writing music and sharing his talent with an amazing team that championed the release of his debut single “Small Town Pride” in November, 2018. Rooted deeply in his music are such stories that have been captured by lyrically vivid emotion. Each song brings forth true energy and authentic country experience thanks to his growing up on the family farm. Matthew’s ability to capture life’s most valuable moments in the instance of a song reveal his meticulous attention to detail and bring forward moments that surely take some a lifetime to encounter.

In the last year, Matthew has established his intriguing fanbase through radio with his multi-instrument talents. His latest singles “Just Drive” and “Workin’ On Me” reveal that raised up, feel good, heart-on-your-sleeve vision that we all ‘Aspire’ to.

Most recently, Matthew has exploded on his YouTube channel gaining close to 100,000 subscribers and 12 million views in such a short time. The explosion has put Matthew’s channel inside the 900th biggest in Canada and top 5 in country music. Despite this channel’s exponential growth in such a short amount of time, Matthew’s love for writing and singing country music will always be his utmost priority. Matthew’s cattle-and-crop-farm roots have undoubtedly instilled the Small Town-Big Dream energy responsible for his visionary nature. His newest single, Just Drive speaks to those “end-of-the-world” moments we grow up experiencing, only to look back, having aged and realize that these moments have now become some of our fondest memories. “You learn along the way, that there’s lessons in the pain.”

It’s safe to say that Matthew’s music and YouTube channel have opened a variety of doors to experiences that many would only dream of – placing Matthew’s brand in the heart of diversity. We can expect great things from Matthew as he continues to push into the new artist platform. Matthew’s up and coming single, “Missing Sweater” drops in the weeks to come.

During Matthew’s down time, you can find him working on his modified 5th Gen SS Camaro and catching a ball game.

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

I feel that it’s the same for a lot of artists, hearing what your music has done for people and how it has helped them through something personal. Music is therapy for me and nothing brings me more peace and happiness than when I get to play live for people. I believe that music is one of the most powerful influences in existence. Imagine watching your favorite movie without any music or soundtrack in it. Would it hit you the same way? Would you feel the emotion? Those soundtracks were written by an artist whose emotions brought the movie to life. I feel so blessed that I have a gift that can make people feel something in a world so fast-paced and full of stress.

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

The biggest impact one can have to support us costs you absolutely nothing! Listen to our songs, share them on social media, add them to your playlists, and show your friends! It means the world. COME to the live shows! A lot of us live to play live for you! If you can buy merch, we take that to heart. Any support shown towards our music in any way keeps the drive alive!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://matthewrunaway.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewrunaway/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MatthewRunaway/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/themattrunaway
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/matthewrunaway
• Other: Linktree to all streaming platforms: https://linktr.ee/matthewrunaway

Image Credits
Photos by Toby Bey