Matteson grew up surrounded by music, with instruments all over the house, a dad who played in punk rock bands, and regular family karaoke sessions. She started writing music for her poems as soon as she learned how to play the guitar as a means of self-expression. Matteson turned her home’s stairwells and other resonant spaces into concert halls, but that quickly proved insufficient. She has been giving performances since 2008 at a variety of locations, including pubs and restaurants all over Northwest Arkansas and the Ozarks. Along with performing at the You Matter festival in 2019 and participating in writer’s rounds and jam sessions with other performers live on stage. By traveling to Nashville to both write and record her music, Matteson has also improved her craft as a songwriter over the years. Her debut single, “Comfortable,” which she released in 2018, fulfilled her aspirations to become a singer-songwriter. Since then, Matteson has performed regularly at places like SixTwelve Coffee House and Bar, Hold Fast Brewing Company, and the yearly Queen City Shout Music and Arts Festival. She has also released six singles, including two that she produced herself.
Matteson has the talent to craft a beautiful narrative that will stick in your mind for days. She writes about hope and youth, joy and heartbreak through the use of catchy melodies and genuine, heartfelt lyrics. She now represents the mental health sector as an advocate. She hopes to be a voice for the unseen suffering in the world and to give others the courage to keep going forward by sharing her own struggles with depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphia. Matteson has consistently stated that the simple goal of sharing her music is to make listeners feel less alone in the world. She has done that her entire life.
The emotional piano ballad “I’ll Be Okay” is about my battles with body dysmorphia, depression, and anxiety. I wanted to share my story through this song in the hopes that it would give other people the courage to carry on living. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
MATTESON GREGORY: I was lucky enough to grow up in a loving and caring environment where I was always encouraged to be creative. My dad was in various bands growing up and I was always drawn towards singings and performing. Once I played my first talent show, I was hooked. I started to write my own songs and perform at open mics whenever I could. I didn’t really start releasing my own music till I was out of high school. That’s when I started to take trips to nashville to write and record music.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
MATTESON GREGORY: My dad taught me how to play “Accidentally in Love” by the Counting Crows and the rest I taught myself. I’ve taken vocal lessons for about 3 years and I continue to strive to learn how to take care and better my voice.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘MATTESON GREGORY’?
MATTESON GREGORY: Taylor Swift was a huge influence for me as a songwriter. She made me feel like I didn’t have to stray away from the details and emotions I feel when I write songs. Other huge influences have been Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne, the Cranberries. Honestly the list goes on and on. I chose my artist name to be my name because since it’s spelled diferently I thought it would make me stand out. I also couldn’t think of another name I would call myself.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
MATTESON GREGORY: I feel my music gives a wide range of emotions. Anywhere from youthful optimism to encouragement. I write my songs with vulnerability because I want to make people feel less alone in this world. I would describe my sound as indie acoustic pop. Really the way I portray my songs is how I want the listeners to feel.
MATTESON GREGORY:
It takes a lot of trial and error to find yourself as an artist. For me, it took a lot of figuring out who I am as a person to figure out what music I would make as an artist. I needed to figure out what my opinions were on certain things, what messages are important for me to share, and that took a lot of being in the real world. I originally set out as a country artist but over the years discovered that country music wasn’t who I am. I know what I want to do with my music and how I want it to sound. My transition to pop came from understanding that what I was writing wasn’t country or country wasn’t what, in all honesty, I wanted my songs to sound like.
6. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or diferent in the future?
MATTESON GREGORY:
With every song I release I always hope to gain more fans and grow as an artist. But I also see a success with every song I release because I am doing what I love. I am sharing my songs with the world and that takes some guts.
7. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
MATTESON GREGORY:
It always is diferent with every song. Sometimes I will be playing my guitar or piano and the melody and lyrics will come to me or sometimes I’ll be walking through the grocery store and lyrics just pop in my head. I’ve literally ran to the bathroom to record a melody at the grocery store to make sure I don’t loose it. I usually try to write all my songs by myself. I do have ideas where I literally cannot finish the song and I always reach out to people to collaborate with and help me finish the song. I love working with others and I hope to collaborate more in the future.
8. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
MATTESON GREGORY:
I will forever be proud of releasing “War With Myself”. This song is about the struggles of having a mental health condition and inspiring those struggling to find hope. I’m proud that I released a song about an important issue. A moment that made me so proud was when someone reached out to me and told me my song “War With Myself” meant a lot to them. They told me how they could relate to it and that they felt inspired. That is the something special.
9. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
MATTESON GREGORY:
Oh my gosh that is so hard to decide. I feel like both resonates diferent things. I love creating in the studio because I am putting my feelings to sounds and words while the live interaction is seeing people resonate with those sounds and words. They are both magical things.
10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
MATTESON GREGORY: My goal with my music is to make people feel less alone in this world. So as long as it makes them feel like they are not the only ones who are feeling this way. In all honestly, however they interpret or connect to my song is more than I could ever ask for.
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