After almost four years of work, senior Matthew Richardson is about to release his first album. Richardson first began creating music his freshman year after learning the guitar. In addition to learning an instrument, Richardson attributes his development in music to his growth in choir.
“Starting to play guitar as freshman, I definitely knew it was one of my favorite hobbies but not until I started getting into it more and doing choir, I started to really see myself in the position. I remember listening to a live performance of one of my favorite songs my freshman year and just hearing the crowd sing a song I felt so strongly about made me try to imagine myself in front of a crowd like singing a song that I wrote.” Richardson said.
Starting out, Richardson said his friend, senior Owen Oliver, influenced him a lot.
“Knowing he played guitar it was nice to have a relationship to express musical ideas and have some friendly competition. Outside of that though, a lot of my favorite artists through writing have been Nick Hakim, Frank Ocean, Daniel Caesar, Dijon, Malcolm Todd, and Joji. Those are some larger names I think of but they all have similar sounds.” Richardson said.
Richardson said that since guitar was his primary instrument, he would always start with that.
“Once I have a strong progression I then try to format the song completely and record it over a drum track. After I have the foundation (guitar and drums) I record everything else like bass, vocals and eventually synths/ambient sounds.” Richardson said.
Richardson has faced challenges since he started composing.
“Definitely a combination of burn out, comparison, and doubt, which I think is a reality for every artist. I remember getting a huge surge of burns about a year ago but what helped me the most was to take a step back and try to find another creative outlet to express myself. Once I came back I had a new understanding and workflow to apply to my writing.” Richardson said.
Richardson says that music and artistic pursuits in general are always difficult paths to follow considering the success rate.
“Even if you do get pretty popular it’s even harder to make a career out of it. I used to compare myself to all of other talented musicians and artists, it would diminish my self esteem a lot when it came to my writing. I would also focus too much on the popularity and money that came with it. What I came to learn eventually before all of that was you to be in love with it first. If I’m making something it isn’t pulling me into my creativity then I’m not reaching potential. You can’t force music or art in general. I needed to be passionate about writing, learn what it took to get better, and eventually have an outcome that I’d be proud to share. Only then I was able to see past doubt separate from garnering any popularity or money. When you listen to a song you made because you’re proud that you made it, that’s the best feeling,” Richardson said.
Richardson said he was brought up believing that his art would take him somewhere, but it wasn’t always music.
“I was more of a drawer but as I grew older, I realized that eventually I’d get passionate about really any media of art, it just takes time. I think art is the only and best for expressing your love in the world and that’s what motivates me. Another thing is my friends and family. I’d have nothing to write about if it weren’t for my experience and connection. When I connect with others, that’s when I get the most inspired to write,” Richardson said.
Richardson says he tries not to stick to one genre.
“I definitely think I pull a lot from indie rock, alternative R & B and blues music. The way I glue it all together is to not have the most clean pristine sound but to lean into a bedroom, cassette, lofi kind of vibe. It gives it a real kind of nostalgic feeling,” Richardson said.
Richardson says the biggest thing for him is authenticity.
“I listen and take influence from many different genres to implement them into one collective sound,” he said. “I also play almost all instruments myself (guitar, bass, vocals, keys, and sometimes drums). I try to have as much creative freedom as possible doing the bulk of it myself.”
Richardson says his music has a lot of versatility.
“I’d like to think people could listen to it under most circumstances, once I have more music out. I only got to where I wanted to creatively because I’ve learned many other songs by many other artists I love. You can only come up with what you already know how to do,” Richardson said.
Richardson says his parents have been very supportive of his passion for music.
“Thankfully, with the support system I have, I’m enabled to push myself to get better and to garner more exposure even when I don’t want to put in that work. I’m very confident about my music and I believe in myself a lot, but when the people you care about are the same it feels really good,” Richardson said.
Richardson is setting goals for himself for the future.
“In a year I want to have made many more connections musically, collaborated with more people, be performing live, and have released more music (at least 5 singles, a couple more ep’s, and an album). The title of my upcoming album is “4000,” which is a nod to the amount of people I’ve performed with in showchoir. I named it that to remind me of the goal I want to pass. I want to be able to perform to more people than that on my own merit and not with the help of a multi thousand dollar program. In five years I want to accomplish that,” Richardson said.
