Justin Mattock
Since joining the Canadian music scene in 2014, Justin has ventured into a variety of different scenes and genres. Starting out with Vancouver based Pop-Rock group Fighting for Ithaca, the bands prior success quickly helped him make a name for himself on a national scale. After the quartet called it quits, he stayed true to his Pop-Punk/Rock roots and expanded his online reach by forming Woke Up Waiting (later to be Harbourside) which reached friends and fans all over the world through various cover videos and a 6-track EP. Since departing Pop-Rock group Chase Your Words, Mattock has recently started pursuing the solo artist path pulling in Country, Pop and Alternative elements. Past associations include Instrumental Music and Lost Music Collective. Trading his black skinny jeans for blue denim, Mattock has turned all of his focus to a modern Pop-Country sound. His debut single "By Your Side" (Produced by Garrett Ward and Dan Botch - The Renaissance) is sure to be a staple in his new journey, with a 5 track EP already well on it's way. The EP will featured his second single, "Sweet Dreams." As soon as live music returns to the world you can be sure to see Justin in a city near you.
For fans who have never heard your music, can you pick three words to describe it?! Tough one! I'd say Nostalgic, Optimistic, and approachable. I kind of think the songs I've released so far are really walking the line between country and pop music. It's for people who don't necessarily listen to straight country music, but like some of the elements it has in it.
What is your favorite part about being an artist? Is it songwriting, performing, recording, something else?) Tell us why. If I really had to choose, I'd say performing - there's nothing like being on stage with friends and hearing people sing back lyrics you wrote. The best part is meeting people - I've met some of the most genuine people I know through music and I wouldn't have known them if it wasn't for being an artist
Can you tell us what being in the recording studio is like for you?
It's a blast! I'm currently working with some good friends over at The Renaissance (Dan Botch & Garrett Ward), and those guys are fantastic to work with. They're a blast to hang out with and extremely talented in what they do. Being in the studio consists mostly of writing and vocals/guitar. I'll typically send them a demo with just acoustic guitar and vocals, then they'll take that and steer it in their own direction by putting all the other instruments around it. We'll tweak it until we're both happy with it, then I'll hop in the booth and track all my vocals. After those, we'll do lead guitars and add anything we feel would work well in the song. Each song usually takes about a month to complete from start to finish.
Okay, this a fun question. When you are not doing music, what else do you enjoy doing? Typical answer, but anything with friends. Working out and Hockey are big ones. Just started up golf with a couple buddies last year and that's been a ton of fun. Lots of beer and tempers involved though, we had to tone down the competitiveness a bit cause we were getting way too into it for how bad we were. Other than that, I take my dogs for walks and grab coffee, go out for food and drinks quite a bit. Pretty standard stuff for a 26 year old.
Who do you admire most in the music scene today and why? Right now, I think I admire the guys in Dan + Shay the most. I've been following them for a while now and even separating them from their music (which is unbelievable), I think I'd still be a fan of them. I love how they interact with their fans and how down to earth they seem. They're crazy talented as well, and learning they produce a lot of their own stuff really made me envious of them. After years of producing music I still wouldn't feel 100% producing myself, and seeing how well they did it was really impressive to me. In my eyes, they have some of the best songwriting and vocals in the genre right now.
Can you tell us what song you've written that is the most emotional and describe the meaning behind it?
I think the single I just released (Sweet Dreams) actually has the most emotion behind it. It's kind of a mix of experiences I went through with a bunch of stuff some of my close friends were going through at the time all packed into one story. A cool thing about the chorus in that one is the very last line "Thinking I'll be fine without you" - I really didn't know what direction to go with in this song so I left this one open for interpretation. The original lyrics were "Sweet Dreams to the queen of make believe, For thinking I'll be fine without you", but I decided to remove the "for" which leaves it open to the listener to choose how the song hits them.
Are you working on any new material right now or what's in the works for the upcoming year? Absolutely. I have one more song completely finished but I believe that one will be coming out next year around the summertime with a music video. I'll be heading back to the studio on October 15th to start working on 2 more songs with Dan and Garrett - if all goes well, I'll have another single out in December or January. After the EP is all wrapped up it'll be time to start prepping for live shows which I can't be more excited for. Lots of stuff to look forward to!
Tell us where fans can access your music.
All streaming platforms! Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube and all those major ones will have my music up on them.
Find the links to single "Sweet Dreams" on Distrokid
Watch on YouTube
Follow on Instagram or Twitter
Stream on Spotify
For more information on Justin, please visit his website!
#JustinMattock #MusicInterviews