A VALE music sensation is hoping to make it a year to remember by sharing his acoustic style across the globe.
Matt Bate capped off a memorable 2013 by playing his ‘feel good’ music in a two-week tour of Barbados and is already looking forward to what the next 12 months are set to bring.
The 23-year-old worked as a project manager before he started playing live music and making monthly You Tube cover videos, which eventually led to him becoming a full-time live musician at the start of last year.
Matt first burst onto the scene about three years ago when his online cover of The Killers – Mr Brightside received more than 200,000 hits, and since then he’s never looked back.
“That was kind of the introduction for me to think I could do something with live music.” he told the Observer.
“I’ve been doing this for a year, I had a fantastic last 12 months and I’m moving on to do this for a second year which is really exciting.”
Social media has played a large part in the young man’s rise in the music industry, with his latest cover of Rihanna and Eminem smashing past 1,000 views in less than 24 hours.
This, coupled with having more than 1,000 likes on his Facebook and Twitter pages, has really got Matt’s name out there within the community.
Asked how important the platforms were, Matt said: “I think it’s definitely the second half to the live shows.
“The live shows are where people can come and hang out and have fun and then the social media is for the people who can’t get to the live shows in the UK.
“For instance, I gave away some prizes to those who shared the current video I’ve released, I sent five copies of a signed CD to USA, Germany and Brazil.
“That’s what the online thing is doing, getting some coverage, so I’m not just getting support from the local area but people from all round the world, where they get to hear the music coming out of where we live.”
The music performer is set to venture into the unknown later this year by releasing a new EP, which will include original work written by himself.
“There’s a bit of high anticipation for the original music and I’m in the writing process at the moment, but I’m hopefully going to release things this year.” he added.
“I’ve taken a lot of influence from different cultures and people hear my covers and want to hear some originals, so I’m excited to be getting into the studio and putting those down that people get to hear on the live shows.
“Music is a big passion of mine, it’s very exciting and rewarding to be able to do it as a job.
“I’d love to be recognised and appreciated for the music I do. I think playing big stages is definitely the aim and to keep having fun with my live music.”
Matt will be playing in the Vale throughout the year and you can keep up to date with his progress by visiting, www.YouTube.com/MattBateOfficial, www.Facebook.com/MattBateMusic and @MattBateMusic on Twitter.
