Done chasing numbers, Matthaios rediscovers joy of songwriting
Fueled by the massive streaming hits like “Vibe with Me,” “Catriona” and “Binibini,” singer-songwriter Matthaios willed himself to put out similarly wired songs that could bring in the numbers.
But the pressure inevitably got into him and he realized that songwriting isn’t—and shouldn’t be—about statistics or meeting a certain quota. “I went through a phase when I was writing for the sake of scoring a hit,” he said in a recent group interview.
While he has been releasing music since 2016, it was during the pandemic that he really hit his stride and reached a wider audience. On Spotify, the streams of his most popular tracks range from 10 to 64 million. But then, things started to slow down.
“I was like, ‘Hala, bumababa ang numbers.’ There was pressure after the pandemic that I had to come up with another hit, that my next song had to be this or that. But then, I realized, ‘I didn’t think that way back when I didn’t have hits.’ There was no pressure, and I just did what I wanted,” he related.
As such, the past year or so have been all about rediscovering his love for music. “I went back to that kind of mindset. I know that I have to enjoy the process again and do something I can be proud of,” said Matthaios, who’s known for Tagalog-English songs that meld pop, hip-hop and R&B.
Acoustic production
He couldn’t be more thankful to be part of the agency Asintada Management (Gloc-9, Shanti Dope, Skusta Clee), which encourages him to simply “write what you want.”
“I believe people can feel it when your writing is genuine. The more genuine the music, the more it will be accepted. The listeners will feel what you want to convey. It’s more natural,” he said. “Now, I’m writing for me. Bahala na kung magustuhan o hindi. Hit or not, I know I can be proud of my work.”
It’s about time he experimented, too. His newest single, “Tayo Sana,” is slower, more melodic, and wrapped in an acoustic production he’s never tried before.
“I’m getting older; my music has to mature, too. I can’t keep producing the same type of sound,” the 25-year-old artist said. “I think that my new single had me going out of my comfort zone. It’s more melodic throughout. I have dabbled in acoustic before, but not to this extent. I’m proud of what I came up with.”
But that’s not to say that he will do a musical overhaul. “Of course, I will still create songs that are true to my roots,” he said. “But I’m enjoying the process of writing again, the feeling that I’m reintroducing myself … that there’s a new Matthaios.”
Breakup song
“Tayo Sana” (feat. Yow) is a breakup song that highlights Matthaios’ heartfelt delivery.
“It reflects what I was feeling when I wrote it. It can also be about longing and wishing that you and that person could end up together when the time comes. It’s about refusing to speak with finality, because you could end up eating your words,” he said.
“But I don’t feel that way anymore,” Matthaios quipped, laughing. “Enough time has passed, so I can release the song now.”
Aside from commercial success, one of his career’s biggest highlights so far was being tapped by Disney to work on a song inspired by the animated film “Raya and the Last Dragon” (2021), whose theme is based on traditional Southeast Asian cultures.
Together with Raisa (Indonesia), Yonnyboii (Malaysia) and Sprite (Thailand), Matthaios put out a song, called “Trust Again.” “It was so heartening, especially after seeing the result of the project. That’s Disney. Not a lot of artists can say that they have done a song for a Disney movie,” he said.
Matthaios also wrote the song “Kumu and Chill” for the 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival entry, “Love at First Stream.” “I hope I can secure more song placements on films,” he said.
Another goal, Matthaios said, is staging a solo concert and going on tour. “So far, I have been only to Dubai for overseas work. I hope I can perform in the United States, Canada,” he related. “It will be great to have a solo concert. I can start small, and then grow from there.”
