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Social media is key for Mathew V

Opera-trained singer found pop groove in Britain
Mathew V
Mathew V

Just about every day, Mathew V will post an image of himself on his social media pages.

The digital platforms give the 21-year-old Delta resident a way to promote his pop music and to reach out to his fans in Canada and around the world.

He’s got many followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter — many of whom leave comments about his pictures, sounds and live performances.

And Mathew V answers back. “I’m so grateful and appreciative for my supporters,” he told The Tri-City News last week, noting he spends up to four hours a day reading and responding to his messages. “I feel it’s part of the job…. but it’s one of my favourite parts of it because I get to talk to them directly and spread the word.”

On Saturday, his fans — and future followers — will be able to see the emerging artist up close when he performs at the Kaleidoscope Arts Festival, an annual gathering by the city of Coquitlam that runs 2 to 10 p.m. at Town Centre Park.

Mathew V, who appears at 7:45 p.m. on the Engage Stage, said he’ll be singing songs from his new album, The Fifth, as well as testing out a new tune, titled The Coast, due out this summer. “Coquitlam will be the first time I’ll play it live.”

These days, besides pushing his 604 Records debut, Mathew V has spent time in the studio to collaborate with other songwriters — among them, Dan Mangan, Royal Wood and DiRTY RADiO — bringing in his British pop and soul influences.

His leaning toward the former started while he trained as a classical opera singer. At 17, he was recruited by post-secondary institutes in Los Angeles and London, England, and chose the latter, saying, “I connected more to the UK style of music.”

“I was craving a bit of change, too,” he said. “Moving to London was an opportunity for me to grow up and be independent. It also taught me how to become an adult and deal with people on my own.”

He enrolled at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance — or ICMP, formerly known as the Guitar Institute, founded in 1985 by session guitarist Alan Limbrick — on an international student working visa but left after a year. “There was a lot of essay writing and not a lot of music writing,” he lamented.

Still, his year in the English capital city wasn’t all for naught as he checked out the live music scene and interned at recording studios, meeting professional musicians and sound engineers who took him under their wings.

Back home after his year-long stint, Mathew V made plans to return to the UK but his music caught the attention of 604 Records. “They gave me a great reason to stay — and I’m glad I did. I’ve had a lot of positive feedback and my shows are going really well.”

jcleugh@tricitynews.com
@jcleughTC 

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CONTEST

You can meet Mathew V at the Kaleidoscope Arts Festival by visiting our Facebook page to enter to win our special prize package. Go to: facebook.com/tricitynewsBC/ by Aug. 10.