by abby crabill
photo courtesy of matt legrand
Matt LeGrand is a multi-talented musical artist who has explored several aspects of the field, from playing instruments to songwriting. He has been interested in music from a young age.
On July 16th, Matt returned to the world of music with his brand new single, "Message in a Bottle," accompanied with a summer themed music video. The animated music video introduces his "alter ego," Matthieu.
For those of us that can't get enough of Matt LeGrand, we can look forward to another video soon, that will be self-directed by Matt. He is just getting started when it comes to leaving his mark on the music industry, and hopefully we will get to see him performing live in front of large crowds in the future.
What inspired you to begin exploring different aspects of music?
Matt: “The catalyst was really wanting to bring something different to the table through my music. It takes so long to develop your ‘sound’ so to say. I knew I wanted to make music my career when I was in high school, which was an interesting time because during high school I was very particular and closed off with what I’d let trickle into my ears. It was either heavy metal or pop punk and that was it. When I branched off into my solo project, I really started to explore and open myself up to just about everything. It was so much more interesting to me and more importantly it was more interesting for my listeners. As I am still crafting my sound today, I’ve learned that it is made up of little bits and pieces from each of my influences! I look forward to continuing my musical exploration and really encourage others to open themselves up.”
If someone has never listened to your music, how would you describe your sound to them in three words?
M: “Diverse. Hopeful. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
What current artists influence you? Why?
M: “I'm really into JXDN, and pretty much anything that Travis Barker is doing. I started in pop punk bands when I was younger, so to see this pop punk resurgence happening right now is literally everything that I’ve ever dreamed of. I loveeeee mainstream music right now!!! I'm also looking forward to The Chainsmokers and Lauv’s new album! And I also never stop following one of my favs, The 1975. All these groups have something in common for me and that's the feeling of euphoric nostalgia! Everyone is in need of feeling nostalgic, especially after the year we’ve had!”
What things in life inspire you to create music?
M: “The thing that inspires me the most when creating music is that I know one day I’ll be able to play it live for people and hopefully one day I’ll just completely forget all the words to my song and they’ll be able to sing every word to me.”
Without knowing who would find it or when, if you could send out one "message in a bottle," what would it say?
M: “I’d write my IG @mattlegrandofficial so that they could follow me. LOL No, just joking!! I’d say you’ve been chosen to lead millions to the light. Do well young Padawan! Please feel free to follow me on IG @mattlegrandofficial.”
What was the inspiration/process for creating an animated music video for your song, "Message in a Bottle"?
M: “Veteran entertainment executive Bryant Reid who served as Creative Executive Producer of the animation short came up with the idea of the character Matthieu. His vision was to have Matt LeGrand live vicariously through his alter ego Matthieu. He and Viviana Acevedo, who is a Producer at HBO, assembled the creative team. I want to bring my fans in on a little secret! My name is actually spelled Matthieu. Also, we didn't believe it would be a good idea to assemble a large crew during the pandemic. The video is streaming on YouTube now!”
What's next for you on your music journey? What do you still hope to accomplish?
M: “I’ll be releasing another video soon that I actually directed myself which I’m really looking forward to! I’ve also just been getting back into the studio to work on my next vision/concept. There is so much I still hope to accomplish and in many ways I don’t feel like I’ve even started yet to be honest. Like, I guess working with Travis Barker and going on a date with Madison Beer would be really nice, but I’m most looking forward to when I can go out and tour and see my people! Live performance is everything to me.”