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Tag: Matoma

  • Matoma Talks New Music, Touring and Evolving as a Producer [Interview] | Your EDM

    Matoma Talks New Music, Touring and Evolving as a Producer [Interview] | Your EDM

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    A lot has changed in the dance music industry, and the world in general, since Norwegian producer/DJ Matoma last released an album. Back then Matoma was riding a wave of pop-adjacent tropical house music. Now, Matoma returns to his club roots with Love for the Beat.

    We got the chance to have a friendly chat with Matoma about his new album, staying relevant in the ever changing dance music industry, and his upcoming new book! Check out our interview below.

    Thanks for chatting with us Tom. Tell us how you first got into music and how’d you originally break into the dance music industry?

    “Getting into music, I started very early. I started playing the piano when I was seven years old and around nine I really wanted to become a classical pianist, but then at the age of 16, I think I had practiced a bit too much. I felt a lot of pressure on myself, so I said to my family, I said to my dad and my mom, I really want to take a break from the piano and maybe do other things.

    And my Dad, he really felt sincere, he was eager to let me know I shouldn’t put music on the shelf, maybe I should do something else with music. So, he showed me a documentary about Stargate, two Norwegian dudes that moved to New York to pursue their producing dream.

    And they have produced with Beyonce, Rhianna, all the big names. So, he showed me a documentary about these two guys, and I immediately wanted to start producing music, and that was when I was 16 years old. And since then I’ve been making music. But the whole EDM, and more like electronic music scene, maybe when I was 23.”

    Congratulations on Love for the Beat. It’s a great album, and also a great album title. Tell us how your music and production style has changed since your last album in 2018. How do you adapt to the constantly changing tastes in dance music while maintaining a signature sound?

    “I think as an artist it’s very important to have a sense of grounded-ness to yourself, to your soul, make music that pleases yourself, but also, evolve as an artist; over the years if I make one song, I made it, I need to make something new, fresh. And, for me, after ‘One in a Million’ I really felt eager to make more of the music that I grew up with. The more danceable, more trancey, more progressive sound.

    And ‘Sodium Sky’ came from that, ‘Bittersweet’, ‘Break My Own Heart’, all of these records were molded from my cabin, looking at the Northern Lights. Being inspired by nature and being inspired by Norwegian folk music and melodies. I’ve really tried to implement those elements into my dance songs and really show people my culture, the music I grew up with.

    Blend it into today’s sound pushed with a new type of mix and I really felt it was the right moment for me to express myself. But, this year, I’m so pumped, I’m so ready to take the dance floor and I actually played a couple of new records here tonight and they really popped off.”

    Fresh off the heels of a full album, what new music can fans expect from you in 2024?

    “I think regarding the music for 2024, 2023 for me was a very experimental year, I went a bit darker, in myself, I had to get a lot of these feelings out. This year, it’s all about reconnecting with the good vibes. Giving people the Ibiza-summer vibe. And, again a couple of the songs I teased here tonight, was kind of that vibe. So, I’m really excited and pumped about this year. I’m not saying I’m going to make the best dance album of 2024, but I’m sure going to try and do it.”

    How’s the tour been so far in support of the album? When was the last time you were here in Los Angeles? Any favorite restaurants you have to visit when you’re here?

    “The mini-tour has been amazing, we’ve done New York, we did Chicago, we’ve done San Francicso, it’s actually been eight months since the last time I was here. And the vibe was the same, it was so good, I don’t know what it is with LA crowds, but they are just so amazing, just something about the vibe here.

    When I’m here in LA I really like to eat Mexican, I love Japanese, Ramen and Sushi, I really do love Mediterranean, I think LA has some of the best Mediterranean food, like Shish kebab, shawarma, I love the shawarma.“

    I always like to ask artists I interview if they have any book, streaming or podcast recommendations?

    “So, I’m actually going to release a book. In a month, March 1st, and it’s called ‘Never Good Enough’, so being a touring artist, for 10 years now, I’ve learned from a lot of different experiences on the road. I’ve met so many different people, experienced stories, inspirational stories, but things that make you really, really appreciate life. And, I think the youth right now, they need guidance. They’re so focused on what’s ahead and what’s behind, but they don’t live in the now, and I think it’s so important for them to get focused on being present, listening to their heart, listening to themselves, not listening to all of the noise.

    So, I’m actually writing a book which is 10 different stories about my life, in life-changing moments for me, crossroads where I’ve had to make big decisions, based on my spirit, my soul. And, I want to share that, I hope that it can resonate with the younger generation today and give them some inspiration to believe in themselves, to trust their own inner-spirit and to look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m good enough.’“

    Who are some artists you’d like to collab with in the future?

    “I would never say no to a Chris Martin collaboration, that would be sick. Or, Will Smith, take it back to Miami.”

    Tell the fans out there who didn’t make it what they missed tonight?

    “You missed out on a party filled with good vibes, all about spreading the love. What you can expect from me coming up it’s all about the good vibes, bringing back those good sing along records where you can sing, have a good moment, just chill and relax. Matoma out.”

    Check out Matoma’s latest studio album Love for the Beat, out now on Matoma’s label of the same name. Matoma still has a few more North American dates on the Love for the Beat tour as well.

    Feb 21 – F Cancer FSU – Tallahassee, FL
    Feb 23 – TAO Chicago – Chicago, IL
    Feb 24 – Harrah’s – Atlantic City, NJ

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    Mark Fabrick

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  • Becky Hill Is The Main Event

    Becky Hill Is The Main Event

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    Becky Hill is digging through her purse as I walk into her dressing room. It’s about a half hour or so until she’s headlining at The Brooklyn Steel in New York, and the opening duo act GAWD is getting the already-hyped crowd, who has chanted her name at any lull, ready for her. Arriving at the venue, there was no doubt in my mind people were ready for Becky Hill, but right now Becky is ready for me.

    She’s wearing a denim set that glistens in the light thanks to a thousand crystals, it’s reminiscent of Y2K pop queens like Britney Spears. Her face stretches into a warm smile as she hugs me and my photographer hello, ushering us to the couches and introducing herself as if I haven’t been listening to her music for a good chunk of my life. Sitting with Becky Hill already feels comfortable, and it’s all thanks to her.

    What Becky was looking for in her purse was her set of press-on nails, which she begins to put on as we speak…like we’re two besties gossiping before she has to perform. We start talking about the year she’s had already, with releasing two new singles: “Disconnect” with Chase & Status and “Side Effects” with Lewis Thompson.

    The two singles indicate a new album currently slated to release in May, which she’s so excited about. She knows how to write an album now, it’s a real dance album. She’s shed the fear of not being accepted for her album not being pop enough, and is showcasing her confidence as a woman, songwriter, and singer.


    “I found that the music I was putting out wasn’t matching the music I wanted to listen to…and I decided last year that I was going to make a f—ing album that I would rave to, that I would be seen listening to in the clubs.”

    She takes me on a journey: moving to London alone at age 18 with no friends or family to help her, she meets Karen Poole (or as Becky lovingly calls her, Auntie Karen) who has since helped her write and create songs like “Remember” with David Guetta. Poole is the melody queen, and Becky Hill has the voice that can take your breath away: powerful, gritty, moving, and real. It’s a match made in music heaven.

    “If you would say a lyric to your friend, then that’s what makes the song,”

    Becky got her start on
    The Voice UK as a member of Jessie J’s team, quickly separating herself as a star in her own right when she became the first and only member of the show to score a #1 UK single with Oliver Heldens’ “Gecko (Overdrive).” For the past two years, she’s received the BRIT Award for Best Dance Act. She’s collaborated with David Guetta, Joel Corry, Matoma, Jonas Blue, and more.

    Since I’ve spoken with both Joel Corry and David Guetta, I ask her about those collaborations: songs like “Remember” and “Crazy What Love Can Do” with Guetta, and “HISTORY” with Corry. Joel Corry is a friendly face, a hard worker and “an utter sweetheart.” She goes on to tell an amazing story about her relationship with David Guetta, one of the most iconic DJ’s to date.

    “David made a turning point in my career that he didn’t have to make. It just shows what a beautiful f****** person he is. “

    When Becky Hill proposed her song to David Guetta she left out a few facts: (1) that is was her song and (2) that Guetta wouldn’t own it

    for himself. Once she got his approval of the track, she let him in on the secret and he still wanted to work with her. Becky delves into how she hasn’t always been well-received as a woman in the dance sphere.

    “I absolutely love and respect David Guetta not for his empire of what he’s built and who he is…but how he has treated me as a woman in dance music, which is quite rare. The respect he has given me has been second to none and I’ll always have him to thank.”

    “Remember” is the catalyst track for Becky Hill- the one that changed it all for her and allowed her to unlock new, well-deserved success. It’s the last song she plays on her sets for a reason, the one he allows for her to perform at the BRITS, to celebrate all she’s accomplished summed up in one song.

    She shares her dreams of working with Calvin Harris, but being a feature artist is not where Becky deserves to shine. As a woman in a predominately male dance music field, it hasn’t come easy. Someone with Becky Hill’s voice and already impressive track record should be a well-respected titan in her industry…but not everyone is so easy to trust a woman. Becky gets serious as I ask about being a woman in the industry,

    “It’s more-so just deflating. I have had to work twice as hard in the industry- I’ve been working for 12 years, I came off The Voice when I was 18 and I just broke the UK two-three years ago. Still to this day I have been having to do features for people to even give a f– about my music. My label is amazing, but there’s still this conversation when I make a song about which DJ to put on. I think people are less responsive to women than they are faceless male DJs.”

    She lists faceless DJ’s like Marshmello and Daft Punk, who have found major success while women have to dress and look a certain way to be well-received. She’s not wrong, but she admits since she’s broken through she’s seen more women have the confidence to pursue their dreams.

    “It’s the same for all women: you have to be sexy…but not too sexy. You can’t dress too masculine, but you can’t dress too feminine.”

    And while Becky Hill has navigated all of this, she’s still a blazing star constantly growing her outreach. It’s a sold-out show, her first for New York, with 8,000 people there
    only for Becky Hill, and you know it won’t be her last.

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    Jai Phillips

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  • Armin van Buuren, Matoma and Teddy Swims Team Up for Dance-Pop Track, “Easy to Love” – EDM.com

    Armin van Buuren, Matoma and Teddy Swims Team Up for Dance-Pop Track, “Easy to Love” – EDM.com

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    A new year calls for new music, and Armin van Buuren is wasting no time.

    The Dutch trance icon has released his first new single of 2023, joining forces with Matoma and Teddy Swims for “Easy to Love.”

    The three chart-topping artists stun in this high-profile collab, melding each of their respective styles together to offer fans a feelsy dance-pop track. Matoma and van Buuren’s atmospheric production wraps around Swims’ rich vocals, resonating a hopeful message for anyone who has easily fallen in love.

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    Mikala Lugen

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