Matt Wheatley shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Matt, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I am of the mindset that we are all walking our own unique paths. None that are the same. But on those paths it gets easy to wander. I’ve certainly been guilty of that from time to time.
But what I’ve come to find is that the people who manage to minimize their distractions while walking that path are almost always the most successful.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Matt Wheatley. I’m a Nashville based songwriter, producer, mixer, and composer.
What I love about what I do is no day is the same. One day I’ll be writing and producing a song for an amazing up and coming artist and the next I’ll be composing and creating sound design for the next blockbuster movie.
What has always set me apart from others in a very competitive music industry is my ears and work ethic. When I take on a project I am setting out to get the very best out of every artist, song, cue, and mix that I touch. Going the “extra mile” is never extra to me, it’s just part of the process. With such a vast experience with a wide array of projects it’s given me a unique perspective on how to create engaging music for every type of medium.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I was what I’d call a late bloomer to music. I didn’t pick up a guitar until I was 16. In all honesty it took me years to finally get decent at playing and by that time I was in a band that started getting serious about making music our careers. So we wrote some decent songs and started building a word of mouth fan base. We saved every dime from cover gigs for 2 years to fund our first real album that we recorded at an amazing studio. And when we were finally able to release it we were playing a sold out show to 500 people.
It took years of hard work to lead up to that moment. And when took the stage that night and. I looked out at the crowd singing our songs back to us I felt this incredible power. It’s a feeling that I think only musicians who play live understand fully. It was the first time I fully realized the power music and how it can be harnessed to share these amazing moments with strangers that leaves a lasting impact. It helped fuel an already burning fire.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I have yet to meet someone in the music industry who’s been a part of it for more than 5 years that hasn’t had that moment of “Is this gonna actually work for me?”
And I think it would be odd to find someone who hasn’t, when you’re in an industry that says “no” way more than it ever say “yes”. But we absolutely live for those green lights. But when you don’t see one for a while it can really make you question whether music is right for you. And I’ve had those moments. What has always kept me going though is falling back to a very simple question “do you still love it?” And so far that answer has always been yes.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
My wife tells me she never has to ask how I feel about something because I wear it on my face. I’m no different when it comes to social media and in public. I am very much a you get what you see type of person. Kind honesty is the only currency I prefer and I don’t believe that’s steered me wrong so far.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I truly hope that before anyone ever mentions my music career that they think of me as a liked person that they come to for anything.
For a long time I used to think being the “nice guy” was getting me left out of places I was trying to get to. Turns out all it took was speaking up more and setting boundaries. Now I think being a kind human above all else is a great strength.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mattwheatleymusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheatleymusic?igsh=MXEyNTM5NG1lNzE2ag%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewawheatley?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatleymusic/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@wheatleymusic
