Life & Work with Matt Rogers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Rogers. 

Hi Matt, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I moved to Nashville in June of 2015 after coming up monthly on bi-monthly for a couple of years. Music had always been in my life, whether it was at the church in a youth worship band, garage bands, or part of my guitar and choir scholarship to college I had always had music there. After college, I moved back to Georgia and began working in the medical field in Macon, Georgia. It was here where I put my first band together and starting playing gigs both solo acoustic, and with my band around town and central Georgia. I begin writing more seriously and visiting music city as often as I could to learn, write, record, and just get an understanding of how things worked. After releasing a song at the end of 2014, I was able to get some traction both with local radio and with listeners and the gigs began getting further and further from central Georgia to be getting back and being in surgery at 6 am on Mondays. So, I saved as much money as I could and kept working my connections in Nashville so I could move and go full-time into my music career. I have been growing, pursuing, and chasing down that dream ever since. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
This is a VERY tough business. For starters, the talent you’re up against is insanely good. So constantly doubting your place in the food chain is a given. But it gets worse. Building a business, yourself is a chore all itself. You have to spend as much time learning the business as you do being creative, otherwise, you never leave the ground floor. The biggest challenges have been trying to get back up after some of the letdowns because there are plenty of those disappointments to go around if you do this long enough, but, when everything pays off, it makes it that much more worth it. Reminding yourself of that feeling while you are grinding to get better, or working on booking a tour, or get rejected from a meeting you were hopeful about keeps you going. The career really is about little victories. If you accumulate enough of them, you end up where you wanted when you started. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
This is the best part of my job. I love being creative. Songwriting has always been a passion of mine. I love the inspired writing where you just try to capture all of the emotion of a certain moment in a 3-minute story. Being surrounded by the best in the world can only make you a better songwriter too. So, it has been fun to expand my arsenal of approaches and push my own limits in writing songs. As I have focused more on my “sound” and becoming a better musician, being in the studio is such a release also. The feeling of bringing a song to life as you experiment with sounds and arrangements if easily the most exciting part. Pushing personal boundaries of your ability, whether your instrument or your voice, gives you a sense of accomplishment. Again, little victories. 

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Things are going to go wrong. Sometimes things just don’t go your way and being a strong type A personality, having order and organization is what keeps me sane. Learning how to let go of some of that has been a challenge for me. Prioritize the importance. I constantly have to remind myself that certain things won’t be a big deal, or I will push through this obstacle like I have done with so many before. This is more of a mindset than anything. I will persevere, I will get back up, you cannot stop my success are mantras I find myself often playing in my mind. A willingness to learn, grow, and never give up will get you further in life than anything else. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.mattrogerscountry.com
• Instagram: @mattrogerscountry
• Facebook: @mattrogerscountry
• Twitter: @mrogerscountry
• Youtube: @mattrogerscountry
• Other: youtube.com/mattrogerscountry

Image Credits
Matt Rogers Country, LLC