Rising Stars: Meet Matthew Girma

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Girma. 

Hi Matthew, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I started singing roughly around age 3/4 in my school and church’s children’s choir. In my freshman year at Houston Baptist University, I recorded and released my first song, “Patiently”. A month after the song was released, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, and the world went into lockdown. Seeing the positive reaction my music had from my friends, classmates, and even people who found my music online, I decided to drop out and fully pursue a career as a Singer. After nearly 2 years of performing in the greater Houston area, I was discovered by DJ Cali Royce, Head of A&R for ThaMapAgency, and shortly thereafter signed my first record deal. 

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?
Smooth is definitely not the word I would use. When my family members found out I had dropped out of university and chose to pursue music full-time, about half of them were doubtful and the other half were supportive. On top of that, I was exhausted between going to open mics, artist showcases, and cash prize competitions. I would leave the house around 8 pm and wouldn’t come home most nights until 3 am or even later. I then would have to wake up early around 7 am to take my little sister to school, and then get ready to go to whatever part-time job I was holding down at the time. My mental health was also severely affected by not seeing the results I wanted to see from my passion. I never had doubts about my talent, but as a then twenty-year-old, I was facing pressure from my family to start thinking about alternative careers, or even re-enrolling back into school. I found all those alternatives to be unacceptable. And decided to work even harder to chase after my dream. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a singer/songwriter, which while going hand-in-hand, are two different matters. To begin with the latter, a songwriter’s job, in my opinion, is to take abstract concepts, feelings, and/or topics, and bring them to life by way of music. As a singer, my job is to convey the emotion or feelings of the lyrics I sing. I pride myself on understanding the relationship between the two, along with being able to inject my own personality into my songs, which creates a unique sound and vibe. 

What does success mean to you?
Success can be defined in many ways according to different people. To me, success is not about having a large net worth, influence, or fame. Rather, it is what one does with any or all of those things that makes them successful. For example, a husband and wife who have started a family and attend both the needs of each other and their children are successful. A person who has overcome past trauma or addictions is successful. In my eyes, anyone who has accomplished what they have set out to do, or is in active pursuit of their goal(s) is successful. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsaintmatthew/
• SoundCloud: https://open.spotify.com/artist/62E94NS2nj0kbuQXzpt4Fl?si=y9yVW3rLTJSGGV7D-Ct75A