21-year-old local talent Matthew Charles has dropped his debut single titled, ‘Home’. A journey that started with a love for music since before he can remember has led him to this moment, where he can finally share his own original music with the world. “Music has always been the best way for me to express myself,” Matthew shares. When it came to developing his debut single, he found himself fixated on the idea of ‘home’ – not being a place, but rather a feeling you have when you’re around someone.
Listen to “Home” here – https://snd.click/elxh
Starting out sharing his covers on social media, Matthew decided to take matters into his own hands and take the next step in his music journey. “I went searching for studios in the area to work with and decided to reach out. I ultimately decided to go with Muse Studios because of their level of professionalism and musicality that the gents in the studio had,” Matthew shares. “I worked with Hugo Ludik and Nick Jordaan (Lead singer of Rubber Duc) on the writing of ‘Home’. We just clicked in studio and I instantly felt comfortable with them.” Some songs take days to write and some may take mere hours. Home was one of those songs. “Everything just flowed nicely, ideas were bouncing off each other and it came together rather quickly,” says Matthew. Having usually written songs with a more emotional throughline to it, Matthew decided to take a different approach with this one. “I was tired of writing sad song after sad song so when I approached the studio I said I want to make a happy, upbeat, summer-vibe song.”
What started out as nothing more than a curious child playing on his grandmother’s old piano and guitar, has developed into a passion that he wants to share with others. “I am hoping this song will put a smile on people’s faces, even if it’s only for a few people, that will be enough for me. I’m also hoping that the song will make people reflect and be grateful for the people around them that make them feel at ‘home’.” A multi-instrumentalist at heart, Matthew learned from a young age how to play the guitar, piano and drums. “My mom taught me my first proper song on the piano when I was about 5/6 and I taught myself many more from there through the internet. I remember that I used to sneak out of class in Grade 1 and go to choir practice even though I wasn’t in the choir.” Music called for him and he couldn’t help but answer.
Although he is currently a Computer Science student at the University of Pretoria, this is only the beginning for this young talent who is already planning his second single release later this year. While there are no immediate plans for an EP, Matthew shares that that’s something that could be possible in the future. “I’m hoping to start playing as many shows as I can. I am looking forward to what the rest of the year will bring.”
Keep up to date with the latest from Matthew on his social media platforms:
Instagram – @matthew._.charles
