Known for his Singles such as ‘Tribulation,’ ‘Straight Razor,’ and ‘Cringe'  

Matt Maeson| Biography 2021

Released his Debut Album 'Bank On The Funeral' on 5 April 2019

• By Ojasbi
• Update : September 19, 2021

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Matthew Steven Maeson is an American pop singer/songwriter best known for his singles such as ‘Tribulation,’ ‘Straight Razor,’ and ‘Cringe.'  

Who is Matt Maeson?

Matt Mason, alias Matt Maeson, was born on 17 January 1993 to a family of convicts-turned-evangelists who played for Christian heavy metal bands. He grew up performing in jails and motorcycle rallies as part of his parents’ outreach ministry and gathering thereof immense experiences. And when many gospel artists around him were seeking to be known rather by their religion, Maeson was eager to make life and music as per his experiences

He would later be best known for his singles’ Tribulation’, ‘Straight Razor,’ and ‘Cringe’.

Early Age

Maeson was born and raised in the city of Norfolk, Virginia. His parents were juvenile delinquents who later endowed a ministry that preached to convicts out of and in prison. Additionally, his family used to perform in Christian metal bands.

Maeson grew up performing in jails and motorcycle rallies as part of his parents’ outreach ministry. Growing up, he made errors that landed him in the same shoes as his parents’—prison and drugs. 

At the prison, Maeson used to hang out with drug dealers who the church considered as the outcast. 

He also witnessed the suicide of one of his dealer mates in between his own situation. After the incident, he then got inspired to envision the life he wanted. He had lost three years of his life amidst the drug trap and even left his family, but eventually, he decided to put effort into living a clean life. His parents were exemplary figures for him to reach that endeavor. After coming out of jail, he worked in construction for 12 hours a day and even made time for community service on his days off.

According to Maeson, he has been writing songs since he was 15 to better understand his own life and himself. Frequent reconciliation with his family about his situation and moving on from the past eventually accelerated his music career. Though his parents restricted him from listening to rock songs on the radio when he was a teenager, the rock influences of Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, and Jeff Buckley would later flash through his creations.

Early Career

Maeson initially performed music for the detainees in prisons. As of now, he has released several songs which surround his personal experiences.

“Every song I write comes from some kind of personal experience,” Maeson told Riff magazine in 2018. “[If] I’m feeling angry about something, I’ll write from a perspective of me doing what I know I shouldn’t do, and I’ll write from the perspective of having done that and what I would think about myself.” 

EP (Extended plays)

Maeson shares the same name as the country artist Matt Mason, so to prevent credit clashes, he took upon the stage name Matt Maeson at the beginning of his musical career. However, in 2012, he published an EP called Black Lungs with six tracks under his actual name. He took an interim break after the release. 

Maeson then made his comeback in 2015 and began posting his songs online. Later, in 2016, he headlined his first U.S. tour with the support of Ben Lovett of Mumford and Sons.

On 31 March 2017, Maeson released his first official EP, Who Killed Matt Maeson, followed by The Hearse, his second EP on 27 April 2018. 

After the release of The Hearse, Maeson toured alongside Jaymes Young and Vallis Alps and also made his first major festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Forecastle.

Music and Album

Maeson released his debut album, Bank On The Funeral, on 5 April 2019. The album carried 12 songs.

Albeit as an artist with one official album, he has released several singles. His first single, ‘Grave Digger’ released in 2016, was followed by other singles, namely, ‘Cringe’ (2016), ‘Tribulation’ (2017), ‘Cringe’ (Stripped) (2017), ‘Cringe’ (Mike Snow remix) (2017), ‘Grave Digger’ (Stripped) (2017), ‘Grave Digger’ (Sweater Beats Remix) (2017), ‘Tribulation’ (Stripped) (2017), ‘Hallucinogenics’ (2018), ‘The Hearse’ (Stripped)(2018), ‘Hallucinogenics’ (Stripped) (2018), ‘Hallucinogenics’ (Vallis Alps Remix) (2018), ‘Tribulation’ (2018), ‘Cringe’ (Until the Ribbon Breaks Remix) (2018), ‘The Mask’ (2018), ‘Beggar’s Song’ (2019), ‘Go Easy’ (2019), ‘Hallucinogenics’ (2020), and ‘Heavenly Side’ (2021).

‘Bank on the Funeral’ (Album)

Maeson's debut album Bank on the Funeral was released on 4 May 2019 through Neon Gold Records / Atlantic Records. His struggle and hardships as a teenager are manifested in the words and melodies of his tracks on the album and the experienced tragedies are connected with various periods in his life. Furthermore, the album represents the centerpieces of his musical career to date and includes previous EPs and singles as well as fresh new tracks

The album has twelve songs on it. It includes, 'I Just don't Care That Much,' 'Cringe,' 'Go easy,' 'Tread On Me,' 'Legacy,' 'Hallucinogenics,' 'The Mask,' 'Beggar's Song,' 'Tribulation,' 'Dancing After death,' 'Feel Good,' and 'Bank On The Funeral'.

‘Cringe’

Maeson released his single 'Cringe' in 2016. He composed 'Cringe' reflecting on people who he considered close but was pushed away by them due to his way of life. 'Cringe' depicts Maeson's version of his life story on how he expected care and support from his near and dear ones but was chastised instead thus felt he was making them cringe. Additionally, the song alludes to Maeson's past in jail as well as his quest for redemption. Maeson's message in 'Cringe' is ultimately one of strong resolve, despite the fact that the story is tragic and gloomy on the surface.

'Cringe' was a huge hit on the Billboard charts, but it had an unusual journey to the top. Albeit released in 2016, 'Cringe' took two years to reach No. 38 on the Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart. It next climbed to No. 7 in January 2019 and to No. 1 in August 2019, for four weeks.

"I saw the consistent amount of streams it was getting, and [it] was getting higher, which I don't think is normal for most people for a year and a half after you release a song, the streams keep going up," Maeson told Billboard in 2019.

Furthermore, ‘Cringe’ was followed by its acoustic version 'Cringe' (Stripped) in 2017. Maeson thinks the stripped edition of 'Cringe' is better than the original because of the simplicity and connectedness it levitates. Often with mixing beats and tunes, it takes away the simplicity of just a vocal and a piano, he says. The popularity of 'Cringe', regardless of the version, propelled Maeson to No. 4 on Billboard's year-end Top New Rock Artists list for 2019.

As of August 2021, ‘Cringe’ has over 69 million streams on Spotify.

‘Hallucinogenics’

The song 'Hallucinogenics' is available in two versions. The original 'Hallucinogenics' was released in 2018 and is from Maeson's debut album, Bank on the Funeral, while the other version was released in 2020 and includes Lana Del Rey. Del Rey's airy vocals mesh nicely with the acoustic style of the song, swapping lines with Maeson as they blend in for the chorus. The music is an excellent accompaniment to the sense of being disconnected. The original version of 'Hallucinogenics' has over 8 million views on YouTube and 91 million Spotify streaming, while the Del Rey version has over 21 million Spotify streams as of August 2021.

‘Nelsonwood Lane’

On June 2, 2021, Maeson released 'Nelsonwood Lane', a poignant fan track that is one of his most personal songs to date The background of the song comes from Nelsonwood Lane, a street he used to reside in when he was around ten years old in Virginia. He intended to write about specific occurrences that occurred at Nelsonwoon when he began composing the song, but as he went along, it developed into a time-lapse of many distinct experiences that he discovered to be related in various ways. 

"It felt like I was babbling to a therapist about traumatic memories and the lyrics just kept coming," he told Broadway world in 2021.

As of August 2021, the ‘Nelsonwood Lane’ music video has received over 400 thousand views on YouTube.

Collaborations

Lana Del Rey and Maeson collaborated to release a recorded track of ‘Hallucinogenics’ in 2016. Furthermore, Maeson and producer Rozwell collaboratively launched a band called USERx that went active in 2020. The group made its debut with ‘Waterman,’ in October 2020.

In the same year, Maeson was also one of the collaborating artists on the charity album for Save the Children. The album featured 23 kid-friendly songs by artists such as Sia (‘Riding On My Bike’), Portugal The Man (‘Tomorrow’) alongside Maeson (‘Giants’), and many others.

In addition, Maeson and Llenium worked together for a song called ‘Heavenly Side.’ It was a song in Llenium’s fourth studio album Fallen Embers. The song was released on 14 July 2021

‘Heavenly Side’

'Heavenly Side' was a song from Illenium's (renowned American DJ and music composer) fourth studio album Fallen Embers. The song, in its original version, is a fresh twist on Illenium's characteristic sounds. The music is romantic as always with a unique frame. Illenium collaborated with Maeson on this song.

'Heavenly Side' is about conquering sorrow, rage, and darkness in order to transform into a better version of oneself. The playful keys, melancholy guitar riffs, and powerful percussion blend perfectly with Maeson's strong vocals in the song. The song was released on 14 July 2021.

Tours

Maeson doesn't have any upcoming tours as of August 2021. Additionally, according to his interview with At Wood Magazine in 2019, he wishes to tour and perform with Alabama Shakes, Manchester Orchestra, and Arcade Fire. “They’re so sick”, he said in the interview.

Fiancee

According to Maeson’s Twitter post on 30 May 2020, he got engaged amidst the pandemic. The couple has been friends since childhood, in addition to being lovers.