MATT STELL

Location: Warehouse25sixty-five Kitchen + Bar

Address: 2565 American Way, Grand Junction, CO 81501

Date: 23 Aug

“You start out wanting to sound like your heroes,” says Matt Stell, “but my heroes all sound like themselves. They believe what they sing.”

It’s an insight the Arkansas native has long taken to heart. In his case, heroes and influences stretch from Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, through Alanis Morissette and Oasis, to Miranda Lambert and Jason Isbell. But through the endless one-nighters, opening slots, and writers’ rooms that constitute paying dues, he learned what true artists always learn—that the best tribute is not imitation but transformation—finding the place inside that connects with those influences and turns them into a unique and honest voice. He has learned that lesson well.

“The music I make now is mine because I believe it and it’s true,” he says. “That’s what I can contribute, and that’s how I see myself fitting in. The currency of the realm is authenticity, and I think there’s room for mine.”

That’s something he proved with back-to-back #1s that put him in the forefront of this era’s artist-songwriters, and he proves it again with One Of Us, an EP that establishes him as an artist of real depth and vision.

The breakthrough came with the 2X PLATINUM “Prayed For You,” the only debut single to top the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2019. The PLATINUM follow-up, “Everywhere But On,” made him one of just a handful of new artists to hit the top twice in a row in six years. In the process, he racked up more than half a BILLION total global streams across his catalog while surpassing 27 million views alone for the official music video for “Prayed For You.”

He quickly became one of his generation’s busiest and most visible artists, appearing on Good Morning America, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Bachelor in Paradise, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s #LateShowMeMusic digital series. Along the way, he performed the national anthem for major NFL and NASCAR events, plus debuted at the Grand Ole Opry with about 150 friends and family members in attendance from his hometown.

One Of Us, the six-song collection that is the latest step in his musical journey, shows Stell at his creative best, with songs that bring alive a landscape of small-town dreams, friendship, love, and heartbreak. The title track is an anthem for those who share and celebrate the day-to-day realities of small-town life. “Man Made” honors the strength and inspiration provided by the woman behind even the most accomplished man, and “Somewhere Over The Radio” deals with the siren call of leaving to pursue dreams bigger than a hometown, “about how hard that decision is, and the people you leave behind but really take with you wherever you go.”

“Shut The Truck Up,” “This One’s Gonna Hurt,” and “Roots In This Ground” round out a project equally divided between songs Stell wrote and songs he chose from talented peers in the songwriting community.

“When you move to town as a songwriter,” he explains, “you’re at the mercy of artists listening to outside songs and giving them a shot. I told myself that when my role changed from songwriter-artist to artist-writer, I would always listen. The song is king, regardless of whose name is at the top of the lyric sheet, and the ones I end up wanting to cut are the songs that jar me from the beginning. Both writing and choosing songs, this project is me getting better at finding my voice as an artist. I think I know what I do and who I am now more than I ever have.”

Stell’s musical journey began in Center Ridge, Arkansas, where his family has lived for generations. While absorbing the work ethic and positive attitude he saw as cornerstones of that life, he was also absorbing the Country music he heard on both sides of the family.

“Classic Country was the first soundtrack to my life when I was little,” he recalls, “and my mom took me to my first concert, which was Randy Travis and Alan Jackson. But the first record I ever bought was Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. Then there were bands like Hootie & The Blowfish, and I grew up playing basketball, so I heard a lot of Rap. I’ve always been drawn to Indie-Alternative music, and I fell in love with Texas Americana. What ties that altogether is an independent streak tied to a place. This EP and the things I’m working on now are about pouring all of that music I love into the best songs I can write and sing.”