Meet Matthew Smiling of San Diego

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

Hi Matthew, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey began in a small townhouse in a quiet suburban neighborhood called Metuchen in New Jersey. I was raised by my mom alongside my twin sister. Before she had us, my mom was a huge music head – and so was (and still is) my father – so music was always around even before I knew what to do with it.

From a young age, I knew I was meant to go further than “average.” I used to tell people I was going to be famous one day. In my youth I was big into skateboarding and rock & roll. The guitar was actually what sparked my love for music. I played in a metal band, then a rock band, and eventually got into more indie and alternative sounds.

For a while, I was living in my mom’s basement, and that’s where I kept all my gear. Then Hurricane Sandy hit. The basement flooded and all my guitars, pedals, and speakers were destroyed. That moment shattered me and, in a way, closed the chapter on my rock & roll and guitar era.

But I never stopped writing. Songwriting and lyrics were always my favorite part of music, and that love naturally led me toward hip hop. At first, my rhymes were basic and kind of nursery-like, and a lot of people clowned me. I also wasn’t rapping about the life I was actually living – I thought pretending to be something I wasn’t would get me more fans.

The artists I studied growing up were 50 Cent, J. Cole, Mos Def, Fabolous, Nas, AZ, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y, Nipsey Hussle, and more. I admired their lyricism, beat selection, and flows. Over time, the beats I gravitated toward had more of a West Coast feel, and people back home started telling me, “You sound like you belong in Cali.”

Since I was about 10 years old, I’d dreamed of living in California to skateboard and make music, so that idea started coming back to me.

Before I left New Jersey, though, life got rough. I was super broke, living on my own in an attic I was renting from someone I met off Craigslist. That room ended up catching fire, and everything I owned was destroyed. I was basically houseless for a bit, bouncing from place to place trying to find an apartment. Eventually, with help from Catholic Charities, I was able to get my own studio apartment.

This was around the height of COVID, when the government was issuing relief money. I used some of that to invest in myself – I bought a laptop, microphone, mic stand, shield, and everything I needed to record from home. I became addicted to recording, making two or three songs a day. People started noticing my consistency.

Eventually, I made the move to California. I drove all the way from New Jersey to the Bay Area and landed in a town called Concord. Concord was rough and very different from where I grew up. My street got shot at multiple times and there was a lot of gang activity. As wild as it was, that environment helped my creativity. If I wasn’t skateboarding or working, I was inside making music. I built some friendships there that I still value today. Concord showed me how strong I really am and made me realize my music could reach far – people all the way across the country were telling me they liked what I was doing.

During my time in Concord, things got complicated with the people I was living with, and I ended up moving with a girl I was seeing down to San Diego. At first, it was tough breaking into the music scene. I didn’t know a single person and had no idea how the city worked. So I got creative: I made QR code business cards and every day I posted them around SDSU, and handed them out at the beaches and in the Gaslamp. Slowly, I started meeting other artists who put me on to open mics and venues and even took the time to listen to my music and give feedback.

From there, I started performing at open mics every week, which opened even more doors. I eventually got the chance to perform at the SOS Music Festival in Long Beach with Civil Circus. I’ve performed at some of San Diego’s biggest and most popular clubs. I’ve also had the chance to collaborate with brands like Drink Drippy, a cannabis beverage company.

Now I’ve been blessed to live in San Diego for about four years. I’ve made a lot of friends and collaborated with many artists in the city. Recently, I started my own community, which I’m considering turning into a label, called The Social Sound. Our focus is on throwing events that are rooted in value, community, and growth.

So far, we’ve done one event at The Music Company recording studio in Pacific Beach. I put it together with a group of friends, and we centered it around growing your business online and marketing your music. It was a free event, and about 16 people showed up. The energy was dope, and it confirmed that this is something I want to keep building.

Looking ahead to 2026, my plan is to keep creating amazing feel-good music and continue expanding The Social Sound community with more impactful, fun, and inspiring events.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. When I lived in New Jersey, I got kicked out at 21 for smoking weed. I ended up finding a room to rent in a guy’s attic off Craigslist, but that room caught on fire while I was at work and everything I owned burned. That left me houseless for a while, bouncing from place to place.

When I moved to the Bay, I met the girl of my dreams and we started dating. Things were great at first, but then I started having issues with my roommates. That led to a lot of complications, and eventually my girlfriend and I decided to move to San Diego.

At first in San Diego, I was living out of a Motel 6. After that, I stayed in an Airbnb that barely had any furniture and was in a rough part of town. Two years later, my girlfriend broke up with me, and that shattered me. I fell into alcohol, weed, and shrooms, and I was definitely spiraling.

For almost two to three years, I was stuck in regret and felt stupid for sacrificing everything for someone who walked out of my life. I was mad at myself for leaving home and everyone back in New Jersey. But about six months ago, something shifted. I decided to pour my time and energy into my craft instead of my past—and I just started going all in.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As for work, I’m currently an Audio Visual Technician. Most of what I do is conference-based AV, but I’ve also had the opportunity to work events like TwitchCon and even a Billy Joel show at Petco Park. I specialize in audio, though I’m really focused on leveling up my skills in lighting as well.

I’m especially proud of working the Billy Joel show—he’s a legend, and being part of that production meant a lot to me.

What sets me apart from others is that I genuinely believe in teamwork and doing whatever I can to help the people around me succeed.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memories are all the times my band and I would record new music in my friend and bandmate’s basement. We’d jam for hours, lose track of time, and just let our creativity flow.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callme__curtis/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@callme__curtis?si=Lg9E5QiZeO6V5_5Q
• Soundcloud: https://SoundCloud.com/curti-2

Image Credits
@agiyfilms