Meet Matt Barri

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Barri.

Matt, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I come from a very musical family. My Mom performed musical theater in NY and still produces shows. My Grandfather is a producer and songwriter who has been in the music business for over 50 years. You can say that music and performance is in my DNA. I started out playing violin when I was four and later moved onto guitar, I can play piano and have also studied music theory. When I was in middle school, I wrote a lot of music and released a few songs but where I really excelled was performing. I have performed on stage before in many different bands and in several musicals. All that being said, my true passion is DJing and producing. I got my first break when I played a show at a local street fair and was noticed by someone who ultimately became my first manager.

When I was in my Junior year of high school, I came to the conclusion that a four-year college was not for me. I really wanted to pursue a career in music so my parents and I devised a plan for me to attend ICON Collective. ICON provided me the tools to really improve my production skills while putting me in a collaborative environment with a lot of really talented musicians. Unfortunately, Covid has made it impossible to attend in person but I continued online and have recently graduated. Although I have officially graduated, I am continuing in a graduate program there while I am working on a bunch of new music and DJ sets.

Great, 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?
I found it difficult to be taken seriously by my friends and peers in middle and high school. I was in several bands and played a bunch of shows locally and preteen kids can be toxic. There was some bullying and other challenges but it wasn’t going to stop me. High school also wasn’t much better. It was hard to find venues to DJ at since I was under 18. I’d also asked multiple times to play school dances but met very heavy resistance from my school’s administration. Even once I got a manager, I still couldn’t get into venues since I was underage, BUT we found a loophole and decided to go to Mexico. I played at Papas and Beer a total of 4 times. There was a crazy streak of technical difficulties that I had to work through when I played my first several shows. Issues with the promoter, Amps and circuits blew out in the middle of my set, but I was able to stay calm, recover and ultimately kill it each time.

Covid has also made playing and networking more difficult. However, through Discord and Twitter I’ve been able to make tons of new super talented producer and artist friends, some of whom I’m collabing with. Another big obstacle I’ve been facing are edm genres. The styles and sounds are evolving constantly and you need to not only keep up but think ahead.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am a producer, songwriter, and DJ who specializes in a more melodic side of dance music. I feel like I’m known for my emotional original songs along with my high energy DJ sets. I’m proud of myself for pursuing my passion and I’m so incredibly thankful for my dad and my manager who have been the literal backbone to my business. I feel like I’m set apart by my on stage personality and energy when I perform.

I write a lot of different kinds of music including indie and pop along with dance music. That’s why I was so excited about the opportunity to write original music for a TV pilot written by Mary Bronaugh! I love to work on any project that involves creating original music or sounds. I’ve done a lot of work for toys, designing growls and writing music for monster trucks and dolls (it helps pay the bills).

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’ve definitely had a few, however I’d say opening for Steve Aoki in Mexico was definitely a highlight in my life. You are really putting yourself out there when you open for such a big act in front of 12k people. The crowd isn’t there to see a 17 years old kid, so it was a little bit nerve-racking for sure. But, I gave it my all and killed it. At least that’s what my dad told me. I’d say the moment I’m most proud of are times when listeners reach out to me and tell me how my music has affected them. The whole reason I’m doing this is to make a connection with people and to hear how my music has affected them brings me the biggest sense of accomplishment.

Contact Info:

• Website: mattbarri.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattbarri/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattBarrimusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattbarri
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3qwnHUyseBNiCCqwZuvSQF
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mattbarri

Image Credit:
Derek Bahn

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