We were lucky to catch up with Matt Wheatley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Matt, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
Being confident in who you are and what you do well will always serve you in a great way in any room. I think one vital skill I’ve learned over time is how to “read the room”. Reading people and reading the vibe in the room is also key to making a session successful. If you have someone with a great idea, help them run with it. If no one is taking the lead, know when to be that person to move ideas forward towards the end goal. It starts with being a great listener no matter who you’re in the room with.
One great piece of advice I got that I think rings true and pertains to this question is, “be a good hang”. As in, just be someone that the people in the room would want to hang with outside of working together on music. That doesn’t mean be someone you’re not. It just means show people your best qualities as just an everyday person. Be open, attentive, and receptive. It’s almost as important as the talent you bring. If you can be a good hang, you’ll make lifelong friends you love to work with again and again.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
By day I am a composer and mixer for Methodic Doubt Music that is based out of LA. I love being part of the music and sound design world that drives TV, Film, and Video Games. By night I’m a producer, songwriter, engineer, and artist. Every day is different, but each day (and night) are full of being creative musically in one way or another.
A big push in the last two years has been with my songwriting, mixing, and producing for artists. Which in turn has lead to some great cuts for some amazing artists. This has become one of my main focuses as I move forward in my career, Producing, writing, and mixing really allows me to take ideas from their inception through to the finish line. And that process is incredibly fun and rewarding to me. Sitting down with the artist listening to the final mixes of what we created together is a high and joy like nothing else. None of it existed until we created it from thin air, and I think the journey to bringing those thoughts to life is what fuels me every day.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Hustle – Be willing to go the extra mile because so many people wish they could be just a part of the music business. If you’re not willing to go the extra mile, someone will and you’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities.
2. Willingness to learn – And yes, that means working for free to gain the knowledge you know you need. Now that doesn’t mean work for free forever, but I can’t tell you how invaluable it was for me to intern at some amazing recording studios to gain a wealth of knowledge that I call upon every day. Even when I was playing in bands growing up I willingly took on the role of manager, booking agent, accountant and all the “non fun stuff” you do when playing music. It wasn’t always easy, but out of it I grew friendships and relationships with people that I still work with to this day.
3. Do not make a Plan B – Sounds strange I know. But don’t plan your fallback. Doesn’t mean you won’t fall, and odds are you will. But if you go to plan B, that’s where you’ll stay because it’s always going to be easier than plan A. I lived plan B for nearly a decade. And only when I made the decision it was plan A (making music my career) or nothing else, that’s when I started becoming successful at it. Even if you aren’t able to jump right into what you want to do, you can always be taking steps towards it.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I am definitely one of the lucky ones when it comes to my parents. Besides their relentless support for my very unlikely dreams, they have never wavered. Not once. Even when I decided to uproot my family from Kentucky right after buying a house and welcoming my son into the world, they said “go do it”.
My parents gave me the greatest gift of all, which is permission to fail. We all have this innate desire to please our parents and hopefully make them proud of us doing what we love, using the lessons they instilled in us. Both my parents have zero experience in music. And no one in my family for that matter had any either. So a career in music was clearly a foreign notion to them. But they saw the passion I had for it, and cheered me on at every turn. They still do to this day. Having that support through the good and the bad is the difference between getting up or giving up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/wheatleymusic
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheatleymusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatleymusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewawheatley/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatleymusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC63wX3NocMZ1FXX20kTHyEg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/mattwheatleymusic
- Other: https://www.mattwheatleymusic.com/
