We were lucky to catch up with Matthew Goldston recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Matthew, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout
From an early age, I’ve always been surrounded by music. I’ve grew up watching my father play the piano. My father was a pastor/musician, and little did I know that the gift of musicianship would be passed on to me. I started playing the piano at his church at the age of 11. By the time I was in high school (freshman year), I started playing piano and became the music director for the high school gospel choir. Simultaneously, I was the lead piano player for my church’s convocational and youth conferences. I had no idea that by the end of high school, my life would change. Shortly after graduating, I found out that I had a son on the way. I was flooded with emotions of being happy, scared, frustrated and numb, all at the same time. Little did I know the blessing fatherhood would be to teach me much needed balance in my life. My father always taught me to be responsible. I knew I had to find a stable job (which I did), a place to live (and I did as well). I even purchased my own car shortly after he was born so I could handle my responsibilities as a man and a father. My family has always placed high importance on fathers being present in the lives of their children, however, inwardly I wrestled with the idea of becoming a father because my entire life was based on my music and being able to live and move freely. Having my son forced me to grow up and learn how to manage life. My son’s mother and I decided that in the best interest of my son, he would come and live with me when he was 5 years old. I love being a father. but the weight of handling fatherhood and being a full time musician oftentimes caused stress and frustration which eventually led to burnout. I found myself frequently dragging my young son to rehearsals and shows, not realizing I was robbing him of his own childhood. I had not yet found the balance between fatherhood and musicianship. I remember one day after leaving a rehearsal with my son, he was seated in the back seat and he said, “Dad?!” I responded, “Yes son.” He then said, “Sometimes I wish we could just stay home.” IT HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS. I realized in that moment I had been selfish, robbing my son of his life and forcing him to live my dream instead of allowing him to enjoy being a kid. I had to immediately change some things. I knew my main priority was to take care of my son, and that alone was a lot. I could not imagine neglecting my music and my inspiration to record, do concerts, make my own music, start my own music and entertainment enterprise . It seemed as if I would have to let my dream die. Being a church musician and a minister of music just made things even harder since I had to oversee all musical and clergical responsibilities for the ministry. The constant demands placed on me made me start resenting my gift and dream. The pressure of working with some people that I felt at times didn’t respect my craft, time and me as a person made me feel as though my passion became a task. I began walking in my house, passing by my piano day after day after day. I wouldn’t even open my MacBook to try to create my own music. I began having headaches and bad mood swings from sun up to sun down. I started really sinking over the years and nobody understood the pressure that I was under from all sides. I felt as if I needed a huge break from everything just to find myself. Needless to say, I had to sacrifice opportunities, temporarily put things on hold for my music career and fully embrace being a father. Frustrations were rising because I was still trying to mentally be the free man I always had been AND be the father my son needed, not understanding fully that I had to prioritize my son first. Once I understood that and accepted my role as being a full time father, things changed for me mentally. It wasn’t that I had to give up on my dreams or give up on my endeavors, but I had a privilege and blessing right in front of my eyes that I didn’t even realize. I didn’t see that becoming a father would be the very thing I needed to regulate and balance my life. The opportunity to have my son with me full time is a blessing some men don’t get to experience. I’ve had to sacrifice some opportunities and say no to some things, but the peace I got once I understood who I was NOW and who needed me the most was priceless. I was free from the burden of pleasing everybody, the feeling of needing to save everybody with what they needed from me. If it didn’t make sense or caused me to sacrifice time with my son, then I had to say no. I had to LEARN to say no. I had to be a father first and musician second. I gained peace from knowing that I took care of my home first and that my son was happier and doing better in school because I was prioritizing our time more. I learned to accept events that made sense for US and not just myself, which in turned eliminated the frustration and burnout in my life. Since understanding this, I have become a 3 time award winning musician ( 1 time kingdom award musician of the year and 2 time Dunamis awards musician of the year), played main keys on several albums and singles for various artists. I even branched out and started my own brand known as MattMan Musiq, and MattMatical Entertainment and Production as well as working a full time job. Does it get stressful at times? Yes! However, I now have my priorities in order, and that has given me drive and focus. I’ve learned the art of saying “No” to things that don’t benefit my plan and my family’s plan. The moves I make now are less frequent but more strategic and with purpose, therefore I am achieving more success. My desire is to leave a legacy for my son. Fatherhood made me a better man and musician. I learned that when you have a goal in mind, drive and move with purpose, it gives you a reason to work hard and not spin your wheels going nowhere senselessly.
I recently was blessed with a beautiful wife, Tonya Goldston aka Lyrical 7. She is such a blessing to us and we are grateful for her. She is the queen of our house and we treat her as such. After it being just US for so long, she came in and brought further balance in both of our lives.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Professionally, ‘I’m still a musician and a producer ALL WHILE STILL WORKING FULL TIME. I’m a music director for two ministries. I’m now working on a few projects with several artists–a few to name are William Mclaughlin, Tonya Goldston (my wife), as well as my own music. In addition to my productions under Mattman Musiq. I’m also working towards creating my own entertainment company–MattMatical Entertainment, which will branch out not only working on song creations and productions but also providing musical productions and scores for all media types, shows, anime’s, spoken word, plays, movies, commercials etc…
I have played main keys on recent music projects in 2025 such as Jerry Saddler and SOP’s single entitled “Call His Name,” and a single for William McLaughlin entitled “Bless Your Name,” which I personally produced and arranged. There are more things coming for 2025, such as Cedric Meekins live recording, Jerry Saddler and SOP full album dropping in April this year as well as my own music.
Still to come are: a collaboration with me and my wife, Tonya Goldston aka Lyrical 7, which will encompass her spoken word and my musical production. We are looking to start a new inspirational movement with our artistry together. Also providing music scores and production for an upcoming anime project entitled, “TRIBUS ANIMUS.”
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?
These 3 qualities have been a tremendous help and have had a profound impact over my life:
1- Moving with purpose and towards a goal instead of just staying busy
2- Having the ability to pivot and adapt to whatever life brings
3- Never letting your dream die
My advice would be for anybody having to pivot in life and thinking they have to let go of their goals and let their dreams die–NEVER give up. Life is going to happen, but always keep in mind that anything worth having, is worth fighting for. Don’t just think of the now, think of the future. Build an empire and leave a legacy in whatever you do. If you do what is right, then the right things will happen to you in return!!
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
The most challenging thing I’m facing right now is balancing working full time simultaneously with multiple music responsibilities and endeavors. Being the bread winner, and handling responsibilities everyday sometimes doesn’t allow me to be motivated to work on my craft and passion. If I’m drained mentally, I find it very difficult to create or work effectively. However, to push past those moments, I’ll take some time to just sit and relax. This is crucial for me because my abilityy to create is dependent upon my mental state of being. If I’m not in a correct mental space or mood, it just won’t happen. It’s crucial to take time for yourself and NOT FELL GUILTY about it. . What keeps me motivated is a fear of losing time and a fear of “what ifs.” I never want to live life and have a nothing but “what ifs” and “I should haves.” I want to be able to say, “I did that” and “I made it happen.” That notion and healthy fear pushes me past tiredness and frustrations some days and allows me to get into my creative space. Knowing I have a goal I’m trying to reach and a future I’m trying to set up for me and my family oftentimes is the necessary motivation needed to help me push forward and to continue to build a legacy for myself and my family.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattman_musiq?igsh=MTQzdHc4OTFsdWd2eg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18jU6x32GN/?mibextid=wwXIfr
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