Imagine going from being an unknown to having a #1 iTunes song on the All-Genre Songs chart thanks to the magic of social media. That’s the journey that Matt Cooper is on right now, and he is not taking any of it for granted. That debut single “Ain’t Met Us Yet” has opened many doors for Cooper, including the release of his self-titled debut EP which just released on Friday (7/16).
We recently caught up with Matt to talk about his overnight experience, that breakthrough single, and more.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
MC: Sure thing. My name is Matt Cooper. I am a country singer/songwriter from Jacksonville, FL and I am 20 years old. I started writing songs when I was a Freshman in college, and one thing led to the next, to where I can now really start making a career for myself, so I am super blessed about everything!
CN: Which artists have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
MC: I love Dan + Shay, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, etc. But I think personally, the way Thomas Rhett holds himself as an artist and a family man is something that I really admire.
CN: Your debut single “Ain’t Met Us Yet” has completely blown up with over 22 million views on TikTok and claiming the #1 slot on iTunes All-Genre Songs Chart. You approached the new social media platform in a different way – releasing multiple videos that went viral. What gave you the idea to promote the song this way?
MC: I was seeing all of these other artists just sitting in their car and playing their new songs and getting millions of views and so I decided to give it a go for myself and lucky enough, it worked. TikTok has been huge for promoting my music, and I will continue to use it until the app no longer exists
CN: How have things changed for you since the song took off? How are you handling the sudden success and attention?
MC: When “Ain’t Met Us Yet” went to #1 on iTunes, I immediately was bombarded with a bunch of emails and phone calls from people I didn’t even know. It was both overwhelming and exciting. I was fortunate enough to find some good people to help me along the journey and lead me to the right places.
CN: But you aren’t done. Upon signing with Turnberry Records, you released two versions of the single (long version and radio) plus gave fans a direct way to ask you any questions you may have.
MC: Yes, Turnberry has done some incredible things for me. We just launched a Virtual Single Experience which allows my supporters to get a pretty much all-inclusive package with the song. With it, you get a bunch of stuff that no one has seen yet. I even made my brother wake up at 6am to go film a short documentary with me, haha. But it’s really cool and it’s something that I think my supporters will really like. Check out www.aintmetusyet.com.
CN: The “Ain’t Met Us Yet” music video is absolutely wonderful – childhood friends who spend the rest of their lives together. And it just passed 2 million views! How did the storyline come about?
MC: You know everyone asks me about this and the simple answer is… I just thought it was cool haha. Every time I write a song, I have one simple goal in mind: how can I take someone’s love story and turn it into a country fairytale.
CN: The intertextuality in the lyrics covers so many of the classic romantic couples in music, fairy tales, movies, Shakespeare, and so on. What inspired you to write this song in this manner?
MC: I think a lot of my inspiration comes from listening to other artists. Usually I’ll just sit in my room each day and just start listening to both my favorite songs and also what’s trending right now and I’ll try to piece them into something that works. That’s really it. My guitar and I have had a lot of late nights and early mornings doing this.
CN: With the past year’s pandemic, did you find yourself writing more or less?
MC: Definitely writing more for sure. It’s what I love to do so of course if you stick me in a room for months on end, that’s what I’m going to do
CN: You just announced that you will be releasing your debut EP on July 16th. What can fans expect?
MC: Yes. I am super excited about this. This is my debut EP and it’s going to consist of everything that I’ve released thus far, including “Ain’t Met Us Yet”, along with a very new song and music video that may or may not have you shed a few tears, haha. I actually had to learn an entire dance routine for this video which was pretty difficult.
CN: If you could collaborate with any one artist, who would it be?
MC: Ed Sheeran. Enough said.
CN: What was the first concert you ever attended?
MC: Actually believe it or not, I have only been to one concert in my entire life and it was a “For King and Country” concert which was super cool. I didn’t even pay for my tickets, I think the tickets were gifted to me and my brothers.
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
MC: I would say, Driven. I think that ever since I got into this industry, I’m always figuring out ways to get better and better and give the world something that has the potential to change peoples lives.
CN: Incredible debut single. Debut EP on its way. What’s next for you in 2021?
MC: I can’t say much, but we’ve got a lot of things in the works. Hopefully I’ll be an official resident of Nashville come January, because let’s just say, I’m working on something really really fun. And I can’t wait to share it with you guys!
For more information on Matt Cooper follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok
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