Interview with Matt Stillwell
Hi Matt! Thank you so much for chatting with Music Update Central! Your song "Hey Dad (2021)" is coming out on June 11. What does the song mean to you as a father and as a son? It means a ton to me as both. I wrote this song right after my dad passed away, so it was really fresh for me, but also for my daughters. I certainly want to be the kind of dad that my girls would want to write a song about like "Hey Dad 2021." Watching the impact all of this has had on me and my girls, the fans, and strangers that discover the song because of their loss, has been a pretty impactful and emotional journey for sure.
What are some of your favorite summer time things to do with your daughters? Right now they are playing on two softball teams and I’m helping coach, so that has been a lot of fun. We go to a pool with a lot of other friends, go up to Bear Lake Reserve, and to the beach. Even though I don’t get to do everything with them because of my schedule, I love seeing how happy all of those things make them.
You have been performing and writing for the better part of decade now, what advice would you give to the future musicians to not give up and keep performing? That more than ever, you have to understand that no one wakes up thinking about ‘you’ more than you. You have to follow your gut, pick a path, jump in head first and never stop. All of those are vastly important because you’re not going to find someone to do it for you.
Looking back on your journey, what’s the number one lesson you’ve learned along the way? That all I can control is how hard I work and that relationships have to be a major priority.
You have shared stages with so many artists. Looking into the future, which artists would you like to perform and collaborate with? Vince Gill has always been at the top of my list. I listen to a lot of Eric Church and Ashley McBride, so I think something in that world would be really cool. I’m a massive fan of songwriters that aren’t necessarily in the spotlight, but are amazing. I just want to continue being in songwriting rooms or on stages with some of them as well.
What's the last song you heard that you wish you could have recorded? "Bible Verses" on the new Blake Shelton album.
How can fans be a part of your "Hometown House Party?” They can go to my website, https://www.mattstillwellmusic.net/hhp and book one for themselves. I would love to go to their house or neighborhood and play. Most are semi-private, but if you see I’m in your area, reach out and ask to come on social media or on my website.
Aside from working on new music, do you have any other projects you are working on? I’m hosting "The Castle Sessions” at Castle Ladyhawke in the mountains of North Carolina. These are intimate storyteller/songwriter in the round events, in a castle, with great food and drink. I host, interview, and usually play a song or two. We are filming these much like a tv series and the first season will be released at the end of the year.
We know you’re a busy man so we have one more for you before you go. Where can fans keep up with you and your music? You can go to my website, https://www.mattstillwellmusic.net to listen and watch videos, YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and Pandora as well. I also post a lot of music and updates on my socials, IG, FaceBook, TicTok, and Twitter.