Interview: Artist and Musician Parker Matthews – A Name to Watch

Parker Matthews is an LA-based artist and musician whose powerful music has earned him major worldwide attention. It’s his mixture of thought-provoking lyrics and emotionally compelling melodies that have been a hit with fans and critics alike.

Earlier this year, Matthew’s first major musical breakthrough came with his now-viral single, “Layover,” with over 1.8 million views on TikTok. Not only has he been working on creating new albums and ballads, but he has also started his own record label, PM3 Entertainment.  Parker’s deepest passion is to advocate for artists, but furthermore to be an inspiration and positive light for LGBTQ+ youth. Above all, he is a reminder of how music can touch lives and promote positive societal change. 

Matthews took some time to talk more about his music, his life, and his career. 

What was growing up in Pittsburg like? How has it influenced who you are today?

I’ve been in LA for eight years, but I did grow up in Pittsburgh, a little city called Wexford; it’s a smaller town compared to LA for sure, but that’s where my roots are from. Really it was there that I found music. Growing up, my parents took me to vocal lessons, and I played violin and piano and really fell in love with music.

What are you liking about the change from Pittsburgh to LA?  

What’s beautiful about this city is how many people come here from around the world. There’s such a beautiful blend of individuals that have totally different mindsets and talents and there’s so many opportunities to collaborate with people because everyone brings something to the table. That’s what really makes it art, being able to have your input and then my input and really make a piece and a statement. But aside from the music, LA is a great city; I feel like some people might not agree, but I’ve always had a blast here, and I feel like I really finished growing up here.

What would younger Parker growing up in Pittsburg think of your successes and accomplishments over the years if he could see you now? 

He would be blown away, I think. I actually just found out a month ago that I made it in the top 10% of songwriters in the world, and seeing that metric, I had to read i,t like, five times; I was like, “Wait, let me make sure I’m reading this correctly,” so that was really awesome.

It’s been said you are a highly empathetic artist; can I ask you how you feel that is portrayed through our music? 

I’ve been through the wringer with dating, and I know that’s a struggle that many of us go through, and I think it’s really important for me to write these songs for myself to heal, but the really cool thing about music is that when you listen to a song, no matter who the artist is, you hear the lyrics, and the melody makes you feel a certain way or reminds you about a story from your life, so being able to build records and especially ballads like that, I think, really connect and resonate the most with people, like my song “Layover” for example.

What was your initial reaction when “Layover” went viral?

 When you write something, you don’t know if it’s going to have that outcome or not, but I wrote that from the heart. I was very touched that it touched so many people, and the messages that I got from that were completely overwhelming in a good way. I was just very very moved.

What influenced you to found PM3 Entertainment?

I have been working with a lot of songwriters for years, and I just saw how much they’re never taken care of. I thought, “What if I start my own label to release my own material under and I can make sure that I give them masterpoints and take care of them?” So right now PM3 is just me, but I eventually want to broaden that to other artists and create a safe space not only for songwriters but also for the LGBTQ+ community to really express themselves without fear.

What are your goals with PM3 entertainment? Where do you see it or what do you hope to achieve within five or 10 years?

 I think for PM3 it is to build a roster, but for me as an artist and a songwriter, just to collaborate with as many great musicians and artists as I can, but also for myself to construct a tour … really just building that and building my fanbase and connecting with the ones that I already have and really growing on the global level.

Can you tell us about “Better For You,” one of your more recent songs?

I wrote that song last summer, actually, and the point of the song, it’s kind of like a dance/EDM track, but it’s realizing that even though that person left you, you really are better for them. There was a story about a guy I was kinda seeing two years ago, and it was the moment when you know things are going to end, and it was that final dinner date. I was like, as soon as you leave from here, I know this is gonna be it. It has a sad undertone, but in the end, it’s kind of like a self-empowering song because it’s like, “I know that it wasn’t my fault, and I really was better for him in the long run.” Seeing where he is today, I’m like, “You made a mistake, buddy.”

What do you want to give the audience and the community through your music? 

It’s to create a space where they feel seen and heard. I remember growing up and going to concerts, I would always leave feeling better than I did when I walked in, and that’s exactly what I want to create and give back to everyone that listens to my music. I think that when you can create that family, you really can help so many people. It’s insane what music can do and how it can help people heal, and I think that right now especially with everything that’s going on in the world, that is so so important.

What would you say have been some of your greatest achievements over the years as an artist and entertainer?

 Really just working with and building my team with the songwriters that I’ve worked with and the producers that I’m now working with. It’s definitely a progressive step in the right direction, but having the connections that they all have, it’s very touching to see where I’ve started, where I am now, and where I’m going to go hopefully in the future.

What’s the inspiration behind “More Than Friends,” your song that came out last week?

So that actually is about a guy back at home. I was working in a bar. He was a bartender; I was a server, and he was a straight guy, but we hung out all the time. He was my best friend, and it was almost like we would do things that a couple would do. I definitely had a lot of emotions that ran wild and maybe looked too into things but also maybe not. The last time he was in LA, we went out, and it was that awkward moment where you’re on a date, and it’s like are we supposed to kiss now or like what are we doing here, and it was that exact feeling and moment that he looked into my eyes, and I was like, ‘Ahh I don’t know what to do!” So the kiss didn’t happen, unfortunately, but he got out and looked back, and it was like a scene from a Hallmark movie, and that’s what inspired that record … You just have to live through the pain and just accept that sometimes it doesn’t work out. I think that there’s that pleading sense of, why can’t we be more than friends? But then just be happy you met that person and that you got to experience some of your life with them, at least in a platonic way.

What do you have planned for the future? What can we expect to see from you next? 

So I have a bunch of new songs coming out this summer; I have a couple of ballads, and I have one that I’m really excited about called “Hercules,”  a power ballad and that really touches on kind of the bullying that I went through as a kid and allowing me to be the person that they can look up to and then of lean on now.  I’ve got a bunch of new songs coming out, and I am putting a full show together. I actually just moved into a townhouse space with a rooftop, so I’m going to do a bunch of live performances up there. I put a studio in my living room so we’re gonna do some streaming stuff, and I’m really excited to start showing people a lot more of the live performance side of what we can do, my team and I.

Stay up-to-date with Parker Matthews by following him on Instagram @OfficialParkerMatthews or by visiting his official website, officialparkermatthews.com. You can stream his music on Spotify @ParkerMatthews.

Photos courtesy of Parker Matthews