In Conversation with Matt-Felix

Words by Chiara Rosati C.

I first discovered Matt-Felix a month ago when he performed as the main support for Balancing Act at The Dome in London. With his theatrical flair and addictive blend of indie rock and pop, he immediately stood out as an artist worth keeping an eye on. Over the past two years, Matt has built a dedicated following through his live shows and the EPs Kingdom Of You & Me (2024) and Dark Enough To See (2025), most recently followed by Secrets From The First Floor (2026), a vinyl record that brings both projects together alongside two new songs. Fresh from the release of his latest single, The Carnival, I sat down with Matt to discuss his creative process, the realities of making music in the age of social media, and the journey that has seen him evolve into one of London’s most exciting emerging artists.

Photo by Briony Graham-Rudd

Your newest song is called “The Carnival”, and I noticed that this masquerade imagery is a recurrent theme for you, both visually and lyrically, so what does that represent? 

It’s all about trying to convey an emotion without being super literal. For me, the carnival represents a happy place. I don’t think I’ve actually ever been to a carnival, so I think of it more as a light place in my mind. 

So, like a safe and happy mental space that you create for yourself. 

Exactly.

And you translated this concept into some amazing visuals for your music videos. 

That’s all, Sophia (French), my fiancée. She’s a fashion photographer, and she directed all of my music videos. She’s got such a good eye; she’s my secret weapon. 

Oh, you’re a lucky man; she’s incredible. Tell her I love her work, please. Do you usually develop the concepts for the videos together? 

Yeah, sometimes, and other times we just improvise.

They’re always very grand and theatrical, just like your music. Has that always been your signature sound, or did it come with time? 

It developed very naturally. I started writing music when I was around 13, and I fell in love with it; I got obsessed. Every day I was in bands, practising, playing, and finally I understood that I had to move here. There’s probably no better place in the world than London if you want to be a musician. 

Do you remember the moment in which you realized you wanted to pursue music professionally?

Initially, I wanted to be a football player. 

Classic, haha.

Haha, then my dad told me I was never gonna be a football player because I wasn’t good enough. 

No! Mean!

Thank God he said that, believe me. Then, I asked for a guitar for my birthday, and I immediately fell in love with it. Later, I also learned the piano.

Do you prefer one over the other? 

The piano, because it’s a bit more interesting to compose with. I learned to play during lockdown. I bought a little piano and started playing every day for hours and hours and hours. 

Do you feel like that unlocked a different kind of sonic dimension for you? 

Yeah, 100%. It was a sound I was not using at all before.

And how did you find your band members?

I met Francesco, the guitarist, through mutual friends, and he brought Louis, the bass player. Sophia found Seb, the drummer, on TikTok, and I found Kat, the keyboard player, through friends’ recommendations. Initially, I had another keyboard player, Sophie, but then she became massive; she is Luvcat. 

Oh, great musician! In terms of composing instead, what does your process usually look like? 

A lot of the time, it’s just me composing at home. There are a few songs that we did all together, like “The Carnival”, although I did the demo at home, and what we released is just the studio version of that. Francesco and I will do songs together sometimes, but mostly it’s just me. 

You also posted some videos on Instagram showing how you write, compose, and record at home by yourself. I really admire that. It’s hard work, but at the same time, you have full control and agency over your art, which is not always a given, unfortunately. 

Yeah, when I write a song at home, I want to hear it finished there; otherwise, you have all the different elements of a song without knowing how they’re gonna end up sounding together. A song really comes to life after you’ve produced it. 

How long does that normally take you? 

Well, when it’s good, it’s usually instant- bang! Other times, it takes a lot of frustrating hours trying to figure out what’s wrong and what’s right, like a puzzle.

Do you always rerecord your songs in a studio before releasing them? 

Sometimes. “Cold With Desire” and “Wounded Little Soul”, I did it all at home.

My two favourite Matt Felix songs! I also love “Change”.

“Change” I did with another songwriter called Jamie Rendall. I had the chorus, and then we finished the song and produced it together on the same day. That’s the only one that I really wrote with someone else. 

What was the hardest song for you to write and record, and what was the easiest? 

“The Carnival” was quite hard. “Cold With Desire”, “Wounded Little Soul” and “Don’t Cry” were pretty easy. A lot of them were easy because they came from a burst of inspiration. 

Ok, so you’re one of those artists who follow the “lightbulb moment” approach; that’s how I call what you just described. 

Well, I sit down every day and try. Most of the time, the lightbulb moment doesn’t happen, but this is what I have to do for it to happen.

Yeah, I completely understand.  How do you start your process, then? What’s the first thing you do?

I just have a coffee, sit at the piano and see what happens. I start playing, and if it’s shit, I try something else and keep going until I’m playing something I like. The more chill I am, the better I play. 

But clearly, consistency is key.

Yeah, for me it is.

Who are the artists who influenced your sound the most growing up? Have they changed over time?

It’s always The Beatles, Bowie, Bob Dylan, Cohen, Nick Cave, Oasis. I also love Richard Ashcroft. 

The way you move on stage is quite Nick Cavey, actually. You are very open, you know, interacting with the public, reaching out to them. Have you always been like this on stage?

Yeah, I really enjoy performing and the theatricality of it, and that’s also what I like seeing on stage when I’m part of the audience, someone who interacts a little bit. But then I also like Wunderhorse, and he’s just like there, singing his heart out with a guitar. He doesn’t jump around; he’s just in the music, you know? 

Is stage Matt very different from everyday Matt? 

Yeah, I think so. I’m not usually running around as I do on stage, haha. On stage, I’m in that place where I’m not really thinking about what movement I’m going to do; I’m just… 

Enjoying the moment and doing what comes naturally?

Yeah, exactly. 

Do you ever get stage fright? 

More like butterflies. 

Aww! Who would be your dream artist to support on tour? 

I don’t really mind, to be honest, anyone with a big crowd as long as their audience is gonna understand what we’re trying to do, so anyone who would have the same audience as us. I think just opening your music up to people who would never have heard of you is the main thing. 

You’ve released two EPs and a vinyl that includes both, as well as two new songs. Do you have plans for another EP, or maybe an album? 

Yeah, well, we’re constantly releasing singles and gigging to build up more of a fan base. I’ve got new songs all the time; I’m recording all the time, so we’ll just kind of see how it goes and what makes the most sense. I go with the flow. I feel like that’s my main answer to everything. 

Having too much of a plan sometimes can be more negative than positive, especially in an industry that is ever-changing and ever-evolving like the music industry, also because now it is so connected to social media. A song could literally blow up overnight. 

Exactly. Obviously, I’m gonna do an album at some point, but it doesn’t feel right to do it yet. In terms of social media, you have to try to do your thing and grow. It is annoying, but if you want to do music now in 2026, you just have to engage with social media. The important thing is not to lose yourself, you know? Don’t do something that isn’t you. That’s why I do those videos of me producing stuff, because it’s just me sharing what I do and who I am. 

Yeah, and it brings the audience closer to you, because people crave authenticity, especially nowadays, I think. It shows the reality of being a musician in 2026, and it shows that it’s possible; it’s inspiring. Obviously, you have a musical talent and years of practice and experience, but it also kind of grounds the figure of the musician more in reality. Otherwise, you always see the performer on big stages, and you just keep wondering – what does this look like behind the scenes? How does this come to life? 

Exactly. I think a lot of people don’t want to see just pictures of you on stage; they want a bit more than that, so it’s all about trying to find that balance. If we’re talking about music videos, there’s so much work happening behind the scenes. Sophia and I got a lot of friends together, and everyone was helping for free. For the “Lay Low” video, we had this amazing DOP called Peter Bishop, who literally did it for free because he loves Sophia’s work. Through all these favours, we ended up doing something that maybe would have cost 20K, had we actually paid for everything. Of course, we can’t do that all the time. I think we’ve asked everyone for favours at this point, haha, but people like collaborating in this way because that’s how they get exposure, too. 

Of course, it’s a win-win situation. Were all your music videos shot in the UK?

Yeah, apart from one for this song called “Dark Enough to See”. We did that one at my mum’s house in Nice.

That makes sense. I was thinking that location didn’t really look like anything you would find in the UK. You also played a few concerts in Europe; how did you find performing there compared to performing in the UK?

Amsterdam was amazing, and then the one in Ostrava, Czech Republic, was incredible. We were on at 7:30 pm on this massive stage. Artemas was supposed to perform, but he was sick, so he had to cancel, and we got to play his slot. Then, it was Sting and Shaggy after us. We were like… what the hell, this is crazy. Initially, we were line checking, and there was no one. I was like, oh, ok, whatever, we’ll just play; it doesn’t matter. Then, people just kept coming and coming, and we ended up performing to a huge audience.

That’s sick! I can’t even imagine how euphoric you all must have felt. Did you also manage to say hi to Sting, haha?

No, haha, but we snuck up behind the stage, and he was literally right there. My bass player, Louis, is the biggest Sting fan, but unfortunately, he got food poisoning and was really sick, so he couldn’t be there.

Oh, no, that is actually so sad.

Yeah! Then, we had to fly back the next day cause we were supporting Balancing Act at the Signature Brew, and Louis was still sick, and Kat got sick, too. She literally played on stage with a bucket next to her. I mean, what soldiers, right? I told them they didn’t have to play, but they still did. She was so pale, poor thing.

Honestly, I’d shake their hands if they were here because this happened to me a few months ago. I really didn’t want to cancel my gig last minute, so I performed, but… it was painful and uncomfortable to say the least. Anyway, what’s your favourite UK music venue if you had to choose between those where you’ve already performed?

O2 Brixton was amazing; I was supporting DMA’s. The Windmill was so good; I think that was our third gig, so we were still developing our style as a band on stage.

I love the Windmill, a legendary venue. I would like to finish the interview with a little psychological test. If you were to think about Matt Felix the artist and the music that you make, what is the animal, the colour, and the body of water that would best represent you, and why? 

The colour is black, but not like a rock-fingers black; more like a… calm black, a black that is… STILL. 

It makes me think of the sea at night when it’s completely still.

Yeah, exactly. For the animal, I’m thinking a black panther or a crow, but I would call myself a meerkat. Then, Francesco is a chicken, Louis is a hedgehog, Kat is a swan, and Seb is a little French bulldog, but together, I would hope that we’re more like a black panther, haha. For the body of water, I would say… the Mediterranean Sea at night with the moon and the stars out. 

Amazing! Now I’ll explain what your answers are supposed to mean. The colour you chose represents the most authentic part of you as an artist.

Ok, I’m gonna slightly change it cause it should be the same colour as the night sky, so dark blue rather than black.

That aligns more with you; yes, I agree. The animal, instead, represents how you would like to be perceived from an outside perspective. 

I’m definitely not a black panther, haha. Again, I’m like a little meerkat. 

Haha, finally, the body of water represents how your music flows.

Nice, I really like that.

Now, my final question: are you a star or a freak? 

I would say I’m a freak, haha.

Thank you so much, Matt! It was a real pleasure to speak with you, and I’ll definitely be at your next concert at the Camden Assembly on July 9^th.