| Matt White | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 23, 1980 Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Singing, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Interscope, Rykodisc, Geffen |
| Website | www.mattwhitemusic.com |
Matt White (born September 23, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter based in New York City. His full-length debut album, Best Days, released by Geffen Records, reached No. 4 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.[1]
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White was born in Englewood, New Jersey and raised in New York City.[2] He began playing the piano at age three and grew up playing classical music. He wrote an opera at age 11. White moved to Wisconsin in 2002 for college and began his singing career by busking in a subway station. While attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he learned to play the guitar when a piano wasn't available. After graduating from college, White moved back to New York City, where he continued busking, singing on street corners and in Washington Square Park. He eventually began performing in clubs like Joe's Pub and the Living Room. A fan sent an MP3 of White's song "Miracles", to an A&R rep at Geffen Records; his music, combined with him having over 50,000 MySpace friends, led to White being offered a recording contract with Geffen. In 2006, White debuted with the EP Bleecker Street Stories, selling 100,000 copies. His full-length album, Best Days, was released on September 18, 2007. White's music has appeared on the television series One Tree Hill, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, What About Brian, The Hills, Men in Trees and in the films She's the Man, Little Manhattan, Shrek the Third, What Happens in Vegas, Because I Said So, Wedding Crashers, Hotel for Dogs and Over Her Dead Body.
The album Best Days was released on September 18, 2007. Reception to the music was very positive by music critics and mass audiences alike. A highlight of the album was when White was picked by MTV to be featured on 52 artist week series which was a massive promotion that MTV ran at the time. White involved his maternal grandmother Shirley Kessleman, who was also one of the first female orchestral leaders in the country and whose older sister Lillian Hertz was considered to be one of the most revered violinists in the country and was the band leader of the Lillian Hertz Orchestra which made their debut at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, in 1936. The music video for Best Days stayed on the VH1 Top 20 countdown for 16 weeks reaching number 6 on the Countdown. White has taken 2009 to write his next record which he says will be "mostly piano, and recorded on analog tape which was the popular way of recording prior to 1995, when digital recordings became the norm.
White made his mark in 2007 with his debut album Best Days, which reached #4 on Billboard’s New Artist chart and earned him high praises from press. Rolling Stone magazine listed him in their "10 Artists to Watch". Details magazine also added Best Days in their "best new music bubbling from the underground," saying White has "a falsetto smooth enough to melt the icy heart of a Brooklyn hipster."
White has toured extensively and has performed with Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, B.B. King, One Republic, Third Eye Blind and Counting Crows. White’s songs have garnered national attention, he played an integral role in The Gap's "Vote For" Initiative campaign, which encouraged Americans to express their ideals and become proactive during the 2008 election. His custom track “Songs of Freedom” became the theme song for campaign and aired on a special electoral episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. His music has also made a splash nationally in movies and TV shows, such as What Happens in Vegas, Shrek the Third, Because I Said So, The Hills, Men in Trees and One Tree Hill.
Recently, Matt White was picked as Facebook's first artist feature with demos from the upcoming album release.
Matt White's second album It's The Good Crazy was released on September 14, 2010 with 11 tracks.[3]
| Year | Title | Chart peak positions |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pop 100 | |||
| 2007 | "Best Days" | #19[4] | Best Days |
Rolling Stone Top Ten Artists to Watch ["http://www.universalmusic.com/artist-news/mtv-gives-break-to-new-artist-matt-white"]