Music Interview: Matt LeGrand

Have you popped into your local Footlocker recently and heard this song in the background? Or, maybe you’re more of a shop online kind of person. Whatever type of shopper you are, that’s besides the point. We’re here to talk about rising pop artist Matt LeGrand who’s behind the track “All Good.” His latest single was released earlier this year and has already gained praise from HuffPost, AXS and more. We sat down with LeGrand to talk about his early start as an artist, his upcoming new music and what he’s hoping for in the new year!

Also – if you’re in the Christmas music mood still, you’ll enjoy this.

The Young Folks: How did you approach the idea of becoming an artist? Why did you decide this is the path for you?
Matt LeGrand: First of all, thank you “The Young Folks” for having me answer some questions, the pleasure is all mine! This first question is a great one. I have been playing music since the age of 11. My mother took me to my first concert which was “The Rolling Stones.” Quite an amazing concert for an 11-year-old to see! I vividly remember seeing the unbelievable Mick Jagger and Keith Richards commanding the stage and bringing joy and smiles to the whole arena. The idea of bringing people together to enjoy something in common was really fascinating. I have been wanting to be up on some sort of stage bringing joy to people ever since that concert! I also had the challenge of deciding to make a career out of my artistry and music ability. Finding the balance between work and fun was very important. I always remind myself that this was a fun hobby before it was my job. I decided this to be the path for me when I came to the realization that music always seemed to stick around. I would get into many different hobbies but at the end of the day I would always revert back to music.

TYF: From France to Chicago, have you been back to France since you moved here? How is the music scene there versus in the United States?
LeGrand: I have been back to France many times since I’ve moved back. I still have family there so we used to go there every Christmas. I was just there about a month ago when I was visiting my mother in London. I took the train for the first time from London to Paris. That was such a cool experience because you are completely under the sea floor for about 20 minutes! The two music scenes are almost incomparable. To be honest, I haven’t had much experience in the French music scene but I hope I get to explore it sometime in the near future. Maybe I’ll do a song in French who Knows! I’m very happy of where I am though in my own music scene!

TYF: Do you remember the first song/artist/concert/moment that motivated you to really go for your dreams? If not singing, what do you think you’d be doing?
LeGrand: I think I answered this in the first question! Though another big reason as to why I took music full on was the band “Blink-182” I know everyone of their songs and playing on stage with them is one of my dreams! If I wasn’t a musician I would probably be a world traveler and explorer. Maybe a Lord of The Rings collector as well.

TYF: With so many genres to choose from, what made you ultimately decide you were going to make Pop music versus any other genre?
LeGrand: So, I actually started in rock bands as a guitarist. I decided to start making Pop music when I became solo. I was a little lost in who I wanted to be as an artist and I always found pop to be the most fun. I wanted to brings smiles to faces and I still do. Five years down the line from that decision, I am now finding myself as an artist and I’m quite excited for people to see it!

TYF: What will be your next possible single that you’ll be releasing? And in terms of an actual album, what are your thoughts on that?
LeGrand: We do have my next single lined up! I can’t really say much about it but I will say that it will be a pivot point for my career! It hits all the right spots! In terms of album talk, that is definitely our goal. Though we will most likely be releasing an EP album before that! This coming up year is going to be life changing. My team and I both feel something!

TYF: With your current single “All Good”, how was the songwriting process for that one? When did the idea come to life? Who thought of the idea for the music video?LeGrand: “All Good” was made by a wonderful team down in Atlanta, GA. I did not write the lyrics but I did connect with them instantly. I like to say the song found me because I was at a point in my life when everything that the song was saying just made complete sense. It’s a song about coming back to who you are and taking care of yourself. We wanted to visually portray exactly how the song made us feel. We felt a Caribbean aspect to it so we decided to go down to Miami to shoot the video! The whole shoot day went great and we were more than happy with what came out. One thing that has made this journey special so far has been discovering hard working and passionate groups of people that want to create art for the soul purpose of creating art!

TYF: What’s it like for you during the first time when you popped into a Footlocker and saw yourself on screen?
LeGrand: First, I think that it is an amazing look for my video to be played in Footlocker locations all around the states. I actually haven’t been inside a footlocker store yet to see it, but my plan is go buy some new sneakers and take a peek at the video!

TYF: With 2018 almost near, what do you hope to accomplish in the new year?
LeGrand: I hope to keep developing myself personally and as an artist so that I can live out my dreams. I hope to keep working hard even when I have everything I want. I hope to keep connecting with the amazing people I get to meet on this journey. Most importantly I hope to continue to put out positive energy and give the world a little more love and peace. Thank you to my fans and thank you “The Young Folks!”