Mat Kearney

Artist Image: Mat Kearney
Attribution
Image Credit: Flickr user portorikan (Flickr page https://www.flickr.com/photos/portorikan/18110826/), CC BY 2.0

Biography

Mathew William "Mat" Kearney (pron.: /ˈkɑrni/; born December 1, 1978) is an American musician born in Eugene, Oregon, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Kearney has received critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his Columbia Records debut, Nothing Left to Lose. So far, he has a total of 4 top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40 Chart. His most recent album, Young Love, was released on August 2, 2011. The album's first single, "Hey Mama," was released on May 10, 2011. Mat was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon with his two brothers. His youngest brother's name is Patrick; he is a DJ. Through his mother he is a sixth generation Oregonian and his father's family emigrated from Ireland during the Irish Potato Famine. At South Eugene High School, Mat was a soccer player. He attended California State University, Chico in Chico, California on an athletic scholarship and majored in literature, playing soccer until his junior year. Kearney first became interested in music after traveling to Nashville with music producer Robert Marvin. Using a roommate's guitar, he tried covering other songs. Realizing he was not too good at it, he began writing his own. Though things were going well for Kearney at school, Chico caught up to him. At a school known for its partying, Mat fit right in. In an interview, Mat said, "I guess I lived it up and did what everyone said you should do in college. I discovered the depth of depravity, the bleakness of that lifestyle. It just wasn’t working. I finally started understanding there must be more to life." Mat continued, "God found me when I was at my lowest point. That was the first time in my life when I really felt like I understood who Jesus was- it was more than knowing about Him, I felt like He met me in that time and place." Mat began focusing on music fusing his simple guitar playing with spoken word, or rap, he started to play at coffee shops and soon began to make small amounts of money. At this time, Mat had met friend and future producer, Robert Marvin. The two began to make music together, but Marvin had plans to move to Nashville, Tennessee. Marvin asked Kearney to help the move and Mat accepted the journey. Kearney says, "I helped him pack up his trailer and we put a mattress on the back of his truck. We basically drove cross-country and slept in the back. When we pulled into Nashville we slept in a school parking lot for three days until we finally rented this apartment where the roof was caving in and mice were crawling all over." Mat decided to stay in Nashville to record a few demos with Marvin and after a few months, Mat had no plans on returning. "By the end of the summer, we had three or four songs and I realized this is what I wanted to do. It just clicked. So I called home to Oregon and said, ‘I’m not coming back’ and I never left Nashville."

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 2002
Number of Albums 39
Record Label
Website www.matkearney.com
Wikipedia Mat Kearney on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

What year was Mat Kearney born?

1978

...Mat Kearney (pronounced CARNee; born 1 December 1978 in Eugene, Oregon) is an American singersongwriter based out of Nashville, TN, originally from Eu...
How many top20 hits has Kearney had on the Adult Top 40 Chart so far?

five

...nica. Following his first EP release (in 2002), so far he has a total of five top20 hits on the Adult Top 40 Chart. The Hey Mama Songfacts reports tha...
On what date was Young Love released?

August 2, 2011

...recording his fourth studio album Young Love, which was released on August 2, 2011 . He has toured with Owl City, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, The Fray, Ja...
What instrument did Mat pick up for the first time?

guitar

...er until his junior year. It was also at this time when Mat picked up a guitar for the first time. Using a roommate's guitar, he tried covering other ...
Where did Mat Kearney grow up?

Eugene, Oregon

...a platinum selling, boundarybreaking artist, Mat Kearney grew up in Eugene, Oregon . It was during those teenage years that he developed his love for c...
What was the name of his fifth album?

CRAZYTALK

...ven so, Kearney hasnt forgotten his musical roots. On his fifth album, CRAZYTALK , he mixes his most timeless songwriting to date with a wide, genreben...
What did Mat play until his junior year?

soccer

...y, Chico in Chico, California where he majored in literature and played soccer until his junior year. It was also at this time when Mat picked up a gu...
What did Kearney major in at California State University, Chico?

literature

...Chico in Chico, California, on an athletic scholarship and majored in literature , playing soccer until his junior year. Kearney first became intereste...
Where did Keartney travel to with music producer Robert Marvin?

Nashville

...nior year. Kearney first became interested in music after traveling to Nashville with music producer Robert Marvin. Using a roommate's guitar, he trie...
What did Kearney try to cover with his roommate's guitar?

songs by other artists

...cer Robert Marvin. Using a roommate's guitar, he tried covering songs by other artists , but realized he was not very good at it, and began writing his...
What genre of music did Kearney begin to focus on?

spoken word or rap

...ney began focusing on music fusing his simple guitar playing with spoken word or rap . He started to play at coffee shops and soon began to make small ...
What was the name of the friend and future producer that Keartney met at the beginning of his career?

Robert Marvin

...interested in music after traveling to Nashville with music producer Robert Marvin . Using a roommate's guitar, he tried covering songs by other artist...
How old was Mat Kearney when he was born?

43

...p to search Mat Kearney Background information Born December 1, 1978 (age 43 ) Eugene, Oregon, U.S. Genres Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter Instruments...
When was Heartbeat released?

November 4, 2014

...e, Tennessee. The album's first single, Heartbeat, was released on November 4, 2014 . He attended California State University, Chico in Chico, Californ...
I discovered the depth of what?

depravity

...what everyone said you should do in college. I discovered the depth of depravity , the bleakness of that lifestyle. I finally started understanding the...
What did I finally start understanding?

there must be more to life

...hould do in college. I discovered the depth of depravity, the bleakness of that lifestyle. I finally started understanding there must be more to life ....
What was Mat Kearneys profession?

singersongwriter

...ollege kids reveling in the freedom of life away from mom and dad, singersongwriter Mat Kearney once found himself entrenched in the party scene. It d...
What did Mat combine with spoken word and rap vocals?

guitar riffs

...picked up recently. At first, he wasnt very good at it, by combining guitar riffs with spoken word and rap vocals, Mat found an avenue for expressing ...
What kind of vocals did Mat use to express his heart?

rap

... he wasnt very good at it, by combining guitar riffs with spoken word and rap vocals, Mat found an avenue for expressing his heart through song. And t...
Where did Mat play his initial playlist of songs?

local coffeehouses

...forming on airplanes, Mat played his initial playlist of songs at local coffeehouses and eventually met his friend and future producer Robert Marvin. ...
What state did Mat come from?

Oregon

...r, Mats new friend decided to kick his career up a notch and move to Nashville. When Robert asked Mat to help with his move, the Oregon native agreed....
What genre of music does he mix with?

hiphop, CCM, and folk

...ashville whose arching, mellow compositions and deft blending of hiphop, CCM, and folk have made him a live favorite and adult contemporary mainstay. ...
In what year did Young Love and Just Kids reach the Top 20 of the Billboard 200?

2015

...ed more on guitar work for subsequent efforts like 2011's Young Love and 2015 's Just Kids, both of which reached the Top 20 of the Billboard 200. In 2...
What was the name of the song that brought all of his influences together in 2021?

January Flower

...021, he brought all of his varied influences together on the rootsy January Flower . Born in Eugene, Oregon, singersongwriter Mat Kearney began his mus...
What branch of California State University did Mat Keaney attend?

Chico

...ersongwriter Mat Kearney began his musical career 400 miles south at the Chico branch of California State University, where he studied literature and ...
What was the intention of Kearny going to Nashville with Robert Marvin?

to lay down a few songs

...er Robert Marvin, with the intention of only staying the summer to lay down a few songs . However, after offers for recording deals started coming in, ...
What was the name of Kearney's debut album?

Bullet

...ffered him the deal he'd been looking for and released his debut album, Bullet , in 2004. Kearney dialed back on the rhymes for his followup effort, No...
What label released Nothing Left to Loss?

AwareColumbia Records

...hymes for his followup effort, Nothing Left to Lose. Released by AwareColumbia Records in 2006, the album proved to be fairly popular, with three song...
What is the name of the album that Keaney released three years after his first?

City of Black & White

...t's exactly what Kearney did. Three years later, he returns with City of Black & White , an album informed by the traveling, performing and adventuring...
How long has the City of Black & White been trying to make it?

five years

...t, as it's marked by the pride and happiness that comes with spending five years trying to make it, and then finally getting there. At its core, this ...
What is the core of the record?

community

... it, and then finally getting there. At its core, this record is about community â finding it and losing it, he says. There's definitely the theme of t...