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One trait that frequently crops up in my friend circle is a vast appreciation for (if not downright obsession with) music. It was this topic of conversation that led to my friendship with Matt, an independent rap artist who goes by the semi-ironic stage name Introvert. With two albums that you can put in your ears right now, and a determination to tour outside the South, I thought he was a worthy #Interview subject.
Plus now I’m winning the friendship by giving him this exposure, so he owes me one!
When did you first develop an interest in music/performing?
I started messing around with music in middle school. In seventh grade, I got into battle rap, so I would battle my friends on the bus and write terrible songs on the way home. They were genuinely awful. Performing didn’t come until later, about tenth grade, so I was around 15 or 16 at the time.
How did you decide on “Introvert” as your stage name? Was it immediate, or did you play around with some options first?
It was partially a whim. I have always been someone who craves and is recharged by alone time. The name made sense. I also, in my usual way of being completely unfunny, thought that performing in front of people under the moniker was hilarious. It’s not.
Who are your biggest influences?
The list is far too extensive for me to go through. The first independent rapper I listened to was Sage Francis, so I suppose he has been my biggest influence. I’m a huge fan of Doomtree and Aesop Rock as well—anything they do tends to inspire some sort of creative output.
I’m also inspired by most of the poets from [independent publisher] Write Bloody. I have almost every book they’ve ever published, so you could say that they are my biggest source of reading.
Who would be your dream collaboration?
Aesop Rock.
Is there anything you listen to that might surprise people?
I’m not sure anything would surprise anyone. I grew up in the hardcore scene, so I still love the silly, brutal stuff with massive breakdowns. On the opposite side of the spectrum, my favorite band in the world is Sigur Ros.
I guess people would be surprised that I like Bubblegum Bass. Kero Kero Bonito is amazing. It’s impossible to be in a bad mood while listening to them.
Do you have any weird pre-show or pre-writing rituals?
Ninety-nine percent of the time, I like to be alone before my set. I get incredibly anxious before I play, so you can usually find me pacing outside before my set. It’s really the only thing that calms my nerves.
As far as writing, I don’t have a set time to write, which is probably why I haven’t written anything decent in a while. Things just pop up in my head while I’m working or driving, so the Notes app has become my best friend.
What’s your writing process like? How has it changed, if at all, over the years?
I used to stay up until six in the morning because this was the most productive time of day for me. Unfortunately, thanks to work, I’m never up that late and rarely have time to do any writing of my own outside of graduate school. I just jot down what hits me in my phone before I forget and hope that I can use it somehow. I used to be able to finish an entire song in one sitting, but that hasn’t happened in years.
Do you write anything other than songs these days?
I try to write poems, but I can never finish them. If I could complete everything I have partially written, I’d have enough material for the rest of my life.
Has the political landscape had any effect on your writing?
I think it has made me even more angry. I have always had a cynical outlook on life, and our current political climate only exacerbates that. I’ve written quite a few political tracks, but I’ve never done anything with them. That’ll likely change.
What’s the best and worst thing about performing?
The anxiety that comes beforehand is the worst. It has nothing to do with actually playing—I love performing—but the constant fear of having my illnesses act up is always there. The worst show I’ve ever played was a few years ago. I was performing at Zenfest [an art and music festival], and my jaw started acting up so bad that I started vomiting and forgot the lyrics to all of my songs. The fear of a repeat performance always scares the hell out of me.
The best is making the connection with people in the audience. If I can get one person to feel better or become emotionally involved with my music, the feeling I get is indescribable. When I get people coming up after a set and telling me how they connected with my music, there is no better feeling on earth.
How does chronic illness affect your ability to perform or even occupy the music space?
It has led to an overly cautious approach to booking shows. I have to make sure that I don’t have any procedures scheduled around the time, be able to get to the doctor for medication refills, and don’t have any situations where I have to exert myself. If I have any uncertainty about these, I’m an even bigger mess than I am when everything is in order, which is saying a lot. The lead-up to every show is worrisome. If I’m sick or debilitated any time near my performance, I get extremely worried: Will I have to cancel? Will I get there and spend all day in the bathroom puking? Will I be on stage and have a nausea attack? Will my jaw lock up? There is nothing worse to me than bailing on a show; I hate it. I’ve only canceled two or three, but that’s far too many as far as I’m concerned.
It also makes touring even more stressful than it already is. I have to consider if I’ll be physically capable of traveling or if I’ll be able to make it to the next city if something happens.
What’s your current music-related goal?
My ultimate goal is to make enough money to survive on music and freelance writing and editing. The current musical landscape makes this incredibly difficult, but I’m hoping that in 5 to 10 years, I can survive that way.
What’s an item on your bucket list?
I want to perform in every state. Right now, I’ve only played in Florida and Georgia, so I’m looking to expand. I would love to play Minnesota and New York, so I’m hoping those will come sooner rather than later.
What do you do when you aren’t working or doing music things?
I try to get as much sleep as possible. I also spend a lot of time with my girlfriend and our Newfoundland (Luna). I like to tell people that I have to walk my bear.
You can find Matt on Facebook, Twitter (@introvertfl), and Instagram (introvertflmusic), where he’d love to talk to you about his music, music in general, and writing. If you want me to keep winning this friendship, tell him I sent you!
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