Artistic Evolution Through Music
SDSU Student Jacob Matro to Release Second Album with the Help of Peers
SDSU Student Jacob Matro to Release Second Album with the Help of Peers
Sophomore Jacob Matro has released his EP, “The Comeback Story” on all streaming platforms this month under his artist name “JMaTy.” Before the release, Matro, with assistance from his roommate, Sean Alex, filmed a music video for the album’s title track.
Matro began making music in his junior year of high school by rapping over beats on YouTube. His first mixtape, “June Fever '' is posted on SoundCloud. Matro said, “[It] wasn't until the fall of 2020, my freshman year of college, that I began to take music seriously.”
Matro explained that this track encapsulates how he makes music inspired by his past experiences and those in his life. This track is told from the perspective of a good friend struggling with coming out to his conservative father and processing his sexuality through the lens of being raised in the church. This turmoil resolves as the friend moved from Florida to California, met Matro, and found a supportive community of friends.
Matro explained his inspiration for making music has shifted.
“Growing up I listened to Eminem and Dr. Dre,” he said. “In high school, I started listening to
more Mac Miller, J. Cole, Logic.”
This shift in inspiration is apparent in the style of music on his new EP as well as the production
process.
“When I made Spread Your Wingz, I believed I needed to do everything myself,” Matro said. “I had a bit of an ego, I thought I could do it all. I wanted to produce, write, and record everything on my own. On this project, I realized I needed to expand my team. This project felt more organic and more creative. In my first project, I felt I was trying too hard to emulate the artists that inspired me.”
Matro received help from his roommate and close friend, television, film, and new media major Sean Alex, who was in charge of videography for this project.
Similar to Matro’s evolution in music-making, Alex stated when it comes to videography, “I feel like every time I do a new project, I feel like I learn and get better. For example, the first music video I shot with JMaTy taught me a lot about music videos in general. For the next ones, I will build off of that and continue to learn and get better as I progress.”
“I have been around JMaTy since Spread Your Wingz,” Alex added. “It was good then, but hearing his new album he has gotten so much better. The quality of the songs, the rapping, the lyrics, and the purely musical sense he has, has grown.”
When filming the music video, the duo’s chosen location was Glamis Sand Dunes.
“We left at 3:30 am, none of us really slept, so we were running on pure excitement to create,” Alex said. “The anticipation was building. The night before we had a sit-down discussion about the shots we wanted, where we wanted to shoot, and the logistics of getting our friends and their musical equipment out there.”
Featured in the video alongside Matro are Marcello Lupidi on the guitar and Angus Hsieh on the drums.
The beginning shots are filmed on Alex’s drone.
“I am very proud of the drone shots,” he admitted. “I had not gotten much content with it prior to the video shoot.”
Alex said the “filming bonded us a lot both as friends and collaborators.”
Matro explained the“music video was a big metaphor because this project isn't just about a physical struggle, but also a mental and emotional struggle to better me and my music. The location was perfect because we got to the dunes early in the morning when it was dark. This was metaphorical of my past. We filmed an opening shot of me walking up a hill, and as I did so, the lighting got lighter and lighter. This encapsulated what I have been wanting to convey with this project, growth.”
The Comeback Story, as well as Matro’s other projects, are available on all streaming platforms. The music video for The Comeback Story is out on Youtube.
Rain Garcia — May 18th, 2022
