Yet, there were few constraints on Stell’s songwriting during the creation of the new Better Than That EP, which was co-produced by Stell alongside Ash Bowers. “Sometimes creativity benefits from constraints.” “I threw every stitch of clothing I have ever owned into my truck for that video shoot,” laughs Stell of the somewhat restrictive project. Stell showcased a whole bunch of identities in another Better Than That EP standout - “If I Was a Bar.” At a time when some of his fellow artists were perfectly content in simply sitting down with their guitar and playing their songs during the pandemic that Stell lovingly refers to as a ‘damn biological hurricane,’ Stell and his rather relentless work ethic turned out a music video that had him playing thirteen different roles in the span of a 3-plus minute song. “Having two songs on the radio is an incredible thing, but what’s even more incredible is finding your own voice and your own identity,” he says. “Knowing that you are making music that means something to people is the ultimate compliment, but there is so much more to me.”Ī few more of the many facets of Stell are currently on display via his current top 10 and rising single “Everywhere But On,” a song that Stell calls ‘autobiographical’ in the way that it tells the story of a man trying to escape the memories of a long lost love. “If the only thing you’ve heard is ‘Prayed for You,’ you would have a different idea of who I really am,” Stell explains. As the only debut single to top Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in 2019, and one of NSAI’s “10 Songs We Wish We’d Written,” the hit has gone on to rack up some impressive stats with over 270 million streams, his first RIAA Platinum certification and more than 20 million views of its official music video to date. Granted, it was in fact a love song that catapulted Stell to country music success in 2019 via his massive hit “Prayed for You,” a life-changer of a song that spent two weeks at the number one spot. And if he’s being totally honest with himself, he’s never been one to love a love song. In everything he does, it’s evident that Stell is reflective and adventurous and funny and pretty damn smart. “When you step out into that river and the salmon are still swimming upstream like they have for thousands of years, it’s a real cathartic, therapeutic thing for me,” he says of a recent fishing trip to Alaska.
And yes, he gets as much enjoyment out of discovering a hook in the writing room as he does hooking a fish. He can overanalyze a word as easily as he can let the melody ride a lyrical wave. He can spin a romantic verse as easy as he can rock out an anthem. Indeed, the Arkansas native comes from a long line of self proclaimed badasses.
“I’ve never wanted to be some one-dimensional artist, and with this new EP, I think I’m determined to show that there is much more to me than just a guy who can sing a love song.” “If you cut a groove too deep, it’s hard to get out of it,” he remarks with a chuckle. In fact, to describe Stell in a few words would be a complete disservice to the man he is and the artist he looks to become as he releases his new EP Better Than That on October 16. And as hard as country music may try to fit Matt Stell into one of those tried and true boxes, it’s darn near impossible.īut more so than the massive physique that helped Stell become a collegiate basketball standout, the Platinum certified singer has proven via the songs he sings and the shows he puts on that he is far too powerful of an artist to ever fit into some sort of singular category. From Willie to Hank and Dolly to Waylon, every legend starts out as just another artist that doesn’t fit easily into some predetermined box. The country music industry has long been filled with its share of characters.
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