Meet Roy Matz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Roy Matz.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Roy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in Israel and since I was a child I loved playing guitar, which got me to really appreciate the time I had with myself and really tap into music. after serving in the military in Israel, I started writing  music and thought I would be able to make it in Australia. I traveled there to quickly discover that it’s not going to be that easy. I ran out of money pretty quickly and had to find a way to finance myself, at the time I felt like nobody really wanted to listen to my music accept for myself.

I got kicked out of every possible day job I could lay my hands on. That was a transition point for me because I have started falling in love with beatboxing. I watched every possible video and learned everything I could, I was improving fast and after going to a few open mics and having enough encouragement from people around me, I started street performing In Byron Bay, Australia. It wasn’t easy, but I made it happen, every weekend, when everybody was partying, I was beatboxing in the same spot. I used to stop the first people like a sales person, and that would create a crowd gathering around me. It was a lot of fun it was hard, but I’ve made a lot of friends that way.

I got exposed to rapping while in Australia. I covered a few ‘Outkast’ songs with a friend of mine from Byron on the way along the coast, hitch hiking and going to amazing places with local people. A big thing I discovered was that people are kind if you give them the opportunity to be kind (If we listen to their story and learn to be a listener with no judgment). a few years later, I was back in Israel, I stopped beatboxing and got into music production.

Surfing has always been my second passion. I was teaching kids to surf at the time and was pretty tired of doing that. I remember myself going into the dressing room in the surf club and asking myself “Is this what you want to be doing right now?” so the next day I bought my ticket to New York, thinking that I’ll buy a van and go straight to California from there. But the world had a different plan for me.

On one of my first days in NYC, I bumped into two of my favorite beatboxers (ones I would watch videos and learn from). After jamming with them in the middle of union square, they invited me to an event they put together with all the best Beatboxers in the states. The event made me realize I need to stick around, I fell in love with the New York hip hop scene and made a few good friends that go with me to this day. After having a love-hate relationship for a while with NYC and hearing a lot of good things about Austin Texas, I decided to move there and attend SXSW (a huge festival). Before my Austin experience, I flew to Mexico on tour with two of my best friends from NYC. When I got to Austin, I felt as if some force was protecting me, keeping me safe and keeping me surrounded by kindness. Looking back, I know that force was my ability to listen, and be present for others.

In Austin I’ve met amazing people, I’ve  completed a 100 day challenge in which I’ve made a music video every single day, went to SXSW and really had a beautiful adventure (discovered that some Grammy winning people are following me on socials, which was cool). During all this time I really wanted to move forward and make a living doing what I love (audio and music), so every day I would write down on a piece of paper “I am surrounded and working with amazing people that truly inspire me”. I did it every day till slowly that became my reality.

A Year later, I collaborated with Adidas on a campaign called “forever the future”, I have audio clients, I edit podcasts for clients that I’ve chosen, I give workshops to help people tap into their creative zone, and I perform here in Denver, I am currently releasing music on a weekly basis and am truly grateful for this opportunity and for getting interviews like this.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t even know where to start. It started with having run out of money quite a few times. I was Booed quite a few times while performing, had people act aggressively to me because I was different than they were. I had quite a few horrible gigs and quite a few empty gigs where I needed to cover the venue expenses, I didn’t really have anyone to mentor me for a long time, so I’ve made a lot of mistakes and have gotten burned a lot of times. Had so many people telling me I’m not good enough and that I’ll never make it. Traveling all the time and changing location made it hard for me to create a community around me. I lost a very good friend in Israel and couldn’t attend his funeral because I was in New York. Writing music and lyrics was what helped me realize I am not defined by my current circumstances, but by my mindset and the ways I take on the challenges that come into my life.

We’d love to hear more about your company.
My company is currently me, I do audio work, produce music, mix, master, I edit podcasts I perform my music live. I give creative habits workshops for groups in Denver, I teach music production. I am proud of my constant growth and demand, getting my major collaboration with a brand was a big thing for me, and I’m stoked for what’s next.

What were you like growing up?
I liked playing my guitar, I had a few friends (never a lot) and I thought that I deserved everything. I was always a neutral person who nobody dislikes. The tough kids would always protect me from bullying, I guess I had a certain calmness around me that people liked and felt comfortable being open and vulnerable around. Being locked in my room playing instruments/video games made me introverted, and I suffered from crippling stage fright for a long time as a teenager, There was even a year when I performed with my back to the crowd because I was scared. I’ve always been doing some sport activity as a child, which i am grateful to this day, because I love being active and stretching my boundaries physically and mentally. I was always a deep thinker so mindfulness practices have been a part of my life from a pretty early stage as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.roymatz.com
• Phone: 3472765293
• Email: roy.matz1@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoyMatzMusic/

Image Credit:
Frankie Lee

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.