OUTscene Editor
Matt Zarley is red HOT with the release of his new single and his several apearances coming this summer. I spoke with him over the phone about his broadway debut as a teen, his current music and his true clam to fame as People's first GAY Bachelor:
You were also the first openly gay man in People Magazine's Hottest Bachelor issue in 2002. Did it hurt or help your career?
You know, if anything, it probably helped. I think for where I was going with my career, I think initially when we set out - when that first album was coming out - it wasn't really with the intent of being openly out, per se, so that wasn't the objective out of the gate. It seemed somewhat of an honor in way, to be the first one, and I think in the long run, it helped.
And are you currently eligible?
I am (currently)
[LAUGHTER] OK. Tell me about your experience on Broadway, when you were in your teens.Broadway sort of happened by mistake. I started out as a dancer. When I was about 12 years old, I did my first commercial. When I was 16, I did the television series "Fame", the first time around. I had always wanted to be a professional dancer, that was my goal as a young teen. The summer I graduated high school, I was doing chorus line in Las Vegas, which was my first theater job. I flew over to L.A. - I think it was a day off, I flew to L.A. - and went to the open call for "Cats." At the time I was non-union, so I went to those horrible cattle calls you hear about, where people are lined up down the block, and it was awful. But I ended up getting a call back, and I went back and did my shows in Las Vegas in chorus line, and I flew back for my call-back, and I ended up getting the show. So I actually left about six weeks later for New York. That was sort of my first really big theater job, was "Cats", and I was 17. I was in New York on and off for 12 years, and did about five Broadway shows. The whole theater experience was wonderful. I feel really fortunate, I sort of got a head start, starting early, but it was just wonderful. It was magical, in a way. Some of the best years of my life. I was really fortunate.
Would you ever do Broadway again?Oh yes, absolutely. I sort of left it about five years ago. The last show I did was "Chicago". At the time, I didn't want to live in New York anymore, and I don't really want to live in New York, really, probably ever, full-time. I love the city and what it has to offer, but it's not really conducive to the way I want to live my life. It's a hard life. I love it, but it's hard, it's difficult, as any New Yorker can attest to, it's a tough place to live. When you're making a great living and have a great place to live, it's tough, the conditions you live in are tough. The older I get, the more I appreciate the quality of life. In that respect, I don't know if I would ever go back to New York full-time, but if the right opportunity came up, definitely. I would go back for a limited time.
I just spotted you at the Upright Cabaret in Hollywood this January, and you did great.
Thank you, it was so nice for you to come.
I heard that was where Adam Lambert first started.
Yeah. I've done a show with Adam many times -
Oh, you actually did a show with Adam?
Yeah, I've done a few Uprights with him, and we did another concert together - it wasn't an Upright thing - but at the Ford Amphitheater about a few years ago. He's terrific, he's great, he's a great guy.
And of course, Shoshana Bean.
Well, of course. She was actually in the same show with us, at the Ford Amphitheater. Shoshana's a really good friend of mine as well.
Actually, Shoshana went to my high school.
Oh, she did? Up there in Portland?
Yes, She graduated maybe four or five years after I did. People still talk about her.
She's amazing. She performed at Seattle Pride this last year.
Yeah, I saw some footage of that....She's great. She lives blocks from down the street from me. She actually recorded a song that I wrote, and we've been friends for a long time. She's a sweetheart, and incredibly gifted.
Are you planning on going on tour soon?
You know, I'm not really going on tour, per se. I have something booked all around the country over the summer. My focus now is I'm writing for my new CD, that's sort of where my focus is right now. I'm sort of taking this next year to just really write and record a great CD hopefully, that's my gameplan. I'm doing a benefit CD with DJ Bill Bennett, I don't know if you're familiar with him. He's a DJ, a remixer. He asked me to sign on a project for him, which is probably going to be a benefit for Broadway Cares. We're doing a remake of "We Belong", the Pat Benatar song. That comes out July 4th weekend. I'm doing that, and I'm writing a song for this charity that I'm also recording to perform in Minneapolis in July, the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which is a really really big foundation, writing a theme song for them. Working on my own project, which will take six months to a year, to do a full project. My producer unfortunately lives in Austin, Texas, the guy who's produced all my pop stuff. He lived in New York, when I was in New York, and then he lived here when I had moved back, so we were always - it was nice, we were in the same town together, but he went off this part year, got married and had a baby about a month ago, so he's sort of stuck in Texas. So we're going to do our first project via the Internet, which is interesting. I'm recording all my vocals in my house for the first time. So I'm getting myself set up in this new arrangement for this project, so it should be interesting.
And you've also done some work with American Idol, you wrote a song and it was a finalist for the competition.David Archuleta, all his fans were gunning for him to do it. This is the word that I - who knows really what the truth is? The rumor was that all his Archies or whatever they're called, Arch-angels, I'm not sure of exactly what their name is. But at the time the songwriter competition was happening, it was in conjunction with the show. Their feeling was that my song won the competition that Archuleta was going to win. It was the most stylistically right for him, from all the other choices. But unfortunately he didn't win, and my song didn't win, so there you have it. It was actually the title of my song that was out a year and a half ago. "Here I Am" was the song.
Have you asked Adam if he was interested in singing any of your songs?
I literally have not talked to Adam since he's won. I talked to him during the whole Idol thing, but I haven't spoken with him since he's won. I went to their concert here in L.A., at the Nokia Center - was it Nokia Center or Staples Center? Staples Center. I waited forever for him, but it was their only night in L.A., and they were taking so long, so I actually had to leave because I was with a bunch of other people, and people had other commitments and I had to work the next morning. I haven't talked to him since he's won.
Who were your influences?
My biggest influence, probably when I was starting to write - Babyface was a huge influence. Stevie Wonder, George Michael. You know who I adore, probably more than anybody in her prime, was Whitney Houston. When she was on her game, she was untouchable, in my opinion. She was definitely an influence, vocally. When I was learning how to sing, and coming into my own, I learned all her stuff, and tried to sing her licks and all that kind of stuff. So she was definitely a big influence. I love Kenny Loggins, people from that era as well. Michael McDonald. A vast array of vocal talents. Today, I love India Arie. Carrie Underwood is awesome. I love Keith Urban. Trisha Yearwood. I love a lot of country artists, too.
Alright. Finally, tell us about your new album.
My new album - actually, I think it's going to be a little bit more - I don't want to say "epic", but it's going to be a little bit more of a streamline through the album. It'll be dealing with some of the emotions that I went through with the break-up. Which are good, mostly, it wasn't a horrible, ugly breakup. It was more of a growing experience, so I want to capture a lot of those emotions. Stylistically, I sort of hear more of a soulful Chris Daughtry sound, if that makes sense. I don't know if you've heard "Had I Known", the song I sang at the Upright show - the actual recording of the song, that's sort of the direction the whole album's going to be. Really guitar-driven, definitely have a rock edge, but definitely an R&B sensibility to it. So not a huge departure from what I've done in the past, but I'm going to try and make it really cohesive, so it sounds like a complete piece of work, and not just a bunch of singles plopped on a CD. So that's sort of the plan.
Alright, and last question - any advice for an up and coming artist? Study. That's one thing that I think that I was fortunate. I think it's also the generation that I came from. I think also living in New York for all those years, and coming from theater, you sort of can't fake your way. You sort of can do it or can't do it in theater, which I think is great training for anybody that's going to act, or sing, or dance, or anything that requires you to perform. I think a lot of people have come to rely on studio trickery, a lot of times, and I think it's so beneficial to really study and take your voice lessons and learn how to read music, and also just get out there and perform and do your thing and gain the confidence. I think confidence is such a huge factor in your development. I would say more than anything is get out there and do it, and study. I sound like an old person right now [LAUGHTER], but I think it's so beneficial and I'm thankful that I had some really great teachers along the way, and I'm grateful for that. OK, that's all the questions that I have Sounds great, thanks MK!
Would you ever do Broadway again?Oh yes, absolutely. I sort of left it about five years ago. The last show I did was "Chicago". At the time, I didn't want to live in New York anymore, and I don't really want to live in New York, really, probably ever, full-time. I love the city and what it has to offer, but it's not really conducive to the way I want to live my life. It's a hard life. I love it, but it's hard, it's difficult, as any New Yorker can attest to, it's a tough place to live. When you're making a great living and have a great place to live, it's tough, the conditions you live in are tough. The older I get, the more I appreciate the quality of life. In that respect, I don't know if I would ever go back to New York full-time, but if the right opportunity came up, definitely. I would go back for a limited time.
I just spotted you at the Upright Cabaret in Hollywood this January, and you did great.
Thank you, it was so nice for you to come.
I heard that was where Adam Lambert first started.
Yeah. I've done a show with Adam many times -
Oh, you actually did a show with Adam?
Yeah, I've done a few Uprights with him, and we did another concert together - it wasn't an Upright thing - but at the Ford Amphitheater about a few years ago. He's terrific, he's great, he's a great guy.
And of course, Shoshana Bean.
Well, of course. She was actually in the same show with us, at the Ford Amphitheater. Shoshana's a really good friend of mine as well.
Actually, Shoshana went to my high school.
Oh, she did? Up there in Portland?
Yes, She graduated maybe four or five years after I did. People still talk about her.
She's amazing. She performed at Seattle Pride this last year.
Yeah, I saw some footage of that....She's great. She lives blocks from down the street from me. She actually recorded a song that I wrote, and we've been friends for a long time. She's a sweetheart, and incredibly gifted.
Are you planning on going on tour soon?
You know, I'm not really going on tour, per se. I have something booked all around the country over the summer. My focus now is I'm writing for my new CD, that's sort of where my focus is right now. I'm sort of taking this next year to just really write and record a great CD hopefully, that's my gameplan. I'm doing a benefit CD with DJ Bill Bennett, I don't know if you're familiar with him. He's a DJ, a remixer. He asked me to sign on a project for him, which is probably going to be a benefit for Broadway Cares. We're doing a remake of "We Belong", the Pat Benatar song. That comes out July 4th weekend. I'm doing that, and I'm writing a song for this charity that I'm also recording to perform in Minneapolis in July, the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which is a really really big foundation, writing a theme song for them. Working on my own project, which will take six months to a year, to do a full project. My producer unfortunately lives in Austin, Texas, the guy who's produced all my pop stuff. He lived in New York, when I was in New York, and then he lived here when I had moved back, so we were always - it was nice, we were in the same town together, but he went off this part year, got married and had a baby about a month ago, so he's sort of stuck in Texas. So we're going to do our first project via the Internet, which is interesting. I'm recording all my vocals in my house for the first time. So I'm getting myself set up in this new arrangement for this project, so it should be interesting.
And you've also done some work with American Idol, you wrote a song and it was a finalist for the competition.David Archuleta, all his fans were gunning for him to do it. This is the word that I - who knows really what the truth is? The rumor was that all his Archies or whatever they're called, Arch-angels, I'm not sure of exactly what their name is. But at the time the songwriter competition was happening, it was in conjunction with the show. Their feeling was that my song won the competition that Archuleta was going to win. It was the most stylistically right for him, from all the other choices. But unfortunately he didn't win, and my song didn't win, so there you have it. It was actually the title of my song that was out a year and a half ago. "Here I Am" was the song.
Have you asked Adam if he was interested in singing any of your songs?
I literally have not talked to Adam since he's won. I talked to him during the whole Idol thing, but I haven't spoken with him since he's won. I went to their concert here in L.A., at the Nokia Center - was it Nokia Center or Staples Center? Staples Center. I waited forever for him, but it was their only night in L.A., and they were taking so long, so I actually had to leave because I was with a bunch of other people, and people had other commitments and I had to work the next morning. I haven't talked to him since he's won.
Who were your influences?
My biggest influence, probably when I was starting to write - Babyface was a huge influence. Stevie Wonder, George Michael. You know who I adore, probably more than anybody in her prime, was Whitney Houston. When she was on her game, she was untouchable, in my opinion. She was definitely an influence, vocally. When I was learning how to sing, and coming into my own, I learned all her stuff, and tried to sing her licks and all that kind of stuff. So she was definitely a big influence. I love Kenny Loggins, people from that era as well. Michael McDonald. A vast array of vocal talents. Today, I love India Arie. Carrie Underwood is awesome. I love Keith Urban. Trisha Yearwood. I love a lot of country artists, too.
Alright. Finally, tell us about your new album.
My new album - actually, I think it's going to be a little bit more - I don't want to say "epic", but it's going to be a little bit more of a streamline through the album. It'll be dealing with some of the emotions that I went through with the break-up. Which are good, mostly, it wasn't a horrible, ugly breakup. It was more of a growing experience, so I want to capture a lot of those emotions. Stylistically, I sort of hear more of a soulful Chris Daughtry sound, if that makes sense. I don't know if you've heard "Had I Known", the song I sang at the Upright show - the actual recording of the song, that's sort of the direction the whole album's going to be. Really guitar-driven, definitely have a rock edge, but definitely an R&B sensibility to it. So not a huge departure from what I've done in the past, but I'm going to try and make it really cohesive, so it sounds like a complete piece of work, and not just a bunch of singles plopped on a CD. So that's sort of the plan.
Alright, and last question - any advice for an up and coming artist? Study. That's one thing that I think that I was fortunate. I think it's also the generation that I came from. I think also living in New York for all those years, and coming from theater, you sort of can't fake your way. You sort of can do it or can't do it in theater, which I think is great training for anybody that's going to act, or sing, or dance, or anything that requires you to perform. I think a lot of people have come to rely on studio trickery, a lot of times, and I think it's so beneficial to really study and take your voice lessons and learn how to read music, and also just get out there and perform and do your thing and gain the confidence. I think confidence is such a huge factor in your development. I would say more than anything is get out there and do it, and study. I sound like an old person right now [LAUGHTER], but I think it's so beneficial and I'm thankful that I had some really great teachers along the way, and I'm grateful for that. OK, that's all the questions that I have Sounds great, thanks MK!
Matt's remixes of Where Did You Come From come out on July 27th. His charity single coming out next month. Matt's one man show "Dedication" premieres July 30 @ Barre @ Vermont in LA.
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