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Matthew Presidente, musician, singer, songwriter.

Photo courtesy Matthew Presidente

Talented Vancouver singer releases a new album

By Jim Gordon and Leeta Liepins

Published 12:14 PST, Fri February 28, 2025

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Our City Tonight sat down with popular local pop/rock singer-songwriter Matthew Presidente. He has independently released six full-length records while also performing his original music at well-known venues like The Roxy, The Railway Club, The Backstage Lounge, XYYVR, and Numbers Cabaret.

OCT: You left your long career in hospitality in 2022 to pursue your music full time. Since then, you have released eight singles and toured throughout British Columbia. And now you have a new album that was just released, let’s talk about this project that took four years of passionate dedication to come about.

MP: Yes, four years, it took a long time for a number of reasons and not one of them was that pandemic thing that we all had to endure.

OCT: Indeed, we all do remember that, and in fact we had you on the show remotely so we all managed to maneuver through that rough time.

MP: The album took a little bit longer than usual, and most of the reason is that we put much more effort into it. These days being a musician, it is very accessible to be able to make music from home. We have the technology and the software that make it a little easier for people to do this. And that’s what I used to do. But for this newest album, we went back into the studio. We used all real instruments, and we hired all sorts of different musicians. A more involved process like this, takes a bit of time, but it’s got the quality. I really love this project, and I truly love how it’s turned out.

OCT: The new album is called Chosen Sun, tell us about that.

MP: The reason for the name, and that referring to “sun” as in sunshine. It’s basically about following your own path.

OCT: Well that’s certainly what you have done.

MP: Yes, I have and as you mentioned, a couple of years ago I did decide to leave my long-term career in hospitality to really focus entirely on music. You can understand at this age for me it’s now a hustle. But it’s always been my real passion and it’s what I love to do. That is also where the theme of this record kind of started.

OCT: We have known you for a long time and as always being a happy person, which comes through in your music. Of course, that’s why you were previously in the hospitality industry. So many people love you and remember you and now you’re able to put that kind of passion and energy into your music full-time. We have seen you live, and your music is wonderful to experience. We highly recommend to everybody get out to see you if they’re able to, your concerts are unforgettable.

MP: Our band is also doing earlier shows now so it’s not all about staying up really late anymore.

OCT: That’s good news for us, and you do tend to appeal to a wide range of music lovers. Your music is catchy and energetic, and your live show is one not to miss. Let’s finish up by talking a little bit about the journey that you have taken from getting started in music at an early age.

MP: I’ve played piano all my life and developed all my bad habits while pretty young. As a teenager, I started getting out there and simply finding shows to perform at. What I always say to young musicians is to go out and perform as much as possible. We see so many bedroom artists these days on social media platforms. Some of them are great at making music, but they don’t get out there in person, which is so valuable for a young musician.

I have found that playing live was what has given me the confidence over the years and given me the chops to go play live anywhere and then take it to the next level. I have had so many years of performing live under my belt, which includes hauling around equipment and gear to different venues and playing in all sorts of different places. I have played everything from seedy bars to nice festival stages and also everything from playing in front of friends as well as excited music lovers, right down to a crowd that is not interested in listening to us at all. This is the way you can learn so much by doing these performances. And so, after about 20 years of doing just that, I have got to a point where I feel comfortable doing music and gigs full-time to earn a living.

OCT: You certainly are an accomplished musician. This full-length album is called Chosen Sun and is available now. It does seem that the younger generations are coming back to listen to CDs.

MP: We are finding that CDs are trending a little bit currently but of course you can still listen to the album on streaming. The music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, or whatever you want to stream. Plus, if you go to my website, you can find out where we’re touring and when.

For more information matthewpresidente.com