Today we’d like to introduce you to Mathew Maciel.
Hi Mathew, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Out of nearly 2000 entries, I was chosen as a contestant in the 2023 “You, God’s Music Showcase” singing competition judged by Dove Award winner Jordan Feliz, The Voice Season 9 winner Jordan Smith and Billboard-charting Christian contemporary artist Blanca. The competition had the judges review contestants leading up to the Top 5 that competed live at the Tobin Center in San Antonio, TX. I moved through three rounds of competition which eventually landed me a spot in the Semifinal Round joining the Top 25 contestants eventually leading to receiving a personal invite to the live show finale.
Since 2016, I have released multiple songs to radio and in 2022 had the opportunity to open up for Four-Time Dove Award Winner and Latin Grammy nominated artist Alex Zurdo in San Benito, TX as part of his 2022 DTOX Tour. I was also invited to sing the National Anthem for the Corpus Christi Hooks, the AA affiliates to the Houston Astros, as well as for the Midland Rockhounds, the AA affiliate to the A’s before opening for Capitol Record’s very own Jeremy Rosado as part of his “The Waiting Room” Tour in 2025.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Well I first started writing music in 2011 and it really took a lot of money, hard work and determination along the way before I was able to release my first single in 2016. I continued to work on music and playing at small gigs for free until I got my first breakthrough opportunity opening for Alex Zurdo in 2022 where I remember that for the first time, I sold out of all of my merch. I would say that I still didn’t see a lot of the results I wanted until after 2023 when I was in the singing competition. So in reality it took over 10 years or writing and performing before I started seeing the fruits of my labor.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Well what is unique about my story is that before I started releasing music to Christian radio, I actually started as an employee in the Christian radio industry itself. My job was to help produce and edit commercials and radio shows that went on air while also listening to new songs that artists put out and putting them in rotation. It was a blessing in disguise because I got to see what artists did to promote themselves to radio while constantly listening to new music that caught the radio station’s attention. It put me in a good spot that others might not have had the opportunity to experience and I knew what to do and what not to do when releasing and promoting my music. After years of hard work, my team and I took a trip to Nashville last year where I got to make a demo track with Grammy nominated producer Casey Price. We laid down the tracks, pitched the song to Capitol Records and after some feedback and tweaking on our end, I am happy to say that I will be releasing that new project soon!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Well I would say the biggest shift in the Christian music industry and scene right now is the influence of Christian rap and hip hop. Although that is not my primary genre, I have released a couple of songs with CHH artists and plan on doing so again in the near future. I also know that Christian music has been looked down upon in the past but like more and more artists are turning toward the Christian Contemporary genre. I just hope I can be an influence to others who might be interested in pursuing music and/or have questions about Christ.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mathewmacielmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mathew_maciel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathewmacielmusic
- Twitter: https://x.com/mathew_maciel
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/mathewmacielmusic
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mathewmacielmusic
