"What first stood out for me about Matt was his positive outlook on life and where he wanted to go career wise. From the moment he first appeared I knew he was the winner." - Kayley
Hi Kayley, It’s so lovely to have you join us here for the latest edition of Fan Features! Today we’ll be chatting about Matt Terry, an artist who many of our readers may recognise from his time on the UK X Factor back in 2016. So before we begin would you mind introducing yourself to our readers?
Hi everyone my name is Kayley, I live in South Wales and I have been running @MattTerryOnline on twitter since December 2016.
Like we covered in our introduction, Matt Terry first came to prominence in 2016 when he appeared on the thirteenth series of X Factor UK which was also when you first came to discover Matt. Can I ask what was it about Matt that first stood out to you?
What first stood out for me about Matt was his positive outlook on life and where he wanted to go career wise. From the moment he first appeared I knew he was the winner. His audition was absolutely fantastic and it was so adorable when his nan was ‘fangirling’ during his audition and when she met Simon Cowell.
Being an avid viewer of the show and supporter of Matt throughout the competition, how did it feel when he was announced as the 2016 X Factor winner?
When he was announced the winner I was so so overjoyed and ecstatic that he’d gone and done it. I knew from the very beginning that he’d go on to win and I was right. I got a little emotional because he absolutely deserved it. I felt so proud and I still am.
Moving forward to the present…it’s been around 5 years since Matt first appeared on the show…speaking as a fan, how would you say things changed for Matt since then?
I feel in the last 5 years Matt hasn’t really changed as a person he’s still very much down to earth and kind towards others. Career wise, he released his debut album trouble in November 2017 with a new album currently in the pipeline. He’s gone on to do amazing things, in 2018 and 2019 he made his theatre debut in madagasgar the musical as alex the lion touring all over the UK and Ireland and even as far as China. In 2019 he also starred as young max in how the grinch stole Christmas which again toured the UK. I went to see both of these productions and I thought he was fantastic! Unfortunately the pandemic has hit the music and theatre industry hard but that hasn’t stopped Matt one bit. I really hope he can get back into theatre later in the year so I can support him once again in the audience. I happen to be going to Anglian Water music festival on 12th June 2022 (pandemic pending) which he’s going to be headlining so I’m really looking forward to that and to hopefully be hearing some new songs.
Some of our readers may not be familiar with Matt, so for their sake how would you describe Matt as an artist?
As an artist I would describe Matt as dedicated and very hands on with his own music. He knows exactly what he’s doing when it comes to what music he wants to write and what sound it’s going to have. I don’t want to give any album details so I’ll leave that to Matt whenever he’s ready to announce anything!
Do you have a favourite song, cover or stand out X Factor performance by Matt? Would you min telling our readers more about your choice?
He’s dropped a number of covers, my favourite being ‘positions’ by Ariana Grande. My favourite track from trouble has to be ‘mama’ even tho it’s in Spanish which I don’t understand at all, I just love the style of the song and the uptempo.
Let’s talk more about the impact Matt has had on your life personally. In just a few sentences, how would you describe the difference that Matt made in your life?
Matt has had such an amazing impact on my life personally. He’s supported me throughout my personal battles in life since I opened up to him about what I’ve had to face in life and he’s said that he’s always there for me which means the absolute world to me and more.
Matt has been a huge support to your over the years which is so lovely to hear! He obviously has a lot of time for his fans?
Matt’s relationship with fans is very hands on. He makes sure he replies to as many people as possible on social media, myself included on my personal account and he really does appreciate all the support he is given which I think is really important in the music industry.
You also run a Twitter fan page ‘Matt Terry Online’ in his honour…how long have you been running the page and what inspired you to create it?
I have been running ‘Matt Terry Online’ since December 2016 to support Matt and update other fans with what he’s up to etc which I really enjoy and keeps my mind busy when I don’t feel at my best.
And what is the best part of running a page dedicated to Matt?
The best part about running the page is just supporting Matt with it in general.
I’m sure there may be other fans who come across this article and would love to check out your page. Firstly, what kind of content can they expect to find there and how can they find the page?
Other fans who may or may not follow can expect confirmed updates, which are posted by Matt first before I put them out myself as I feel when Matt wants to announce something it should come from him first rather than me. I tend to update people on what he has posted on Twitter, YouTube or Instagram such as Instagram photos, Instagram stories and performance announcements etc. They can find the page on twitter @MattTerryOnline.
As we approach the end of the interview, I wondered if you had a message of support that you'd like to share with Matt? Now's your chance!
My message of support for Matt would be ‘Thank you Matt for always being there for me and for always being so understanding whenever I’m struggling or open up about anything. It really does mean everything to me! I can’t wait to support you with whatever is coming next. You deserve every bit of success with your career and I’m so incredibly proud of you. I love you’
And finally…could you recommend a piece of Matt’s work for someone new to his music? It can be anything from one of his songs, a cover or even an X Factor performance...
If you are unfamiliar with Matt then I recommend you listen to his album ‘trouble’ its an incredibly written album with cleverly written tracks! I would also recommend giving his covers a listen to on YouTube, if I had to choose one it would be ‘positions’ by Ariana Grande or ‘falling’ by Harry styles. His voice and tone within those covers is absolutely incredible and proves why he won the X Factor!
Kayley…it’s been a real pleasure! Thank-You once again for speaking with us today and sharing your love for Matt!!!
Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to do this interview it means the world. I hope Matt comes across this when it’s published!
It's been so awesome to speak with Kayley in this week's edition of Fan Features and I'd like to extend a huge thank-you to her for taking the time to reach out and share her story! If you're on Twitter be sure to stop by & show her some love at: @MattTerryOnline
If you'd like to learn more about Matt Terry & keep up to date with all his latest news be sure to check out the links below for more deta
Instagram: @mattterry
Twitter: @MattTerry93