Matilda Cole epitomises the artist now released from lockdowns. The young singer-songwriter, hailing from Brighton, has enjoyed a momentous rise in popularity – all largely from her bedroom. But now, with a first live gig set for April, she can continue to bring her deeply personal songwriting to a wider audience.
Here, she tells us about love, the catharsis of songwriting, and the inspiration behind some of her tracks, including ‘Again’ – which has a touching new video out now.
So, Matilda, how did you first get into music? What was your earliest memory?
Well, the first memory I have of wanting to be a musician and knowing was when I was seven, and went to see Miley Cyrus at the O2. She flew in on a motorbike across the arena and I knew that’s what I wanted – not the motorbike thing, the music thing.
I was completely captured by her, so wrote my first song in the car on the way back. It was appalling, but I tried my best. Me and my friend were sitting in the hotel after the concert, and I taught her song. We sat on the balcony and sang it to London. It was shockingly bad.
Have you heard it back since?
No, but I can remember it. Maybe I should record it… But I’ve always written, I went to a very hippy primary school. It was a Buddhist school that’s closed down now. They very much encouraged self-expression, maybe to a fault, because then I was convinced everyone wanted to hear my poems at all times, which isn’t actually true.
Then, when I was 16, I put a cover SoundCloud; got a message from a weird guy on the internet, who said “come to London.” My mum initially said no, but then she came with me. And he ended up not being a weird guy. He’s now my manager.
You mentioned Miley Cyrus, who were your musical heroes?
Well, yes, Miley Cyrus. But my dad used to play a lot of blues and rock around the house when I was younger, and that’s really stuck with me. When I got older, I was a massive emo for a bit – I’ve now recovered. I wasn’t really writing music at the time, but if I had been it would have just been pain and darkness.
When I was growing up, I didn’t see a lot of my real adolescent experience reflected back in music. But the first person I really felt that way with was Lorde and her first album, Pure Heroine. I felt that was such an honest expression of the weirdness of being a teenage girl, and it really stuck with me.
Well let’s talk about what you’re up to now. You’ve released ‘Again’, congratulations. How does it feel?
Pretty good. Again, strange to have it out there, but I love it.
It’s quite personal songwriting, about heartbreak and the cycle of a relationship. What’s it about?
Heartbreak. I think when I was younger, I was stuck in a cycle of laying down myself for people and being like “walk on me, that’s fine.” I really didn’t have a strong sense of self, and would let people hurt me because I thought that was the only way you could be loved. I thought that’s what love was: being in pain. I’ve since learned that love is not supposed to be painful – all the time.
It’s weird because I wrote that song a long time ago, and recorded it entirely remotely with a producer in LA. Even then, I was quite divorced from that feeling. But since then, I’ve changed my outlook on love. (Although I don’t actually know because I haven’t been in love for a while – maybe I’d be exactly the same, but I’d like to think I’d be different).
Did the process of making the track release some feelings or emotions for you?
Yes, I think so. It’s really strange working on Zoom. You wouldn’t think it would work but it does. However, there is a little bit of a barrier to the true emotional state you can get into. So I made the instrumental, then went away and came up with the melody and the lyrics by myself and sent it back to [the producer]. In “the Zoom days”, I got time to just sit with it by myself. So it did drag up some old feelings, but it’s cathartic to get it out.
Another one of your tracks, ‘Camden’, is also quite personal. Tell us a bit more about it…
It’s basically about a divorce. My parents separated at the beginning of COVID – very inconvenient timing, being forced into a house with each other for a whole year, kind of like a sitcom. And then, later that year of 2020, I went to my first writing trip to Copenhagen. It was the first time I had space to breathe, and I thought, “I’m gonna write a divorce song.” So I did, and it ended up being the most personal and probably my favourite song I’d written at the time.
I remember walking through Copenhagen listening to it, crying. I played it to my parents. And they love it, but they had some messages from family members saying, “are you sure you should be sharing your family problems?” But ultimately, I love that song.
How have you found the successes that you have had – such as your EP amassing 2 million streams, for instance?
It’s been crazy. And what’s even more crazy is none of it was tangible. I was in school, annd was supposed to do my A-levels, then COVID confiscated them from me. Then a month later, I was in talks about signing a distribution deal. After that my whole life changed. I didn’t even have time to figure out what was going on.
But then, at the same time, what’s weird is that nothing physically changed. I wasn’t in recording sessions physically, I wasn’t going to meetings. I was just in my room. And when I finally started releasing, and the streams were coming in, I was getting support from all these people, but I’d just been in my room for a year.
I think it was a good way of easing myself into it and it allowed me to take time to figure myself out and do a lot of growth, especially as an artist. I wouldn’t have been given that space if it hadn’t been for COVID.
Do you have a dream collaboration?
Oh, God, so many people, and it changes all the time. Phoebe Bridgers is the queen of everything. I’m in awe of her writing style. My number one dream would be to form a band with her – or not even that, I’d just want to sing a harmony. That’s fine, I just want to be in the room with her. My number one inspiration, though, is Patti Smith. I’m in love with her – and Joan Didion.
You have a gig coming up, are you ready?
Yes, I do. I’ve performed live before but not my own stuff. And it was years ago. I’m so excited. Seeing live music was what made me want to do it. And I haven’t really had the chance because of COVID. But April 14, Courtyard Theatre: I am doing my first ever live show.
Nervous? Excited?
Both. I figured out recently that nerves and excitement are the same emotion, they’re just processed differently. So I’ve decided every time I feel nervous about it that I don’t, I just feel excited.
And you can get the chance to see Matilda Cole on Thursday, 14th April at The Courtyard Theatre. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
