Matt Hansen occupies a space among the most emotionally forthright male vocalists to emerge in pop over recent decades, with material that addresses those nursing broken hearts through equally intense and fluid arrangements. Born in San Rafael, California in 2000, the reserved youngster was nudged toward performance when his parents urged him to participate in school theater productions. He later pursued ethnomusicology at UCLA while posting online renditions of the heartfelt, introspective material popularized by arena-filling pop and rock outfits.
Covers of Coldplay’s “Yellow” and the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” unexpectedly drew substantial listeners, prompting Hansen to introduce original songs that met comparable enthusiasm. His words resonated especially with youthful audiences experiencing romantic longing, set against arrangements built from acoustic guitars, understated piano, and booming percussion during the anthemic refrains, which he delivered in a voice marked by aching grit.
Tracks such as the 2022 release “Better Off Without Me” along with 2023’s “Let Em Go” and “Something to Remember” accumulated streaming figures in the multimillions, allowing Hansen to take his catalog live as a support act for Teddy Swims, Lauv, and Alec Benjamin while securing favorably received appearances at Outside Lands and Lollapalooza.
