Matthew Grace

The son of a priest for a father and a devoted stay at home mother, Matthew was raised in a strict and devout Catholic household in the moderately sized Canadian city of Selkirk. Receiving his education through one of the religious oriented church schools in his city, Matthew was conditioned from a very young age to follow the Bibilical Scripture that was imposed upon him. Yet even in adolescence, the soft spoken and shy boy knew that he didn't fit in amongst his church peers, and the religion he was taught never felt quite right to him.

In his teenage years, while he grew in height to an even 6', he remained rather slim in body weight and retained a "baby face"; an overall appearance that did not match his parent's overall view of what their son "should" look like physically. In their eyes, his features were too soft to be considered a proper "man"; yet the irony was not lost on Matthew, considering it was constantly preached to him that he was made in "God's image".

By the time Matthew turned 17 years old, he was still stuck in his birth town surrounded by people who felt like outsiders to him. He began to rebel in his own way against his strict upbringing, simply wanting to express his true self through his appearance. He was met with resistance every step of the way; in the Grace family, it was a sin to desire dyed hair, piercings, tattoos, or anything that modified the body in any sort of way. In a religious family, you were expected to behave a certain way, dress a certain way, and not deviate from those expectations in the slightest. Feeling absolutely trapped, the only escape Matthew had was Sunday afternoon church choir practice; where he learned to play acoustic guitar and slowly mastered his craft. Unbeknownst to his parents, Matthew began to write his own songs that he would practice in the fields that bordered his home, playing in the middle of the night where no judgemental ears could hear him, and indulging in small bits of cannabis whenever he could obtain it.

At the age of 18, Matthew finally reached his limit and put his escape plan into action. Taking only his guitar, a backpack of clothes, and a passport, Matthew "stole" his father's 1969 Camaro and headed to the border, not stopping until he reached the Golden State of California. Once in the United States, he lived out of the backseat of his Camaro for a few months while he made money playing songs on street corners and in dive bars, appreciating every penny or dollar that passerby would bestow upon him. Throughout all the hardship, Matthew held onto his dream that one day he would make it big in the industry and be able to afford the luxury of both having meals and a place to live at the same time.

One day, his persistence paid off when a manager from RCA records, a man by the name of Matt Bauerschmidt, came into the local bar Matthew was playing at to scope out potential talent. Immediately after hearing Matthew's set, Mr. Bauerschmidt gave Matthew his business card and offered to set up an interview to possibly get Matthew signed to RCA, if that is what the young man was interested in. Thrilled beyond belief, Matthew accepted the offer and shortly after was signing his official record deal with RCA, and subsequently began to be introduced to other members of the label; including another client of Mr. Bauerschmidt's, a young and upcoming talent who went by the name of Gerald Harlow.

Together, Matthew and Gerald worked together to produce a few songs, and in the process they began to form a friendship. Gerald took it upon himself to introduce the shy and sheltered Matthew to the wild L.A party scene, and helped Matthew navigate such a scene while taking him under his wing, so to speak. Slowly, Matthew began to come out of his shell, and it wasn't long before he had evolved into the person he had always longed to be. In Hollywood, you could be whoever you wanted to be; nobody would bat an eye at a man with piercings, tattoos, or painted nails. For the first time in his life, Matthew began to fully explore his sense of true self, developing himself into a boisterous yet kind hearted individual with a strong sense of morals to keep him grounded. For the first time in his life, Matthew experienced a taste of freedom; and such a small taste was euphorically addictive.

Currently, Matthew resides in a modest L.A apartment, and lives comfortably enough from his small time music career. He maintains a healthy social life, mostly through nights out with his best friend Gerald. Throughout it all, Matthew remains thankful for everything he has, and stays hopeful that his successes will only continue to grow with time through continued hard work and dedication.