SOUTH SIDE MUSICIAN RELEASES SINGLE FOR UPCOMING EP SET TO DEBUT LATER THIS YEAR
South Side Musician Releases Single For Upcoming EP Set To Debut Later This Year
BY KATHERINE NEWMAN
Since his debut album in 2014, international singer and songwriter Matthew Benson, also known as Matt B, has made waves in Japan as an R&B artist and now he is ready to break into the US market. Benson, who lives in South Shore and who grew up in Chicago, recently hosted an event to release the first single of his upcoming album which is set to debut later this year.
Growing up, Benson remembers getting his early exposure to music through his family and his church on the south side. Benson shared that he is the fourth generation in a family of singers and was inspired by his grandmother who traveled the country singing with Thomas A. Dorsey who is known as the father of gospel music.
“My family had been singing for a very long time, as long as I can remember,” said Benson. “My grandmother was born in 1919 so she was born in an era where it wasn’t safe for black people to travel nationally or even internationally and they had to watch where they went. The fact that my grandmother was able to be a part of something like that back in the 1940s and travel all across the United States singing was inspirational to me and just amazing.”
Back in 2014, Benson was signed to a Japanese record label and released his first album LOVE & WAR which reached the number one spot on iTunes R&B charts in Japan. His second album DIVE was released in 2016 and also reached number one on iTunes R&B charts in Japan within 24 hours of being released.
During this time, as Benson was making waves in the Japanese R&B market, he was still living on the south side of Chicago where he recorded all his music.
“Unfortunately I haven’t been to Japan yet but I do plan on going out there soon. I know that my fans have been wanting me to, but I just haven’t really found that right timing to make it happen. It was just it was a little bit of luck, a lot of hard work and an act of God that got me that opportunity in Japan and I’m very grateful for it,” said Benson.
Most recently, Benson released the first single off his upcoming EP called No Days Off which is set to debut in December. Benson describes the single, called Lil Mama, as being “so Chicago” and he hopes that it will be something that people in the city can relate to and help him connect with new fans.
“With this song, we just fully embody what it means to be a Chicagoan, especially if you’re from the south side of Chicago. I couldn’t wait to drop it and I can’t wait to see how people react to it,” said Benson.
Starting in November, Benson will embark on the annual Holiday Cheer Tour where he will perform holiday music and host toy giveaways for children in partnership with charities, hospitals, orphanages, homeless shelters, and toy drives across the country.
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