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Matt Stell
Birth nameMatthew Neal Stell
Born (1984-04-19) April 19, 1984 (age 40)
Center Ridge, Arkansas, U.S.
GenresCountry
Years active2006–present
LabelsArista Nashville
Websitewww.mattstell.com

Matthew Neal Stell (born April 19, 1984) is an American country music singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His song "Prayed for You" and his EP Everywhere but On were released in 2019.

Early life

[edit]

Stell was born in Clinton, Arkansas, and raised in Center Ridge, Arkansas. He played basketball during high school in the Amateur Athletic Union summer league, and from 2002 to 2006, he played college basketball for Drury University for four years on an athletic scholarship.[1][2]

After college he worked farming and construction jobs while studying for a master's degree in communications at the University of Arkansas. A medical missions trip to Haiti inspired him to apply to a post-baccalaureate premedical program to complete pre-med coursework not taken as a religion and philosophy major.[3] He applied to Harvard University's Extension School part-time pre-med program, and he was accepted. But in 2014, shortly before the program would have begun, he had the opportunity to sign a publishing deal with Wide Open Music, and he chose music over starting the part-time pre-med program.[4][5]

Music career

[edit]

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Stell played as the lead singer of the band The Crashers.[6] During this time, he released three albums independently: The Sound & the Story, Vestibule Blues, and in March 2013, A River Through It,[7] the latter two of which were on the label 124 Records. He continued playing gigs, and opened for major artists including Luke Bryan and Eric Church. He also wrote for other artists, including Bart Crow, Casey Donahew, and the John D. Hale Band.[8] He moved to Nashville in 2014.

Stell released an EP, Last of the Best, on March 16, 2018.[9] He also released the single, "Prayed For You", which he co-wrote with Allison Veltz and producer Ash Bowers.[10] Rolling Stone named "Prayed For You" one of the "10 Best Country Songs to Hear Now".[11] The song captured the attention of Barry Weiss, former president and CEO of Jive Records, who signed Stell to his label, RECORDS, in July 2018.[12] Keith Gale, president of Good Company Entertainment, signed on to promote the song to radio.[13] Also in 2018, Stell was named a CMT Discovery Artist.[14]

In February 2019, "Prayed For You" reached No. 36 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart[15] and in March 2019 it reached No. 54 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.[16] The song received over 15 million plays on Spotify and 44 million altogether within just over a year. The official music video for the song starred reality TV star Savannah Chrisley and her fiancé, hockey player Nic Kerdiles. It premiered at People on July 9, 2018[17] and received over 4.3 million views on YouTube in its first 10 months.

Matt made his Grand Ole Opry debut on April 27, 2019. The same month, Arista Nashville and Sony Music Nashville joined the team working to promote his career.[18][19] He makes a return appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on June 12, 2019, with Old Crow Medicine Show and the Del McCoury Band. In May, Taste of Country named him an Artist to Watch.[20] His major label debut EP, the seven-song Everywhere But On, released May 24, 2019, on Records/Arista Nashville,[21] a week after the debut of the music video for the title track.[22] The EP includes a collaboration with Jimmie Allen.

On September 16, 2019, Stell was presented with a RIAA Gold certification for "Prayed for You".[23]

On October 8, 2021, Stell released the song "Boyfriend Season."[24] The song is slated for inclusion alongside the Better Than That EP tracklist on an upcoming album, set to be released in 2022.[25] In 2022, he released the single "Man Made" as well as the promotional single "One of Us".[26]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
Title Album details
The Sound & the Story
  • Release date: March 3, 2009[27]
  • Label: Independent
Vestibule Blues
  • Release date: May 11, 2011[28]
  • Label: 124 Records
A River Through It
  • Release date: March 19, 2013[29]
  • Label: 124 Records
Born Lonely
  • Release date: June 7, 2024[30]
  • Label: Records

Live albums

[edit]
Title Album details
Live at the Snorty Horse
  • Release date: 2006[31]
  • Label: Independent

Extended plays

[edit]
Title EP details Peak chart positions
US
Country
[32]
Last of the Best[9]
  • Release date: March 16, 2018
  • Label: Wide Open
 —
Everywhere but On
  • Release date: May 24, 2019
  • Label: Records, Arista Nashville
 32
Better Than That
  • Release date: October 16, 2020
  • Label: Records, Arista Nashville
 43
One of Us
  • Release date: February 10, 2023
  • Label: Records
 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

[edit]
Year Title Peak chart positions Sales Certifications Album/EP
US
[33] 		US Country
[34] 		US Country Airplay
[35] 		CAN Country
[36]
2019 "Prayed for You" 36 2 1 23 Everywhere but On
"Everywhere but On" 48 11 1 6
2021 "That Ain't Me No More" — 47 35 — Non-album single
2022 "Man Made"[40] — — 36 — One of Us
2023 "Breakin' In Boots"[41] — — 24
[42] 		— Born Lonely
"—" denotes a release that did not chart

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Puryear, Scott (August 27, 2019). "Former Panther Matt Stell Continues Musical Dream With Return To DU For June 15 Concert With Country Star Josh Turner". drurypanthers.com. Drury Athletics. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  2. ^ Brosius, Jeanni (16 April 2019). "A Dream Come True: Matt Stell Makes His Opry Debut". AY Magazine. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  3. ^ Steffens, Beth (21 August 2013). "Preview: Matt Stell and the Deep Roots". Vox Magazine. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  4. ^ Watts, Cindy (9 May 2019). "Matt Stell walked away from Harvard, earns hit song and Opry debut". Nashville Tennessean. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  5. ^ grace_martin (2017-02-23). "Sample Course Path for the Premedical Program". Harvard Extension School. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  6. ^ "Matt Stell and the Crashers". Outhouse Tickets. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Ryan, Ben (28 March 2013). "Matt Stell, A River Through It". KKCN. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  8. ^ Ira (3 April 2019). "Talking With Matt Stell – April 4, 2019". Talk About Las Vegas. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Country Singer/Songwriter Matt Stell Releases Debut EP, 'Last of the Best'". The Country Note. March 17, 2018.
  10. ^ Liptak, Carena (April 11, 2019). "Story Behind the Song: Matt Stell, 'Prayed for You'". The Boot.
  11. ^ Crawford, Robert (1 April 2019). "10 Best Country and Americana Songs to Hear Now: Blake Shelton, Alice Wallace". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  12. ^ "10 Questions with ... Matt Stell". All Access. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  13. ^ Roland, Tom (4 March 2019). "Matt Stell Captures A Life-Changing Journey In 'Prayed For You'" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  14. ^ Bonaguro, Alison (11 April 2019). "How Matt Stell Keeps the Faith". CMT News. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  15. ^ Karp, Hannah (12 April 2019). "Why RECORDS CEO Barry Weiss Is Betting on Country - and Unproven Talent - in His Latest Act". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  16. ^ Roland, Tom (13 March 2019). "More Than a (Gut) Feeling: Streaming Data Changes Game For Country Artists Launching Debut Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  17. ^ Mizoguchi, Karen (9 July 2018). "Savannah Chrisley Stars in Her First Music Video (with Her Boyfriend!) After Dad Todd's Approval". People. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  18. ^ "Matt Stell Benefits From New Partnership With Arista Nashville". All Access. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  19. ^ Nicholson, Jessica (29 April 2019). "RECORDS, Sony Music Nashville Announce New Partnership Deal With Matt Stell". Music Row. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  20. ^ Houghton, Cillea (1 May 2019). "Who's Rising Now? 5 Artists to Watch in May 2019". Taste of Country. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  21. ^ Freeman, Jon (May 10, 2019). "'Prayed for You' Singer Matt Stell Details 'Everywhere but On' EP". Rolling Stone.
  22. ^ "Matt Stell Debuts New Music Video For EVERYWHERE BUT ON". Broadway World. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  23. ^ "Matt Stell Earns First Gold Single". Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  24. ^ Matt Stell - Boyfriend Season (Audio). YouTube. October 8, 2021.
  25. ^ Goldstein, Tiffany (24 November 2021). "Matt Stell Sets The Record Straight On New Track, 'Boyfriend Season,' Teases Forthcoming Record". Country Now. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  26. ^ O'Connell, Madeline (September 30, 2022). "Matt Stell Shares A Taste Of What's To Come On His New Album With 'One Of Us'". Country Now. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  27. ^ "Matt Stell - The Sound & The Story". AllMusic. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  28. ^ "Vestibule Blues - Matt Stell". Spotify. May 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  29. ^ "A River Through It - Matt Stell". Spotify. 19 March 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  30. ^ "Born Lonely - Matt Stell". Spotify. June 7, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  31. ^ "Matt Stell & The Crashers". Sonicbids. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  32. ^ "Matt Stell Chart History: Top Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  33. ^ "Matt Stell Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  34. ^ "Matt Stell Chart History: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  35. ^ "Matt Stell Chart History: Country Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  36. ^ "Matt Stell Chart History: Canada Country". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  37. ^ Bjorke, Matt (December 8, 2019). "Top 30 Digital Country Tracks - Pure Sales: December 9, 2019". Rough Stock. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  38. ^ "American single certifications – Matt Stell – Prayed for You". Recording Industry Association of America.
  39. ^ "American single certifications – Matt Stell – Everywhere but On". Recording Industry Association of America.
  40. ^ "Future Releases for Country Radio Stations". AllAccess. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  41. ^ "Single/Track Releases".
  42. ^ "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
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