Matt Beilis

Matt Beilis is a singer-songwriter and piano player, having toured internationally in support of multi-platinum artists like Secondhand Serenade, Smokey Robinson, and Jay Leno. As a composer, Matt’s music has been featured in commercials for companies like Victoria's Secret, Mastercard, Reebok, Honda, Jeep, Volkswagen, LinkedIn, ESPN, and many more household names. He also produced the official movie trailer for Disney’s brand new movie Stargirl starring Grace VanderWaal. Matt's songs have racked up over four million spins on Spotify, 35,000 subscribers on YouTube, and received shout-outs from superstars like Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, and Ashton Kutcher.

When did the journey start for you?

I started playing piano when I was just under four years old. I took classical lessons and played my whole life. I first started singing and performing as an artist when I was about 22, which organically led to me producing songs/compositions around five years after that.

Who are some composers/artists you pull inspiration from?

I'm heavily into Louis Capaldi and James Blake right now. I tend to go toward stripped-sounding piano music in general but I pull from tons of different genres.

What's the strangest method you've used to get the perfect sound?

I walked around Central Park with a stereo recorder and a stick hitting all kinds of different things. But that was the least weird thing happening in Central Park at that moment.

What do you do to decompress after a long day in front of the monitors?

I tend to watch lots of YouTube cooking videos… in front of the same monitors.

Which instrument(s) do you have the most fun playing?

I've always been a piano guy growing up, but now I think it's playing electric bass on a keyboard. Nothing lets you feel the same groove with just one instrument.

What was your latest gear purchase?

I recently bought the Novation Launchpad. It's more for live performances than anything. So now it's a beautiful coaster.

What's your favorite piece of gear in your studio?

I love my Slate Digital VMS mic. It's super versatile and sounds great everywhere.

What are two things you're most proud of? One musical/professional, one personal. No humility allowed. 

On the musical front, I'd say it's being able to call myself a professional musician and making a living doing what I love. It was always my dream. On the non-musical front, I'd say I'm most proud of my little fam - my wife and son!

What's your favorite score of all time?

I would have to throwback to Jurassic Park. I mean, come on.

Who is your favorite composer and why?

For the previous reason, I'd say John Williams overall as cliche as it is.

Who is your "guilty pleasure" artist?

I would go with Lil Dicky on this one. He is a low-key (or not so low-key) genius!

What's the oddest job you've ever had?

I had a few internships at Morgan Stanley & Bank of America which were soul-dissolving (my college Plan A was Finance & Computer Science, an ever so slight difference from music).

If you were stranded on a desert island with one album on your Walkman that somehow never ran out of power, what would it be?

I think I could go with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill for a pretty long time.