‘I just love everything about it’: Matt Corby launches new National Artists Mentorship Program
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24.03.2023

‘I just love everything about it’: Matt Corby launches new National Artists Mentorship Program

Words by Benjamin Lamb

The artist chats the Wild Turkey Mentorship, advice from his mentors, and his new album, Everything’s Fine

Matt Corby is arguably one of Australia’s most recognised artists. With hits like ‘Brother’, ‘Revolution’, and ‘No Ordinary Life’, his music has been the soundtrack to many of our lives. Now he’s getting into the mentorship game, starting an amazing new program alongside Wild Turkey. 

After the last few years of virtually no touring, many artists have albums and releases to hit the road with, but opportunities are scarce with 4 in 5 (81%) aspiring musicians finding it difficult to book a live gig. This bespoke music mentorship program – Music 101 – is set to support up-and-coming artists in the live music realm, offering aspiring artists the opportunity to learn from some of Australia’s best.

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

“I just love everything about it,” Matt notes. “The engagement with younger artists and encouraging live music again is super positive. 

“There’s been this huge bottleneck in the last six months of all these current artists that have made their records through COVID, and they are all trying to play shows. It’s probably become quite difficult for up-and-coming artists to even have a shot at having live music experiences. 

 

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You’d think for an artist as experienced as Matt, there’s little to learn after such a continuously successful career, but he notes that these artists working with him at Rainbow Valley teach him new things all the time, showing that working with Matt is quite a collaborative process.  

“I get a lot out of it, it definitely helps me in my own journey as well. I mean, even just broadening my horizons musically and what feels good, that’s grown dramatically. 

“It’s taken me out of my little prescribed ‘this is what you must do’ kind of box too.”

We’ve all had the moment where we come across an artist and there’s just something about them that grabs the attention and stops us in our tracks. Matt details some of the most important elements of artists he clicks with, and what he looks for in up and coming artists.   

“I think you can tell quite quickly that someone has that musical essence, that musical drive. and the musicality to match. 

“A few things have to line up for an artist to be great and successful, and that’s what I look for. What I respond to is someone’s ability to hear a beat or to hear chords and through their own way of feeling it out, create something from that.

“But I think for the most part, it is something that is innate within some people.” 

For all the artists that will be a part of this national Wild Turkey mentorship program with Matt, there will be plenty of wisdom shared, some of which he’s learned by doing, and some he’s learned by idols he’s worked with in the past. 

“I’ve had a few pretty great mentors. One being Rohin Jones, one of the lead singers of The Middle East, Jarryd James, and another friend of mine, Mocky, who is great producer. 

“There’s a constant thread through that, which is you really just have to trust yourself. You do the time you do the work, but at the end of the day, you can’t care what anyone else thinks. 

“You should wholeheartedly go for what you think feels great, and if you can accomplish that self satisfaction, I think it definitely permeates and then people respond to it.” 

 

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If you start a new job, there’s usually training, assistance from co-workers, and managers to help you understand the ins and outs, and help you succeed in your position. This isn’t the case in the world of an up-and-coming musician: Matt notes that there’s no real guidebook for this sort of thing, and mentorship needs to come at the right time to ensure artists with promise don’t shy away from the industry. 

“I think there’s only so much you can do with certain stages of people’s career progression. As a writer or an artist or performer, if someone’s just starting out, there’s probably some constructive criticism that you can give them. There’s probably a block at a certain point in which you can communicate things.” 

“I’m definitely wary of that as a producer as well, there’s been artists of all different levels of skill set and progression when they come into the studio, and you have to be very sensitive to that, and not push them too hard. 

In this day and age, the idea of an ‘overnight sensation’ has become a hot thing, when in reality, any artist marketed as such has worked hard for many years on their craft. These new artists in the industry needing to consider this, hard work and mentorship programs are almost required for anyone wanting to become a muso for a living.

“I think the adjustment of expectations is a real thing. I think a lot of younger artists probably expect too much. They might think, ‘Oh, I might get some big viral video’, and then ‘that’s it, I’m made’, when actually no, you’ve got to back that up with hard work and craftsmanship, and all this stuff that is kind of annoying and grinding. 

‘I think that can stop a lot of people quite quickly, because they go ‘Oh, but I got my song on Triple J’. It’s like, yes, so did people that have gone nowhere, because they didn’t put the time in, and they didn’t continue to foster their craft.”

For artists out there who love what they do, feel at home on a stage, and have an unwavering passion for music, you can apply for the Wild Turkey 101 Mentorship program with Matt Corby here.  

Alongside all of these exciting moments in the world of Matt Corby, he’s also got a new album, Everything’s Fine

“Hopefully it doesn’t fall on deaf ears,” Matt adds with a laugh. “I hope the crew that hear it like it enough and they share it with their mates.” 

Check out more info on The Wild Turkey Mentorship Program here. Entries are open from 22 March to 5 April 2023. Stream Matt’s new album Everything’s Fine here.