Matthew James: ‘I’m in a nostalgic mood so I’m going through my Depeche Mode collection’

The former Red Electrick frontman’s passion for music started early: banging on his parents’ Casio keyboard aged one. Fast-forward to 2014, when Matthew joined Railway Studios as visual director, directing music videos and writing songs for Maltese artists. In 2018, Matthew left Red Electrick to pursue a solo career – his latest single ‘1991’ is a collaboration alongside mteam, micimago, Kugene and Mr. M, and has been number one on the PRS Malta Top 20 Airplay Chart for over a month

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Coffee.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Be kind.

What do you never leave the house without?

Hand sanitizer.

Pick three words that describe yourself

Joker, passionate, overthinker.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

Making a living out of my passion.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Switching my mobile off and disconnecting from the chaos.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Have a few friends you can trust, not many you can’t.

Property and cars aside, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?

I think it’s my drone.

What is one thing you wish you knew when you were younger?

That happiness has nothing to do with games, success and fortune.

Who’s your inspiration?

Many people inspire me in different ways.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Ignoring rumours.

If you weren’t a musician what would you be doing?

Either a filmmaker or a writer.    

Do you believe in God? 

Asking if God exists or not is like asking an ant to recite Shakespeare… our brain is not evolved enough to understand certain things in this reality.

If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would it be?

Jim Carrey.

What’s your worst habit?

Overthinking.

What are you like when you’re drunk?

Not a drinker. But I do get more confident and geeky-funny when I take a few drinks.

Who would you have play you in a film?

Ben Stiller.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Narcissism.

What music would you have played at your funeral?

‘Anything’ by Brian Eno.

What is your most treasured material possession?

My Gibson J 40 Original 1978 acoustic guitar.

What is your earliest memory?

Running in my grandparents’ garden.

When did you last cry, and why?

During a movie because my crying-during-movies threshold is lower than a toddler’s.

Who would you most like to meet?

Neil deGrasse Tyson.

What’s your favourite food?

Spaghetti with any sauce really.

Who’s your favourite person on social media right now?

All the Eh Bee family! They are so creative and adorable at the same time!

If you could travel in time, where would you go?

I’m a dino geek so if it were in the past, I’d have to visit those periods, even though I would most probably fail to make it back in those conditions. If it were the future, I would go to a time when intergalactic travel is possible. We would have most probably met new extra-terrestrial life and that is super cool. Yeah… I’m a geek.

What book are you reading right now?

‘Brief Answers to the Big Questions’ by Stephen Hawking.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Time-travel.

What’s one thing you want to do before you die?

Travel to Asia.

What music are you listening to at the moment?

I’m in a nostalgic mood at the moment, so I’m going through my Depeche Mode collection and loving every second.

In the shower or when you’re working out, what do you sing/listen to?

Vulfpeck.