A soulful ballad opens Matteson Gregory’s latest single “War With Myself.” After a brief pause, a marching pop beat comes crashing in carrying and lifting “War With Myself” to new heights. Growing up in Missouri, Matteson has always lived a life infused with music. Learning to play the guitar at 12 years old, songwriting didn’t take long to follow, and ever since, Matteson Gregory has been inching closer and closer to a successful career in the music industry.
“War With Myself” is creating awareness about the stigma of mental health millions walk around with every day. Emotional and raw lyrics such as: “ I’m at war with myself, don’t know how to ask for help” and “ it’s hard to deal with life when your mind has a mind of its own,” highlights an eternal struggle so play on repeat every day. Matteson sings about self-doubt and depression with such clarity and vulnerability. A message of hope and acceptance bleeds through her harmonic verses that are set to a lush array of pop -synth beats, instrumentals, and corralling vocalizations. The listener is enveloped in her message and taken along a lyrical path of courage and belief in oneself. Matteson has championed the stigma surrounding mental health, vesting herself into this profound and emotionally enlightening song. We were touched and empowered after listening to Matteson Gregory’s new song, “War With Myself.” We encourage everyone to listen and refer anyone that may be dealing with their own mental health struggles to also press play.
Discover “War With Myself” here.
Hello Matteson, and welcome to BuzzMusic. We were certainly blown away by your new single “War With Myself”, we thought your honesty and courage were really on full display here. Can you tell us more about your connection to the song?
I have always struggled with anxiety and depression. I knew going into the studio I wanted to write a song about my personal struggles but in a way that was inspirational. I want people to know that it's okay to have a mental illness and that it doesn’t make you weak. For years I would think that because of my anxiety I was weak or because I don’t look like those models I’m not beautiful. I want people to know that they matter and that their mental illness does not make them any less of a person.
What is your goal when you create music? “War With Myself” is certainly a song that so many can connect to on so many levels. Do you always aspire to sing about the relatable subject matter?
Anytime I go to write music, my goal is to create something that people can connect too. Mental health has always been an issue that has been close to my heart so with this song I wanted to be as personal as possible because I find that makes the song more relatable.
You mentioned you grew up in a household surrounded by music. Were there any artists that you grew up listening to that really influenced your sound we hear today?
I grew up listening to so many different artists. I listened to the Beastie Boys with my dad, Stevie Nicks with my mom, and Frank Sinatra with my grandparents. Pretty much every genre was present in my household. My musical influences are almost split between the musical aspect and the lyrical aspect. Lyrically I have been inspired by Ryan Tedder, Taylor Swift, and Freddie Mercury. Musically, I feel like I’m inspired by everything. I always am looking at new ways to make the next song different.
“War With Myself” really is an anthem for mental health awareness. What supports do you put in place in your own life to process any feelings of self-doubt or anxiety?
Over the years I’ve learned that I just have to keep my mind busy. Whether that’s working on new music, working out, running errands, or hanging out with my friends or family. Of course, some days are better than others. I still have days where I’ll wake up feeling hopeless and full of doubt. It took me years to train my brain to be like “ Hey you’ll be okay. This is how you are feeling right now but it doesn’t mean that’s how you’ll feel tomorrow. You’ve gotten through this before and you can do it again.”
What can we expect to see next from you?
As of right now I’ve been working hard on writing new music and booking more gigs. With everything going on in the world everything is very up in the air. For sure I want to release more music.
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