Interview: Scared As Me With Matteo Germeno
Interview by Lindsey V. Britt
Matteo Germeno is an up-and-coming German indie-rock artist making waves in the German English-speaking music scene, with inspiration from 80s movies and artists including Red Light Company and The Killers, he has created hits such as “You (Like Lightning)”, “Crash Into Your World”, and his newest song “Scared As Me”.
Can you tell us a little bit about your newest song “Scared As Me”?
“Scared As Me” for me is kind of the start of a new chapter, cause I really wanted to make a song that represents where I’m from musically and stylistically. Kind of like reminiscent of the bands that I grew up on, bands from the ’80s but also newer stuff like The Killers, or The 1975. And so stylistically, I wanted to create something that was reminiscent of these kinds of bands. I’m very happy about the way it turned out. I’m very happy it’s finally out!
“Scared As Me” is the start of a new chapter. What can you share about this next chapter?
Yeah, I’m looking forward to it cause I changed some things concerning the whole approach I’d say. I’m doing a lot more by myself now, which feels different but in a good way cause I have more control over everything. And it’s nice to always know what’s going on. It can be stressful at times, but I’d say overall it’s a good experience.
Last year you released your EP Fever Dream, what was it like creating the EP?
That was quite the whirlwind for me. It’s been quite a long complicated process because some of these songs I released with a label and some of these songs were released by myself. And so it’s been a long process for me that was very interesting and a lot during that time. I learned a lot about the music industry and how all these things work and where I want to go musically.
How did you get started in music?
I actually started playing the guitar when I was like 8 or 9, that was the beginning for me, and I always liked indie-rock bands.
What is your favorite band?
I’d say my all-time favorite band is The Cure.
You come from a band background and always perform with a band, why is that so important to you?
I grew up playing in bands and spent most of the time in rehearsal rooms just covering songs or trying to write songs and that’s like where I’m from musically. And so starting this solo thing, it was very important to me to always have a band with me live, cause I want the songs to still feel like a band experience. And I feel like doing that with a backing track or only playing acoustic versions live that wouldn’t really do the songs justice. So it’s very important for me to always have a band with me live. And I have a great band with me, we all get along very well.
Are there any plans for a tour or stateside show soon?
We’re kind of working towards that but it’s still a way to go, it’s a lot of organizing and a lot of planning that we have to do but it’s something that we really wanna do.
How do you think the German music scene compares to other places like Los Angeles, Nashville, London, and Sydney?
I’d say the German scene is quite different cause there’s a lot of indie music. But most of the Indie music over here is actually in German so English indie-rock or indie-pop is not that common, I’d say so. Especially in Munich where I’m from I don’t really feel like there’s a big scene, and so that’s kind of hard sometimes. ‘Cause I feel like if there’s a scene, if there’s like a movement going on, you can help each other out and play on each other’s shows. And I think it’s easier to start something, whereas here, it’s kind of, I don’t know, a little less common.
What made you decide to make music in English?
I kind of always listened to English bands mostly from the UK and also American bands. And that was kind of the only option for me cause it’s always been the only type of music that I listen to. So that was the only type of music that I wanted to create and so that was already a decision being made very early on.
Is there an artist you would love to collaborate with?
Yeah, there’s a lot of them but one I really love is Del Water Gap. I love his music. I stumbled across his music not that long ago actually. I’m pretty late to the Del Water Gap party but when I first listened to his songs, I immediately fell in love. I love his stuff and I think he’s just an amazing artist, so I’d love to collaborate with him.
Is David Hasselhoff really as popular over there as he says he is?
That’s true, he’s a big star here, I guess everywhere but yeah.
You’ve mentioned that you make music for 80’s coming-of-age movies. I’m curious what your favorite 80’s movies are?
That’s a hard question, I like a lot of the John Hughes movies, I think he’s great, He really kind of captures that vibe very well so I like a lot of his work.
Lastly, do you have a recommendation? This can be anything, song, book, advice, place, honestly whatever you want.
Let me think, so there’s this album that I listened to growing up and it’s been on repeat in the car every day, and it’s part of my musical DNA I would say. And I think more people should know about the album and it’s called Fine Fascination by a band called Red Light Company. It’s just an amazing Indie-Rock album, it shaped the way that I write music, the way that I listen to music, and I’m a huge fan of that album I still listen to it every day and it still feels fresh, so I think that’s my recommendation.
Be sure to check out “Scared As Me” now on all music streaming platforms, along with the rest of Germeno’s amazing discography.
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