I got to chat with keyboardist/vocalist Matt Johnson before the band’s concert at the University of Maryland (Go Terps!). Here are six things you just have to know about them…
1. When Matt and Kim started in 2004, they didn’t even know how to play their instruments. Now, they write all their music. But their creative process is one of a kind.
“Lyrics are so hard—definitely the hardest part of writing a song. Kim will write down sentences about what’s going on around her or whatever the song makes her think of--sentences that have nothing to do with each other. Then I’ll go through those sentences and pick ones that mean something to me and start putting those together, filling in the blanks, and adding rhyming words. At the end, the song will have written itself.”
2. They’re all for going after your passions.
“My parents told me I had no choice about college, but I could go for whatever I wanted to do. I went to college at Pratt for film. The band we did and still do because we [love] it. It never felt like work, but somehow it is by far the most profitable thing I’ve ever done. We do shows because we think they will be fun to play, not because we think we’ll make the most money. Making those decisions and just continuing with what you do because you want to do it, at least for us, turned out really well. I would never say play it safe [in life]. Go with what you love.”
3. Matt thought up the ideas for their “Lessons Learned” video and their Brooklyn Bridge photo.
“I love coming up with clever, creative ideas and bringing them to life. [“Lessons Learned”] is about when everything is gone, you hit the bottom, and then all of a sudden you’re totally free. You just don’t care anymore. In the end, we [won] that breakthrough video VMA award, and I [was] like, “Kim, now you have to listen to me and any of my stupid ideas!” With [our] Brooklyn bridge promo shot, I thought of when parents tell their kids, “If all your friends were jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you, too?” So I thought, let’s have Matt and Kim jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge.”
4. They weren’t expecting a VMA.
“We never expect anything. We just do stuff and see what happens. I’m still waiting for Kanye West to show up. I believe in ideas Kim and I have so, in that sense, I always hope for the best. But you never know.”
5. They love watching TV in their free time…wait, what free time?
“Sometimes, when we need to chill out, Kim and I have a group of television shows we like to watch like 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Lost, Flash Forward. If you ever have a rainy four hours when you want to get online and watch all the episodes, I highly suggest it.”
6. They love that their music doesn’t really fit a genre.
“I like that a lot of boundaries are getting blurred. The types of songs I love most are like the Gnarles Barkley song “Crazy” because it’s totally genre-less. You can hear it at the grocery store, or in the club. A little kid could like it, or someone’s grandparents could. [It’s hard to describe our sound]. If people want to go out and have fun, then Matt and Kim make sense.”
Thanks for an amazing concert, Matt and Kim!
Are you a Matt and Kim fan? What’s your favorite song? Blog about it, babes.
By: Kristen Yeung