Matt Stell

Matthew Neal Stell (born April 19, 1984) is an American country music singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His song "Prayed for You" and his EP Everywhere but On were released in 2019.

Matt Stell
Birth nameMatthew Neal Stell
Born (1984-04-19) April 19, 1984
Center Ridge, Arkansas, U.S.
GenresCountry
Years active2010–present
LabelsArista Nashville
Websitewww.mattstell.com

Early life

Stell was born in Clinton, Arkansas and raised in Center Ridge, Arkansas. He played basketball during high school in the Amateur Athletic Union summer league, and from 2002 to 2006, he played college basketball for Drury University for four years on an athletic scholarship.[1][2]

After college he worked farming and construction jobs while studying for a master's degree in communications at the University of Arkansas. A medical missions trip to Haiti inspired him to apply to a post-baccalaureate premedical program to complete pre-med coursework not taken as a religion and philosophy major.[3] He applied to Harvard University's Extension School part-time pre-med program, and he was accepted. But in 2014, shortly before the program would have begun, he had the opportunity to sign a publishing deal with Wide Open Music, and he chose music over starting the part-time pre-med program.[4][5]

Music career

In the early 2010s, he released three albums independently: The Sound and the Story, Vestibule Blues, and in March 2013, A River Through It.[6] on 124 Records. He continued playing gigs, and opened for major artists including Luke Bryan and Eric Church. He also wrote for other artists, including Bart Crow, Casey Donahew, and the John D. Hale Band.[7] He moved to Nashville in 2014.

Stell released an EP, Last of the Best, on March 16, 2018.[8] He also released the single, "Prayed For You", which he co-wrote with Allison Veltz and producer Ash Bowers.[9] Rolling Stone named "Prayed For You" one of the "10 Best Country Songs to Hear Now".[10] The song captured the attention of Barry Weiss, former president and CEO of Jive Records, who signed Stell to his label, RECORDS, in July 2018.[11] Keith Gale, president of Good Company Entertainment, signed on to promote the song to radio.[12] Also in 2018, Stell was named a CMT Discovery Artist.[13]

In February 2019, "Prayed For You" reached No. 36 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart[14] and in March 2019 it reached No. 54 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.[15] The song received over 15 million plays on Spotify and 44 million altogether within just over a year. The official music video for the song starred reality TV star Savannah Chrisley and her fiancé, hockey player Nic Kerdiles. It premiered at People on July 9, 2018[16] and received over 4.3 million views on YouTube in its first 10 months.

Matt made his Grand Ole Opry debut on April 27, 2019. The same month, Arista Nashville and Sony Music Nashville joined the team working to promote his career.[17][18] He makes a return appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on June 12, 2019 with Old Crow Medicine Show and the Del McCoury Band. In May, Taste of Country named him an Artist to Watch.[19] His major label debut EP, the seven-song Everywhere But On, released May 24, 2019 on RECORDS/Arista Nashville,[20] a week after the debut of the music video for the title track.[21] The EP includes a collaboration with Jimmie Allen.

On September 16, 2019, Stell was presented with a RIAA Gold Certification for "Prayed for You".[22]

Discography

Albums
  • Live at the Snorty Horse
  • The Sound and the Story
  • Vestibule Blues
  • A River Through It

Extended plays
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
Country
[23]
Last of the Best[8]
  • Release date: March 16, 2018
  • Label: Wide Open Records
 —
Everywhere but On
  • Release date: May 24, 2019
  • Label: RECORDS, Arista Nashville
 32
Better Than That
  • Release date: October 16, 2020
  • Label: RECORDS, Arista Nashville
 –
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles
Year Single Peak chart
positions		 Sales Certifications
US
[24]		 US Country
[25][26]		 US Country Airplay
[27]		 CAN Country
2019 "Prayed for You" 36 2 1 23
"Everywhere but On" 48 11 1 6

Notes

    References
    1. Puryear, Scott (August 27, 2019). "Former Panther Matt Stell Continues Musical Dream With Return To DU For June 15 Concert With Country Star Josh Turner". drurypanthers.com. Drury Athletics. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
    2. Brosius, Jeanni (16 April 2019). "A Dream Come True: Matt Stell Makes His Opry Debut". AY Magazine. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    3. Steffens, Beth. "Preview: Matt Stell and the Deep Roots". Vox Magazine. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
    4. Watts, Cindy (9 May 2019). "Matt Stell walked away from Harvard, earns hit song and Opry debut". Nashville Tennessean. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
    5. grace_martin (2017-02-23). "Sample Course Path for the Premedical Program". Harvard Extension School. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
    6. Ryan, Ben (28 March 2013). "Matt Stell, A River Through It". KKCN. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    7. Ira (3 April 2019). "Talking With Matt Stell – April 4, 2019". Talk About Las Vegas. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    8. "Country Singer/Songwriter Matt Stell Releases Debut EP, 'Last of the Best'". The Country Note. March 17, 2018.
    9. Liptak, Carena (April 11, 2019). "Story Behind the Song: Matt Stell, 'Prayed for You'". The Boot.
    10. Crawford, Robert (1 April 2019). "10 Best Country and Americana Songs to Hear Now: Blake Shelton, Alice Wallace". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    11. "10 Questions with ... Matt Stell". All Access. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    12. Roland, Tom (4 March 2019). "Matt Stell Captures A Life-Changing Journey In 'Prayed For You'" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    13. Bonaguro, Alison (11 April 2019). "How Matt Stell Keeps the Faith". CMT News. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    14. Karp, Hannah (12 April 2019). "Why RECORDS CEO Barry Weiss Is Betting on Country - and Unproven Talent - in His Latest Act". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    15. Roland, Tom (13 March 2019). "More Than a (Gut) Feeling: Streaming Data Changes Game For Country Artists Launching Debut Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    16. Mizoguchi, Karen (9 July 2018). "Savannah Chrisley Stars in Her First Music Video (with Her Boyfriend!) After Dad Todd's Approval". People. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    17. "Matt Stell Benefits From New Partnership With Arista Nashville". All Access. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    18. Nicholson, Jessica (29 April 2019). "RECORDS, Sony Music Nashville Announce New Partnership Deal With Matt Stell". Music Row. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
    19. Houghton, Cillea (1 May 2019). "Who's Rising Now? 5 Artists to Watch in May 2019". Taste of Country. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
    20. Freeman, Jon (May 10, 2019). "'Prayed for You' Singer Matt Stell Details 'Everywhere but On' EP". Rolling Stone.
    21. "Matt Stell Debuts New Music Video For EVERYWHERE BUT ON". Broadway World. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
    23. "Matt Stell". Billboard.
    24. "Chart Search: Matt Stell". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
    25. "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard.com. March 23, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
    26. "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard.com. March 23, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
    27. "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard.com. October 7, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2002.
    28. Bjorke, Matt (December 8, 2019). "Top 30 Digital Country Tracks - Pure Sales: December 9, 2019". Rough Stock. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
    29. "American single certifications – Matt Stell – Prayed for You". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
    30. "American single certifications – Matt Stell – Everywhere but On". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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