MATHEA is Austria’s most successful musician. Before her second album is released, she looks back on Slutshaming, on a hit that wasn’t a hit at first, and the deep hole she fell into.
“2x” from Mathea is about love in the age of its technical reproducibility. The verses of the super hit are phrased in long arcs, sometimes in a whisper, the refrain is sung with the will to convince oneself. This is how pop can sound when rap has long been the new pop. The song ignites slowly. But then it is Mathea soon to be seen on billboards, on reels and on major festival stages. On Spotify became alone Mathea now streamed over 240 million times. She sees herself as an entertainer, singing about the feelings and problems of a woman in her mid-twenties. This includes – Claudia Stöckl was not too bad about it – also slut shaming. And on that, says Mathea, she has a lot to say.
Did you know that “2x” would be such a hit?
Mathea: In the studio we were so hyped. It’s so crazy how naive we were back then. But we were so convinced, we’re going to be the worst, the song goes to number one, we’re going to be rich! Looking back, I know how unrealistic that was. I wrote to the group shortly after, guys, I want “2x” to be my first single. And then the song was released a year later. On October 19, 2018. And nothing happened!
And then yes.
Mathea: We were very disappointed at first. The song was incredibly important to me, I was really looking forward to it coming out. The story behind the song is very real to me. Antenna Styria played the song and a few radio stations in Germany. I clung to that. There were a lot of cancellations from the radio stations, it was sobering. Until it picks up speed by itself. TikTok Germany contacted us and said hey Matheayou don’t want one with your viral hit TikTok make? I was like that, huh? And just before Christmas we found out that Ö3 tests the song. For me it was extremely bad. My manager warned me Mathea, it’s Christmas, the song may drop out again over the holidays if it doesn’t test well. Completely the opposite happened. And in March we were on the one.
How did “2x” come about?
Mathea: My mom often said to me, you always meet twice in life, be nice to people, someday you’ll see them again. That suited my situation. And I was in this other heartbreak phase. Not in this bad bitch phase. um Exactly. I wrote a song in my parents’ house that didn’t sound like the current one. Mostly my songs arise from my private life. You just try to formulate it coolly and get it across.
how did you grow up
Mathea: In Bruck an der Großglocknerstrasse, in summer I often went to my grandparents’ on the Erlhofalm, in winter I went skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn, we were a family of skiers. I’ve also often been to Zell am See, where quite a few Arab tourists pass by. I started playing there at the Wednesday festival when I was 15. I was there again recently, but only briefly, I am recognized and spoken to very often.
Were you at the music school?
Mathea: Exactly, in Bad Hofgastein im Pongau. I wanted to be a dancer, due to an unusual deformity in my hip I had many operations and had to switch to singing, so I consoled myself that I couldn’t dance properly.
Casting shows have notorious gag contracts.
Mathea: To be honest, I never assumed that I would The Voice even get into the blind auditions and their contract could take effect. I just wanted to try it out, at the first casting in Munich there were so many applicants, I thought fuck it, I’ll just do it. Meanwhile, my attitude has totally changed, I’m very ambitious, suddenly it was serious. I had a good presence on three shows. When I left the sing-offs, the contract became void. I was very disappointed.
And then?
Mathea: I really wanted to keep making music, but I had no plan because talent shows have nothing to do with the real music business. Songwriting, publishing house, label, you don’t learn that there. In 2017 I moved to Vienna and was able to get through The Voice, make contacts relatively quickly. I was at Puls4 to be a guest – like The Voice, that also belongs to ProSiebenSat.1 – there I met this Verena again, she could still remember me from a choir competition at my school and said after the interview, what are you doing? I said I really want to make music. And she said she knows someone. The next day, Tom Resch [Earcandy, Anm.] called. That impressed me, at that time there were Julian Le Play and With with him.
How long have you known John Autumn and David Slomo?
Mathea: I got to know Johannes and David quickly in Vienna, they have been with me since one of my songwriting sessions and have become family, I write a lot with them, Johannes also produces.
And Gerald Hoffmann, formerly Gerard MC?
Mathea: Tom Resch sent him demos and then didn’t let go. Gerald and I now live in Berlin, people keep asking us if we are siblings. The four of us also go to sessions, last summer we went to Mallorca to write.
He said you had the melody, he added a word to it, that’s how “chaos” came about?
Mathea: We were in the studio in Berlin, I wanted to cover this topic, I’m in love with my best friend. We had the tune and… Gerard still has the original recordings where I first got like, (hums) dun-uh, (speaks) how about we do something like, (hums) Cha-os, Cha-os because I don’t know what you are to me (speaks) He was next to it and said, yes, let’s take it like that. And that was it. That same weekend I was on the cover of one for the first time Spotify-Playlist.
“Most of the time the topic comes first and then the central phrase or the money line.”
Can you understand why some songs catch fire and others don’t?
Mathea: It’s a bit like playing poker. You can do your part, I always try to do my best, but for example with my single “Paris” I would have thought it had a lot more potential. The songs are very different for me. Most of the time, the topic comes first, followed by the central phrase or the money line. Sometimes there is such a feeling. At my feature with Fourty – “If you miss me” – I had a very intense feeling and I have it very often Fourty voiced to. In the studio I had that weird “2x” arrogance again. And it became a hit.
The song has a well-known hook from t.A.T.u.
Mathea: Sure, it’s generally a trend to pick up older songs. It was fun – we’re done with that TikTok played, people thought it was stolen. But of course we did it consciously.
Will there be a feature with Raphael Ragucci give?
Mathea: Let’s see what’s coming. [schmunzelt]
I like this question from Red Bullare you a normal 25 year old?
Mathea: Um, privately yes. Lovesickness still hurts, even if you drive a cooler car and have a nice apartment. But thank God it’s not difficult for me to stay grounded, because I surround myself with the same people as before success. And they don’t treat me any differently. But ask my friends. [lacht] I feel it when I play at festivals, when people approach me and of course on social media. My professional life is a bit more extravagant and doesn’t quite conform to the norm. This will also be a theme on my upcoming album.
Do genres matter to you?
Mathea: I think the boundaries between hip hop and pop are blurring a lot right now. If my songs are produced in a more urban way, they are still pop if you compare them to hard German rap. I’m actually not that much of a rock fan. But never say never. I’d say that while there’s a lot of hip-hop feel to the productions, my top lines are still very pop.
“I could have made a big deal out of it and pissed off my followers.”
Is it bitter that you had to justify yourself for your outfit at the Ukraine benefit in the Happel Stadium, but neither your male colleagues nor Claudia Stöckl for theirs sexist interview question?
Mathea: Very bitter. But justice prevails. And people noticed what happened in the interview. I didn’t comment on this on social media, I could have made a huge deal out of it and slammed my followers. I never commented on it because I just found it embarrassing. Good, it clicked. I get it. And yes, my second album is definitely coming.
Would you like to comment on socio-political issues?
Mathea: Sometimes I keep my mouth shut because I think other people can do it better than me. I am primarily an artist and musician – and not an activist. But topics that are extremely important to me, such as feminism or the Ukraine concert, I want to express myself and I can’t do anything else. I didn’t think that as a woman you have to justify yourself when you go on stage in a bra. I have a lot of female fans. And I definitely don’t want them to think maybe they shouldn’t wear what they want. No way. I will set a good example for my fans. Since I realized that there is still a huge thing to work on in Austria, I’ve been the first to stand up and say, girls, let’s not be treated like that.
Do you seem like someone who was primed for success?
Mathea: I now have that under control. After the first album it was super stressful, I was only on the road for a few months and in hotel rooms a lot, I was in public and hadn’t processed a lot. And then the lockdown came and I fell into a deep hole. I had money in my account for the first time and suddenly I was totally afraid of losing it. i used to im Humanic worked for 800 euros and didn’t worry about it. And suddenly I was afraid of losing everything again. I thought I actually have everything, I’m living the dream that so many want to live, I’m doing really well, I live in a nice apartment. But I feel really bad. And I didn’t dare to say that for a long time. When the time came, I spent a lot with my family and regained my strength. Thank goodness I was able to get over it.
Stefan Niederwieser
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Links:
Mathias (Facebook)
Mathea (TikTok)