MATTIS is a former punk rocker well-known on the Copenhagen underground art scene and quite impossible to miss with his staggering 6 feet 8 inches in height. He eventually hung up his studded leather jacket and adopted a more vulnerable and soulful sound fronted by his characteristic deep vibrato voice. 

He debuted in 2017 with the critically acclaimed ‘Loverboy’ and even hit #1 on good ol’ Hype Machine! This Summer MATTIS is back with new music: The vibrant, alternative pop song, ‘Enough Of My Love’, and a beautiful Nick Drake-esque cover of ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac.

These songs have both been therapeutic to Mattis Jakobsen – a young man who has never known how to show or tell openly about his feelings. He’s at a point in his life where being true to yourself and authentic in life is most important and the two songs are a result of those emotions. 

Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?

I started out playing in rock and punk bands, even supported Bloodhound Gang on their europe tour when I was sixteen, that was fun. I was always the person writing the songs and making things happen so I after some years of playing various punk and rock bands it was just naturally to do a solo act where it was all my vision of how something should sound and look like – and Mattis was born. 

How would you describe the highs and lows of being an artist? 

Being an artist is all about highs and lows, especially if you’re upcoming. The highs of going on stage seeing and hearing people reacting positively to your music. The lows of not being able to pay your rent. The highs of writing a song that’s just pure fire and the lows of not coming up with anything at all for several months. You have to have a lot of grit to be an artist and persist even when you’re had writers block for months and the landlord is knocking on your door – but at the same time I love everything about it and I think it encompasses life’s ups and downs very clearly.  

Who are your all time musical influences?

I love all kinds of music and the amount of great artists is almost endless but there are a few that stand out or at least there are few I literally have dreamt of being a part of and that is Nirvana and Radiohead. I have had dreams of both bands, the classic dream where they have an emergency and need a guitarist or bass player at the last minute just before going on stage “does anyone play guitar?”. Mattis: “I do…” haha. 

What are some sources of inspiration for you?

Everything in life but almost just other great music. 

Favorite activity to blow off some steam?

Fresh air! Going for a walk, a run and/or going fishing. I love going fishing. We have some great fishing water in Denmark. 

Tell us about your latest release and how it came about?

My latest release is “Enough Of My Love” which I wrote with KF Reichhardt, Lasse Boman and another great artist called Drew Sycamore. The song is about showing your love to the one(s) you love. Something that I have always had difficulty doing but fortunately have become better at. That also includes just singing about it, which makes this newest release a nerve-racking but also huge new step for me to take and that I’m proud of. 

How do you fight anxiety and creative blocks?

I deal with anxiety and creative blocks by taking some time off. It’s underrated and also so difficult to do because when you don’t write anything and do anything what you naturally wanna do is to try to do more to make up for everything you haven’t done and that just makes things so much worse and can really push you down into a block and eventually anxiety. So I just try to take it as chill as possible and remember to take my breaks and go on vacation because I have learned the hard way that is where you are the most creative and productive. 

What’s the future looking like for you?

The future for me leads to playing concerts as a solo artist all over the world. I always wanted to play in Asia and South America and can’t wait to the day I get the chance to do that. 

What is one of the most memorable moments in your career?

A few years back I was visiting an old friend in Copenhagen on a Wednesday, we ended up drinking a few beers and it got late, probably around 1 am. I rode home on a bike (you bike a lot in Copenhagen Denmark) when I saw a person laying face down with her head on the concrete underneath a parked car. It was in the middle of the night and there was no one around and I stopped and parked my bike and went over to her. As I walked I asked loudly “Are you alright?” – I heard nothing back so I approached her and turned her over. What I saw was an elderly woman with her eyes open but not alive. 

I realized that she probably had a heart attack so I quickly took my phone and called 911, holding the phone between my shoulders and head. I began giving her CPR with 911 on the line to instruct me while we waited for the ambulance to arrive. After 7 seven long minutes of CPR they finally arrived. I stepped aside and they began to get her alive again. They managed to get her breathing after ten minutes, shook my hand, thanked me and drove her to the hospital. I don’t know what happened to her after that but I have been super proud of myself for doing so ever since that I didn’t panic or anything, that I stopped and helped. That’s one of my proudest moments. I hope she’s alive and well today.