MATTHEW GARWOOD
That tattooed tenor.
“I have terrible anxiety and am incredibly selfconscious. It’s through my tattoos that I have found a sense of comfort.”
DNA: Tattoos and ballads are an unusual mix. Which came first? Matthew Garwood: Musical theatre came first when I was 16, but I didn’t start taking the classical side of singing seriously until years after getting my first tattoo at 18. What was your first tattoo and how many do you have? My first was the Transformers Autobot symbol in between my shoulder blades. The easiest way to count them is to say I have one from my big toe to my butt cheek, one from the fingers on my right hand up my arm, neck and chest, one on my right hand and fingers and the one on my back… so, four [laughs]. You obviously decided to own your body art by calling your album The Tattooed Tenor. Why? The title incorporates the two elements that represent me as an artist on this album. Tattooed because of my contemporary look and approach to the classical genre I take, and tenor to pay tribute to the style of the songs. How did appearing on The Voice change your life? Significantly! It gave me the platform to get noticed by the record labels and evidently picked up by one [laughs]. The last few months have been a lot of f lying, recording, media and PR. I haven’t had a job for the last 12 months. It’s just been gigs and appearances, which is what the dream is for any artist.
What made you go on the show? The whole blind audition process was the main draw card. The thought that I could sing and not be judged on my appearance was the perfect opportunity for me. The obvious reason being that I look so different to how people think I should with the music I sing.
Did you get recognised a lot afterwards? Just about every time I’m out someone will come up to me and mention how they saw me during my time on The Voice. It does, however, depend on how covered up I am. If I have all my tattoos covered, glasses and a beanie on, I can almost f ly by incognito. Did you grow up with many gay people in Tasmania? I wouldn’t say I grew up with many that I know of, but certainly I have a lot of gay friends as I have moved through, studied and worked in the arts and musical theatre.
Tasmania has become very gay-friendly in recent years with [progressive art museum] MONA. I think that society as a whole is becoming more accepting and less discriminating to an extent. Equality has very much been a big talking point in Tasmania over the last couple of years.
How was growing up on the Apple Isle? I loved growing up in Tassie. There is a real sense of family, community and the arts scene is really vibrant and well-supported. Unfortunately, as in any small city, there is a touch of the tall poppy syndrome and big fish, small pond mentality. And there aren’t quite the professional opportunities in the arts that the mainland has.
Who were your musical heroes growing up? I don’t know if I could name them exactly, but my playlists have always been highly occupied with heavy metal [laughs]. I really do like almost all types of music, and I love me some Frank Sinatra. Can we expect to see you performing at a gay dance party sometime soon? If people could get down to my style. We may need to look at some dance remixes. When you’re performing does the shirt always come off? You may find it hard to believe, but I have terrible anxiety and am incredibly self- conscious. It’s through my tattoos that I have found a sense of comfort. I think a lot of that was to do with finding out who I really am as a person. So it actually hardly ever comes off [laughs]. Also because the events and the music I sing doesn’t always call for it to come off. That may change with the more success and confidence I find perhaps. Would you like your gay fans to take off their shirts and show you their tattoos as a sign of appreciation? As long as they felt comfortable, the venue or event was appropriate to do so and they weren’t going to die from hyperthermia [laughs]! Some people are funny about others looking at their tattoos, but I think of mine as art to be shown. Who’s your diva? Beyoncé. She is the Queen Bee!
Who’s your man crush? Jared Leto for sure – someone who can front a rock band, sing, scream and be an award-winning actor… and I’m so jealous of his hair. Very closely followed by Johnny Depp and Hugh Jackman.
What’s your best feature? My smile. It generally gets me out of as much trouble as it gets me into [laughs]. My worst? It took me a long time to grow into my ears… and even now, when I was on The Voice I saw one person put up a pic of me next to Wallace from Wallace And Gromit [laughs]. What’s the one thing that might surprise people about you? I have never been in a relationship with someone who has had a single tattoo! Don’t judge a book by its cover I guess is my main message. Be true to yourself because it can really pay off.
MORE: Go to www.matthewgardwood.com or find him on Facebook as Matthew Garwood Official. The Tattooed Tenor is released through Universal Music.