Vancouver-based queer singer Mathew V is shaking up the Great American Songbook with his upcoming album Anything Goes.
Due out April 14 on 604 Records, the album seeks to reframe the assumed heteronormative narratives in tracks by legendary artists such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Henry Mancini and draws out queer perspectives from the elegant imprecision of their timeless lyrics.
“Queer culture, gay history, and jazz music have a lot of parallels,” Mathew explains in an official press statement. “Jazz music was vilified not just as a genre of music but as a lifestyle that society looked down upon. It was synonymous with sin. This music lives at the intersection of camp, glamor, and showmanship, which are all aspects that inform the very essence of my performance.”
Overall, this record allows Mathew to confidently share his stance on love, romantic trials, and tribulations with other men. He released the album’s first single on February 10, a take on Gershwin’s “The Man I Love.” Other songs included on the track list include covers of Mark Gordon and Harry Warren’s “At Last,” Jule Styne and Bob Merrill’s “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” and an original Marilyn Monroe-inspired song by Mathew titled “My Boy.”
A seasoned performer, Mathew has received critical acclaim for his work and was nominated last year for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the Juno Awards for his EP The Outer Circle. He has performed all over North America, and his catalogue now has over 85 million streams.
Mathew sat down with Instinct to talk more about Anything Goes and his artistry. Check out the full video interview below.
Mathew V…
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