Which songs helped Mathew V during his formative years?
We all have those songs that are forever ingrained in our coming-of-age stories. Songs that gave us hope, played during our first kiss, helped us feel fierce, or simply helped us understand ourselves a little bit better. This is oftentimes particularly true for LGBTQ artists.
Throughout the month of June, and only on PRIDE, LGBTQ+ artists are curating and sharing playlists that reflect their formative years—their Soundtracks of Pride.
Singer-songwriter Mathew V shares a piece of himself with every track he records. Scroll down to check out V's playlist and read why he picked each song!
"Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" - Shania Twain
"This was the first and only song I sang until I was 7 years old (I was born this gay.) I would roll on the ground and lip-sync for my entire family while wearing a cheerleader pom pom as a wig. Shantay I stay!"
"Thats the Way It Is" - Celine Dion
"My parents blessed me with TASTE, raising me with the music of these Canadian QUEENS. I think Celine is the greatest vocalist of all time, but also such an LGBT ally. I have a Celine Dion tattoo on my shoulder that not many people know about."
"Oops!... I Did it Again" - Britney Spears
"While other kids were watching Barney… I grew up watching this video on repeat. Explains a lot."
"Give Your Heart A Break" - Demi Lovato
"Queen of bops. When everyone on my baseball team was discussing whatever they were discussing… I was praising pop queen Demi Lovato and listening to this on repeat. Sue me."
"Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
"Ok I’m so sorry Carrie, but you were fully my beard. I made collages of her on my duotangs and told classmates that she was my dream woman. Next please."
"Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga
"This one did it…. made me gay. I remember seeing the music video and it was so glamorous and extra. Also Lady Gaga was so vocal about LGBT rights and was one of the first people I heard speaking up for ME in the media."
"Sledgehammer" - Fifth Harmony
"This is the most played song in my iTunes Library….. y’all…. I- … I listened to it 5607 times. I know the choreography. Hello my name is Mathew V and I have a problem. Please don’t fix me."
"Blank Space" - Taylor Swift
"When I lived in London, I walked around Regent’s Park EVERYDAY listening to 1989 on repeat. It had nothing to do with me being gay… but I happened to be gay while listening. That was enough."
"Picking Up the Pieces" - Paloma Faith
"I discovered Paloma Faith while living in the UK at 17 and I saw this video and it influenced my entire direction as an artist. The GLAMOUR. I wanted to be her. Still do."
"Domino" - Jessie J
"I waited 10 hours to see Jessie J live in London at a gay club called G-A-Y. It was my first time in a gay club. Lots of sweat. But it was the most amazing live show I had ever seen."
"Superbass" - Nicki Minaj
"Mathew in high school would finish his homework assist as possible so he could learn all the lyrics to this song. Love that for me."
Listen to Mathew V's playlist!
And for the rest of the Soundtracks of Pride series, click here! And check out Mathew V's latest music video for "Flashback" below!
