Matthew Joseph Mole (born 28 October 1991) is a South African singer-songwriter from

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. He is the winner of the

South African Music Awards The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in ...

record of the year 2021.

Early life and education

Matthew Mole is from

Fish Hoek Fish Hoek (, meaning either Fish Corner or Fish Glen) is a coastal suburb of Cape Town at the eastern end of the Fish Hoek Valley on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape, South Africa. Previously a separate municipality, Fi ...

. Mole's father taught him how to play the guitar. He later learned how to play ukulele, banjo, piano, organ, and drums. He started writing his own music at the end of high school. According to Mole, his approach to writing music involves starting with a lyrical idea, a rhythm or a melody, and then recording different instruments and switching back and forth between them to build a finished song. Mole studied

music production A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

in Cape Town in 2010.

Career

His independent EP ''You Did Well, Kid'' was released online in 2011. He also opened his other singles for free on the Internet. In August 2012, he won Converse's Get Out of the Garage competition, which awarded him a gig in London's

100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...

and a recording session at Converse's studio in New York. After winning the competition, he signed to Just Music and released his second EP, ''Same Parts, Same Heart'', in December 2012. His song from the EP, "Same Parts, Same Heart," was included in the soundtrack of the film ''

Leading Lady A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

.'' Mole recorded and released his debut studio album, ''The Home We Built'', in 2013. The album was produced by Matthew Fink. Mole became the first South African artist to enter the iTunes SA chart at #1 on the first day of releasing his debut album. The album received nominations for Male Artist of the Year, Best Pop Album, and Best Engineer of the Year (Matthew Fink). Mole also received a nomination for Best Newcomer in the MK Awards. His second album, ''Run'', was released in 2016, followed by ''Ghost,'' released in November 2019. ''Run'' was ranked number 1 on South Africa's iTunes within three months of release, and the single "Run" achieved Gold Status within three months of release. At the 23rd Annual

, the album was nominated for Best Pop Album, Best Produced Album, and Record of the Year. Mole describes his musical style as folk with an electronica influence. In live performances, Mole can be seen playing guitar, synth, kick drum, and triggered beats at the same time. He has performed at festivals such as 5FM's Cape Town Live Loud,

947 Year 947 (Roman numerals, CMXLVII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – A Principality of Hungary, Hungarian army led by Grand Prince Taksony of Hungary, Taksony campaign ...

's Joburg Day, East Coast Radio's Durban Day, Oppikoppi, Rocking the Daisies, K Day, the Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concert, Redhill School's Redfest, and the

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...

. He has performed in South Africa, the UK, the US, Thailand, and Russia. In 2020, Mole campaigned with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and NPO, WILDTRUST to raise awareness for ocean protection. He and his wife Jess are featured in a video highlighting the importance of oceans to the environment. Matthew_Mole_performing_at_Huawei_Joburg_Day

Matthew_Mole_performing_at_Huawei_Joburg_Day

Discography

Awards

* Winner of Converse's Get Out of the Garage Competition *The 20th Annual

Nominee for Male Artist of the Year and Best Pop Album (2014) * An MK Awards nomination in the Newcomer category. * He is the winner of the

record of the year 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mole, Matthew Living people Artists from Cape Town 21st-century South African male singers South African male guitarists White South African people 1991 births 21st-century South African guitarists