What was it that initially drew you to writing music?
At a young age, my parents wanted me to have an extracurricular activity and put me in piano lessons, which sparked my love of music. Though I loved playing the piano, I did not like the lessons. With a little persuasion, my mother allowed me to stop taking the lessons but insisted that I continue to play each day for an hour. With that, I would start to write and create my own music, which turned into a therapeutic hobby of mine.
What was your big break?
I never saw myself writing music for film or television. I was in the mindset of “if it happens, it will happen.” I enjoyed working with other creatives and writing music. I guess my big break was being asked to produce the music for the Oprah Winfrey Network’s hit drama Greenleaf, produced by Oprah Winfrey. Though I wasn’t the composer on the show, I was hired to produce and write the songs for all of the musical performances in the series. Greenleaf was a life-changing experience and catapulted my career.
Greenleaf was a life-changing experience
What do you spend time on outside of composing?
I love sports and relaxing with my family. I am a husband and father of two and love to spend as much as time as I can with them. Composers’ schedules can be hectic at times, and most of my free time goes to my family.
What’s something you’re really passionate about?
I have a huge passion for working with the youth. Before my music career, I was a teacher. Music allowed me to connect with my students and was a vehicle in my lessons. I wanted my students to understand that fulfilling your dreams, gifts and passions can allow you to live an abundant life.
Fulfilling your dreams, gifts and passions can allow you to live an abundant life
About Matthew
Matthew Head is an Emmy, NAACP Image, and Peabody Award-winning and Grammy-nominated music producer and composer. Based in his hometown of Marietta, Georgia, Head’s work includes OWN’s Greenleaf, the Halle Berry and Lena Waithe-produced Boomerang on BET, P-Valley on Starz, PBS and WETA’s The Black Church: The is Our Story, This is Our Song, Lifetime’s Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, and after collaborating with Timbaland on Step Up: High Water season 2, is now the sole music producer for season 3 of the hit Starz series. With over 75 credits, Head has the unique ability to move an audience through music; to take a scene and accentuate key moments to increase the intensity of a line, word, glance, or motion.
The former elementary school teacher began playing piano at five and started writing songs by the time he was 12. Head is Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon’s go-to guy for theater productions. In 2017, he curated music for the reincarnation of Holler If Ya Hear Me and a star-studded production of Our Town that featured Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo. Head has also worked on hard-hitting documentaries like Wilmington of Fire and AJC’s Peabody Award-winning documentary Doctors & Sex Abuse – furthering his reputation as the region’s Renaissance man. Head’s solid work ethic, efficiency, and impeccable knack for knowing what soundscape helps draw viewers in and only elevates and enhances each project he touches.
You can find Matthew online at matthewheadproductions.com.
