"Born into a family of musicians in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mateo was raised by a single mother where his early musical gifts were cultivated and developed. At age five, he began his classical training in piano and by age twelve began singing at his local church.

These experiences were instrumental in influencing his musical technique and distinctive sound; and prepared him to further hone his musical craft at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. After graduating, Mateo moved to New York City where he worked as a corporate consultant, while also performing at various venues around the city on the side.

Within a year, his burning desire to be closer to music caused him to leave the comforts of Corporate America and set his sights on Los Angeles to pursue his passion for music full time. Standing at a crossroad of entering the uncertain environment of music or continuing down the stable road of what society expected of him became a quite daunting and tumultuous time for him.

". . . . that was a major step for me. Throughout our lives we are convinced that there are only certain roads we can travel, certain jobs that we have to take and certain futures that we must accept. But if you have a passion or a dream, any road that takes you away from that, no matter how stable it is, is taking you away from your true self....so that is why I said enough is enough, music is in my soul not in a cubicle so I bounced" [Source: Mateo's MySpace http://www.myspace.com/mateosongs]

I first heard this guy sing when I seen a video of him online and he was doing a cover of the song "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. Needless to say I was pretty impressed with what I heard. Especially since I could tell that he was a good singer and not someone that hides behind good studio production. It was something about his style and delivery that drew me into his music. He's definitely a standout artist who is sure to see great success in his music in the future. Check out the tracks "Now I aint got you" & "Complicated" to see what I mean. 




Aaron Fields is the Sales Marketing Coordinator for KSTW-TV in Seattle. All opinions expressed in this column are strictly his.