brownbear — “Help Musicians is an essential charity, they provide emotional support and put musicians first”
Matt’s 2023 album Demons was nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year Award
The origins of brownbear
Things are different now but I grew up in the 90s and to pass the time, you would go through the CD collection and just pick things out. Whenever I was bored, I would listen to music like that. I grew up in a house with people that just loved music.
Growing up with music-obsessed parents and a massive collection of CDs in the home, Matt Hickman was fascinated by music from an early age and eventually started playing in bands at school in Ayrshire, Scotland. Whilst he had no problems playing the guitar onstage, singing was not something that came naturally to Matt because he was so shy as a teenager.
“Everybody wants to be the lead guitarist in a band but we had to draw straws to see who would be the singer. I really didn’t want to do it and was so nervous. When my mum used to take me to church on the weekend, I would always mime rather than sing.
“But then I did some shows and after a while I loved it. I realised I was never going to be as good as everyone else at guitar but became obsessed with writing songs.”
In 2014, Matt started his own artistic project called brownbear and achieved early success. His debut single ‘Dead or Alive’ catapulted him onto the airwaves of Radio X and BBC Radio 1 and saw him touring with household names like The Libertines, Michael Kiwanuka, The View and Reverend and the Makers.
Videos for ‘One More Night’ and ‘Close Call’
Like most musicians, Matt’s career trajectory was drastically affected by Covid. Not knowing when live shows would return, he began thinking of other ways to engage his audience and eventually reached out to Help Musicians for support with producing a music video.
The charity’s help allowed him to create a high-quality video for brownbear’s single ‘One More Night’ and although Covid restrictions interfered with video production along the way, the process was a refreshing experience, particularly during the pandemic. The music video for ‘One More Night’ was released in February 2022 and was well received by brownbear’s audience. As Matt explained, “people really engaged with that video because it is different and funny.”
It was great to be able to make the video and be working, I felt like I had purpose again. A lot of bands don’t get to spend time investing in visuals and figuring out how they help your career because there’s no support, but when you have that help it allows for creativity.
Additionally, we were also able to support Matt with the release of his music video for lead single ‘Close Call’. The song was really well received on the radio and gave Matt momentum in the release of his Help Musicians-supported album Demons in March 2023
Matt used assistance from the charity for radio plugs and press coverage, a decision which had a considerable impact on the album’s eventual reach. “The charity’s support gave us great contacts and we ended up doing a session for BBC Scotland, which was a huge deal. The single from the record was in the Scottish Top 10, so you can see the steps and how one thing leads to another.”
Matt knows better than most that even a little bit of support can have a dramatic impact on independent artists trying to take steps forward in their career. “A lot of artists cannot be full time with music or aren’t signed to a major label, so we rely on bits of input to be able to move forward and have the same chance of competing against major label artists.”
Support from Help Musicians allows people to take logical career steps and we are proof that a little bit of help can go a long way. With this last record for example, it went from ‘I don’t know how we’re going to release this record’ to ‘we have serious momentum behind it, a top ten hit in Scotland and have been nominated for Scottish Album of the Year’.
Longlisted for Scottish Album of the Year
Demons was released in March 2023 and represents an important milestone in Matt’s journey as brownbear. The record charted in the Scottish Top 10 and was longlisted for the 2023 Scottish Album of the Year Award alongside established artists such as Young Fathers, Paolo Nutini and Hamish Hawk.
Matt never set out to write an album that would be rewarded with award nominations but does acknowledge the impact that being longlisted for such a prestigious award could have on his career.
“I have seen a jump in not only streams, but the conversation around brownbear and a legitimacy to those conversations. I won’t know the full effect of the nomination until we start playing shows. It’s nice to have the recognition but it’s not going to change the journey because it wasn’t part of the plan anyway.”
I don’t have a manager, agent, publisher or a label, I do everything myself. I’m always sitting there thinking ‘what am I supposed to do next?’ To go from that and then be on a list with huge acts like Young Fathers gives me a lot of hope that my songs are good enough. I just need to keep my head up, keep going and know there is a place for me.
Business Advice
Matt also cites the business advice sessions as an essential aspect of the charity’s support, and one that many musicians do not consider at first. “I have said it so many times but that is almost the most beneficial aspect of Help Musicians’ support. Moving on from those meetings, I was able to use the things I learned when we released Demons and I’ve taken more steps forward since.”
With the business advice sessions, it was so great to get all these pieces of advice across different areas. They really helped to mould the way I work. It gave me an appreciation of the importance of marketing, and that’s something we really focused on for Demons – marketing, visuals, making sure everything we present is of a high standard.
Photo Credit: Gabby Secomb-Flegg
The business advice sessions are in addition to the health and welfare support offered by Help Musicians. Post-Covid, Matt had found returning to touring a real challenge. Amidst the struggle of adjusting of life after Covid, he had doubts over whether his career would ever be the same again. Fortunately, the charity were able to support Matt through his bouts of anxiety and depression.
Help Musicians aren’t just about financial or business support, they consider the wellbeing side too. It was hard to adjust from two years of not performing to suddenly being back. Financially I was all over the place as well because I had lost two years of income but Help Musicians were able to get me out of a terrible place.
Ten years of brownbear
In 2024 Matt is celebrating ten years of brownbear and is hopeful he can commemorate the milestone with an anniversary tour. There is demand for shows in England and Matt has even held talks about playing gigs in the United States, so hopefully the year has much to offer.
“Help Musicians is an essential resource for musicians. They provide emotional support and put musicians first. The team really do care so if you are thinking of applying then get in touch. The charity want to help you succeed and they want musicians from all backgrounds to have the equal opportunity to do so.”
Photo credit: Simon Murphy