Blast

My name is Matt and at twenty years old, standing around six foot two inches tall with blonde hair and blue eyes, I may sound like an average young man, but I am also lucky enough to be one of BBC Cornwall's 2009 Blast music reporters!

Hailing from St Austell, I was born and raised in Cornwall, and am currently studying Journalism at a university level. The reason I applied for the position of BBC Blast music reporter is because music is something that affects everybody, no matter what style or genre.

Matt performing on stage

I feel that I can bring more of the Cornish music scene into the spotlight by working as a Blast reporter, by bringing to light young bands and artists that may be bypassed by other people, alongside local events.

Music is a constant in my life, whether it's listening to, creating, performing or simply humming a tune, it's something that I feel very passionately about and I am keen to display this in my work with the BBC.

At college I studied both music and English alongside other subjects, and upon leaving I aimed to combine the two in a way that would enable me to be creative whilst incorporating something that I enjoy, which was of course music.

Two of my heroes in the area are Zane Lowe and the late, great John Peel. The reason these two figures are important to me is that John Peel was not afraid to play new music (albeit not necessarily playing it at the right speed) and introduced many new bands to the public.

Zane Lowe is an influence as it is obvious that he has an undying love for all different sorts of music, from metal to hip-hop and everything else in between and beyond. Also he is seen presenting at numerous music events and interviewing bands throughout the year, including artists of all differing backgrounds, styles and genres.

Matt is from St Austell

My personal music taste is very eclectic ranging from funk-metal to electronica, as I can appreciate every aspect of music. A way in which I have learnt to do this is through my own involvement in bands, which I have done since my early teens, which included gigging and recording at a studio.

The time we spent recording sparked my interest in sound engineering and radio production, which is an area which I hope to learn more about on my Blast placement.
My other interests include film, art and literature. Alongside (trying to) maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I am looking forward to my position at BBC Cornwall as a Blast reporter as Cornwall is quickly becoming well known for its vast amount of emerging talent and cultural events, which I aim to report at the best of my ability to aid the county in gaining recognition as a source of inspiration as well as a breeding ground for creativity.