Matt Heafy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matt Heafy
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Heafy at Hellfest 2019 playing his Les Paul “Snøfall” Custom guitar
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| Background information | |
| Born | January 26, 1986 Iwakuni, Japan |
| Origin | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
Matthew Kiichi Heafy (born January 26, 1986) is a Japanese-American musician. He is best known as the guitarist and lead singer for the heavy metal band Trivium. He also sang for the band Capharnaum. In 2017, Heafy was ranked among the top modern frontmen in music.
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Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Matt Heafy was born in Iwakuni, Japan. His mother is Japanese and his father is American. He lived in Japan for only one year before his family moved to Orlando, Florida. He still lives there today. Matt went to Lake Brantley High School. He finished high school while also touring with his band in Europe. He graduated in 2004.
Matt started playing the saxophone when he was younger. He became serious about guitar at age eleven. At first, he liked pop punk bands. He even tried out for a local band by playing a Blink-182 song. Later, a classmate introduced him to heavy metal music. This changed his musical path.
Matt mostly taught himself how to play guitar. He knows how to read music for the saxophone, but not for guitar. In 2015, he started taking formal guitar lessons. He still uses his first Gibson Les Paul guitar for recording. For live shows, he uses his special Epiphone Les Paul guitar.
Music Career with Trivium
After a school talent show, Matt was asked to join Trivium. He was only 12 years old at the time. The other band members were a bit older. He first joined as the lead guitarist. The original singer left the band soon after. The drummer, Travis Smith, asked Matt to try singing. Matt wasn't sure about his voice at first.
The band looked for a new singer but couldn't find one. So, Matt agreed to be the full-time lead singer and guitarist. He learned how to do "growling" and "screaming" vocals. He used these techniques a lot in the band's early days. However, he later found out he was using them incorrectly. This caused damage to his voice in 2014.
After his voice injury, Matt started taking vocal lessons. He learned new techniques to sing and scream safely. By 2016, he was able to perform all his vocal styles again. He says the new way of screaming is even easier than talking!
Trivium's fourth album, Shogun, showed Matt's wide vocal range. He could sing very melodically or use powerful screams. Their fifth album, In Waves, focused more on songs. It featured all of Matt's vocal styles. He sometimes shares lead guitar parts with Corey Beaulieu in Trivium.
Other Music Projects
Ibaraki
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Ibaraki
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| Also known as | Mrityu (formerly) |
| Origin | United States |
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| Years active | 2012–2020 (as Mrityu), 2022–present |
| Labels | Nuclear Blast |
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In 2022, Matt started a new music project called Ibaraki. This project is inspired by black metal music. The first song, "Tamashii no Houkai", featured Ihsahn from the band Emperor.
Ibaraki's first album, Rashomon, came out in May 2022. It includes other famous musicians like Nergal from Behemoth and Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance. The songs on the album are inspired by Matt's Japanese background. They tell stories from Japanese myths and folklore.
Roadrunner United
In 2005, a record label called Roadrunner Records celebrated its 25th birthday. They created a special album called Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions. Matt Heafy was one of four "team captains" for this project. He helped write and sing songs with many other famous musicians. For example, he sang on "The End" and played guitar on "In the Fire."
Guest Appearances and Collaborations
Matt Heafy has worked with many other artists. In 2006, he won a "Golden God" award from Metal Hammer magazine. That same year, he sang for the band Korn at a festival. This happened when Korn's singer was sick.
He has appeared in music videos for bands like Machine Head and A Day to Remember. In 2014, he sang backing vocals on three songs for DragonForce's album Maximum Overload. He also sang and played guitar on the album Metal Allegiance in 2015.
In 2020, Matt released a 5-song album with YouTuber and musician Jared Dines. They had worked together before on a cover song. Matt also provides guest vocals for video games like Metal: Hellsinger. He is also working as a composer for an upcoming game. Since November 2022, Matt hosts a show on SiriusXM radio called "Chaos Hour." He plays music that inspires him and talks with guests.
Musical Gear
Matt Heafy has worked with Gibson and Epiphone guitars for many years. He used to endorse Dean Guitars. In 2013, Epiphone released his special signature Les Paul guitar. It came in both 6 and 7 string versions.
In 2017, Epiphone released a new signature model called "SnØfall." This guitar was inspired by Trivium's 2015 album Silence in the Snow. It has a unique white finish. In 2022, Epiphone released his latest signature Les Paul Custom Origins guitars. These come in black and white, with 6 or 7 strings, and for both right and left-handed players.
Matt uses several types of guitars:
- Epiphone Les Paul Custom Origins Signature (black and white, 6 and 7 string)
- Epiphone Les Paul Custom Signature Model (black, 6 and 7 string)
- Epiphone Les Paul Custom "Snøfall" Signature Model (all white, 6 and 7 string)
- Gibson Les Paul Custom (black, white, and silverburst)
- Gibson Explorer 7 string (white and black)
- Hummingbird Acoustic (when needed)
Personal Life and Hobbies
Matt Heafy married Ashley Howard in Orlando, Florida, in 2010. They have twins, a daughter and a son, who were born in November 2018. Matt went home from tour to be with his wife for the birth of their children.
Sometimes, people confuse Matt Heafy with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy because their names sound similar. Matt has even responded to these mix-ups in a fun way.
Matt is also a big gamer. He enjoys playing video games. He also practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is a type of martial art. He often does live streams on his Twitch channel, "matthewkheafy." On his streams, he plays games, gives guitar lessons, does vocal warm-ups, and shows his jiu-jitsu classes. He also plays Trivium songs and acoustic covers for his fans.
Discography Highlights
Matt Heafy has released many albums with his bands.
With Trivium
- Ember to Inferno (2003)
- Ascendancy (2005)
- Shogun (2008)
- In Waves (2011)
- Silence in the Snow (2015)
- The Sin and the Sentence (2017)
- In the Court of the Dragon (2021)
With Ibaraki
- Rashomon (2022)
Other Notable Works
- Roadrunner United (2005)
- Dines x Heafy (with Jared Dines) (2020)
- Guest vocals on songs by DragonForce, Metal Allegiance, Ihsahn, Ice Nine Kills, Powerwolf, and many others.
See also
In Spanish: Matt Heafy para niños
