Andre Matos is a musician who can conquer the most selected audiences. Claimed as one of the best singers and keyboard players in the heavy metal world, Andre Matos has proved he could go far beyond: many are the examples of the challenges he has thrown himself along his carreer.
Aged 10, Andre Matos has commenced his piano and musical classes. As he was still a teenager, he’s founded Viper, a band in which Andre Matos has achieved early international recognition: two successful albuns with in Japan and Europe.
With no interruption on his studies of classical music and vocal improvement, he´s entered college, where he graduated in Orchestral Conducting and Musical Composition. Besides it, his curriculum is enlarged by habilitation in Lyrical Singing and Classical Piano. For many years he has developed activities as Lyric Tenorist, participating in professional choires, including some exclusive own theatrical compositions for acts..
In the mid Nineties, Andre Matos left Viper and founded Angra, a Heavy Metal band that had a different proposal: to exploit a variety of declevities that could be incorporated to heavy metal, such as classical and ethnical music elements. Imediate success in the world, along with a golden record award in Japan. In this time, the name Andre Matos was metioned to join Iron Maiden, in a contest to choose a leading singer who´d substitute Bruce Dickson. Andre Matos ranked amongst the three first ones.
With Angra alone, he developed an enviable carreer for nine years, with several international tours and numbers that overcome one million albums sold.
After the band break up, in the late Nineties, Andre Matos created Shaman, continuing the music style that was proposed before. "Ritual", the debut album in 2002, was very well received in Brazil and also in international waters, released in 15 other countries. During the year 2003, the band Shaman was at the top ten of all specialized media. Besides, the track Fairy Tale (written by Andre Matos) has been included in the original soundtrack of a brazilian TV soap opera which had an audience of 40 million people everyday. The highest point was the recordings of their first live DVD and CD, "Ritualive", with several special guests (Helloween, Tobias Sammet, Marcus Viana, Sascha Paeth), at an audience recordist concert at The Credicard Hall, Sao Paulo. The DVD (released in Brazil by Universal Music) was also a recordist in sales. The Ritual World Tour provided the band more than 200 concerts in several countries and celebrated awards everywhere. Reason, their second album, was released in 2005, with many promotional tours throghout Europe, Latin & North America and Japan. Andre Matos has also developed his side project VIRGO, along with german guitar player and producer Sascha Paeth, expading out even more his musical horizons.
Between 2003 and 2005, Andre Matos has been elected "Best Singer" and "Best Keyboard Player" in many countries, also receiving the Rock Radio Network´s "Trophy Radio Rock" as the best singer in Brazil from all the times.
Andre Matos has maintened himself, unquestionably, as one of best singers in the world and is an absolute reference in everything that he has already made and still makes. If you search out the internet, it´s possible to find more than 5000 communities in his honor. Recent publications from specialized media in Brazil indicated Andre Matos as the absolute champion in categories such as "Best Singer" and "Best Keyboard Player" in 2006 & 2007.
Recently, Andre Matos had the leading role at the Rock Opera "Tommy" (from The Who), along with the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra and Choir, presented at the Latin American Memorial in Brazil. That was his first experience as an actor in an opera, with total consacration by public and critics.
Since Shaaman´s split in 2006, Andre Matos is beginning life as he knows it anew. After much reflection and invitations for presentations all over the planet, he's decided to walk the path to a solo career.
At the recent experience at the ‘Live´n´Louder’ festival, the 'best of Andre Matos', from a brand new unreleased song to his biggest hits, was presented during a non-stop performance in front of thousands of people. Andre Matos made his debut as a singer while he was still a teenager, formed four bands, became an icon in several countries and now dedicates himself entirely to the strong relationship established with his audience at a mature and conscientious stage of his music. Everything became quite clear at the surprise appearance at the festival, being his first solo concert ever.
In his own words: "It was incredible to play at that festival. Throughout my career I've received many offers for work based on my own name, but everything always happens just at the right time. Now, finally, I have the opportunity to make the most out of all that is me, all my history – besides, I feel ready to create brand new things within the style I've embraced."
For that task he's counting on excellent musicians: "When the idea took form, I wished to invite the musicians I admire the most and I was sure that we would form a great team. The band's spirit is fundamental. I'm very proud and especially honoured to have them at my side in this special moment. Without a doubt, we're already doing a great job!"
The musicians are the well-known Luis Mariutti (bass), Hugo Mariutti (guitar) and Fabio Ribeiro (keyboards), in addition to André Hernandes – with whom Andre Matos had already played in the beginning of the 90´s and who is considered to be one of the biggest guitar names in Brazil – and Eloy Casagrande, a 16-year-old prodigious drummer who's won the main prize at the Modern Drummer Drum Contest in the USA, being considered as the best drummer of the Americas.
At this moment, Andre Matos is finishing the works for his debut album, produced by Roy Z and Sascha Paeth, with its worldwide release projected for the beginning of the second half of 2007. Fresh compositions, a brand new band and a great team of producers, bringing up Andre Matos’ plenitude as an artist.
And for those who didn't have the opportunity to check out Andre Matos’ news yet, no need to worry: the debut is expected to happen very soon. There are good things in store for all of the fans. Just wait!
