The Unlikely Rise of a Songwriter's Songwriter
Three years ago, Matt Maltese participated in what seemed like just another casual co-writing session with friends. The result was Magnolias, a sparse piano ballad contemplating his own funeral that he initially dismissed as insignificant. "I didn't think anything of it," the 30-year-old British-Canadian musician admits. Then came the extraordinary whispers: Spanish pop sensation Rosalía had somehow discovered the track.
Six months ago, Maltese received Rosalía's demo of his song, and weeks later, spotted a blurred album tracklisting that appeared to feature Magnolias. The speculation proved correct - the song became the closing track on Rosalía's critically acclaimed opera-inspired album Lux, currently sitting in the UK Top 5. Maltese first heard the finished version after returning from a US tour. "I took a long jet-lagged walk and listened to the whole album to contextualise it. It's extraordinary," he says. "She dramatised it incredibly. It's exquisite."
Quietly Becoming Music's Most Sought-After Writer
This Rosalía collaboration represents just one highlight in Maltese's quietly impressive career trajectory. Across six solo albums since 2018, the south London-based artist has developed a distinctive indie-pop style blending modern male sensitivity with the wry humour of his hero, Leonard Cohen. His influence extends far beyond his own music.
His latest album Hers became his first charting record, while a viral TikTok moment for his 2017 track As the World Caves In - which imagined Donald Trump and Theresa May spending the final night on earth together - brought him six million monthly Spotify listeners and over one billion combined streams. At its peak, the song earned approximately £20,000 weekly, though he ruefully notes his former label Atlantic Records benefits financially.
This exposure transformed his fanbase from "divorced dads and students" to screaming 18-23 year olds, particularly in America where he recently headlined Los Angeles' 5,900 capacity Greek Theatre. More significantly, it established him as a songwriter for music's elite. His growing list of admirers includes Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Frank Ocean, Laufey and BTS's V, while he has written with artists including Celeste, Joy Crookes, Jamie T and Tom Misch.
From Major Label Rejection to Creative Freedom
Maltese's path to recognition wasn't straightforward. After signing to Atlantic Records in 2015 as a teenager, he was dropped when his 2018 debut Bad Contestant underperformed. "They told me I was the voice of a generation," he recalls, but he proved an awkward fit for the major label system. "As a snobbish 19-year-old, I said no to a lot of things."
One particularly telling incident saw him insist on recording John Lennon's Happy Xmas (War is Over) in a minor key for a BBC Christmas trailer. "It was atrocious," he laughs. The recording was never used. Following his dismissal, he calculated his remaining £50,000 advance would only sustain him for eight months before needing conventional employment.
This professional rejection, combined with personal relationship difficulties, prompted a period of hibernation and creative focus. "That period was good for me because it made me comfortable in my own skin," he reflects. "It really made me write songs even more from the heart." His independently released 2019 follow-up Krystal began what he describes as a "positive spiral" toward his current success.
Shakespeare and the Art of Collaboration
Perhaps his most unusual credit came last year when he composed music for a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Twelfth Night in Stratford-upon-Avon, with the production transferring to London's Barbican next month. "Co-writing with Shakespeare," he smiles. "That's probably the best one, right?"
His collaborative process varies from group sessions - Magnolias emerged from writing with Danny Casio, Sophie May and Daniel Wilson - to intimate one-on-one partnerships. He shares particularly close creative relationships with chart-topping jazz-pop singer Celeste and soul artist Joy Crookes.
With Celeste, he co-wrote three songs for her new album Woman of Faces and the standalone track Everyday after she deliberately moved sessions from an expensive studio to a freezing, unheated rehearsal space to spark creativity. With Crookes, he contributed to her 2025 single Mathematics, marveling when UK rap legend Kano added a guest verse. "I am a white boy from Reading; to have a credit with Kano is just insanity," he says.
Despite his growing imprint on contemporary pop, Maltese maintains perspective about his position. "I don't necessarily feel like I'm hugely culturally relevant," he admits. "I'm just someone obsessed with songwriters from the 70s. I feel very lucky that people care." From his beginnings as the "soppiest" artist in south London's alternative scene to becoming music's secret weapon, Matt Maltese has perfected the art of writing from the heart - and the industry is listening.
