I've heard these kinds of stories many times at networking meetings of my PRO (publishing rights organization, think ASCAP and BMI). Someone is always bound to stand up and claim huge fame somewhere abroad. But this is also the story of Matt Simons. Imagine, you are a struggling musician trying to make it in the hardest place on earth: New York. You've released your debut album in 2012, but it didn't do too well. Then, years later, even without you having performed there, the song ends up in the charts in The Netherlands and you turn into a big star..... there. "With You" was heard by the right person at the right time and got used in a death scene of one of the most popular characters of a prime time soap. While soap fans were tearing up watching the show, they created a massive demand for the song, and Matt had his unexpected breakthrough.
Now, the story could've ended right there, making him one of the many one hit wonders, but Matt has continued his success and is currently back in the charts for the second time with one of his songs. His success in Europe meant he has been touring The Netherlands and its surrounding countries for a while, and then you start meeting people. So, even though he is more a guitar man himself, he teamed up with dance duo Deepend for a remix of his own hit, "Catch & Release". It's a remix that immediately jumps out, because it's kind of a mixture of Jason Mraz meets house music. It reminds you of a lazy summer night with a cool summer breeze. You immediately feel relaxed. The song originally is built on guitars. This could very well contribute to it jumping out from the rest of the dance music represented in the charts. It's pretty unusual for house music, which usually builds on drum machines and keyboards.
His fame is slowly spreading to other parts of Europe. Once it heads back and takes over New York, they might want to rethink that Sinatra line: "If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere". On the other hand, there once was a time New York was ruled by the Dutch and it was called New Amsterdam, so in a weird kind of way, the lyric would still make sense in his case: "it's up to you, Amsterdam, Amsterdam".
