The overnight success of Matt Giraud was actually years in the making. The singer/songwriter/piano player actually started as a drummer, playing and singing in church in his hometown of Ypsilanti, MI. He went on to attend Western Michigan University, and although he didn't major in music, he auditioned for and was accepted by the famous GOLD COMPANY, which has been Downbeat Magazine's #1 Vocal Jazz Ensemble for more than 20 years running. In the meantime, he found a piano in his dorm and taught himself to play what would become his trademark piano style. His audition for American Idol came on a whim...a friend was going and asked if he wanted to ride along. That spur of the moment decision turned into national exposure on TV's highest rated show of the season. He toured with the American Idols Live Tour, which regularly played to 7,500+ fans, and many critics wrote that Matt stole the show in their cities. Matt also made appearances on the Ellen Degeneres Show,
Success (and lots of hard work) didn't end with the Idol Tour. He has been playing to consistently sold out theatres since then, and played in front of over 9,000 fans with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra last summer. His first W. Michigan concert after the Idol tour drew fans from 13 different states. His duet with Anna Wilson, the Eddie Arnold classic "You Don't Know Me," debuted at #1 on the I-tunes jazz chart, and Jim Brickman's "Thank You," with Matt on vocals, reached #19 nationally on the Adult Contemporary charts. A Matt Giraud concert is a mix of material he is currently writing and recording for his upcoming cd, along with some classics that audiences will remember from American Idol, and always a surprise or two. "I'll keep playing and making music as long as I have fans that want to hear me ... it's what I do, and what I love," says Matt.
