Matt Kennedy
 Age: 21 "Music is my life. This contest is an amazing opportunity to start the career of my dreams." Matt Kennedy has known Season Two Top 3 finalist Jacob Hoggard since they went to church and summer camp together as boys. Now, Matt takes a stab at the Canadian Idol Top 10. Matt first started singing after picking up his father's guitar. "Somebody at my youth group asked me to sing one night and from then on I haven't been able to get off the stage," he says. Matt considers himself a guitarist and percussionist as well. An army reservist, he has been playing with the band of the 15th Field Royal Canadian Artillery for two years. Although the self-employed guitar teacher is studying to become a technology teacher at BCIT, Matt says his long-term goal is to start a "School of Rock" type of program for kids. Matt comes from a musical family and says he courted his wife with his singing. "Trust me, every girl loves a song written about them," he says. Matt was a Top Four finalist in the Vancouver Idol competition along with Top 10 finalist Ashley Leitao. Matt likes to play poker with his wife, loves to work with wood and eat donairs, and says his favourite book is The Bible. A licensed scuba diver, Matt also plays hockey, baseball, tennis, volleyball and "a mean game of ping-pong." In his spare time, Matt likes to "take stuff apart." The song title that best describes him? Play That Funky Music White Boy, he says.
Matt's fun facts: Which musical act would you most like to see in concert? Eric Clapton
What has been the biggest accomplishment of your life? Finding the perfect girl and marrying her. What are you the most proud of? Probably just the variety of musical involvement I've had, from being in musicals, and being in the army as a musician to leading worship at church. So many doors have been opened for me through music and Canadian Idol is one more door that hopefully I can walk through. Which item could you not live without? The telephone, could you imagine sitting at a desk and hitting a little button to send Morse code, thank you Thomas Edison. What's been the best day of your life? My wedding day, or maybe the day I found a $20 bill at a concert. I can't really decide, they were both pretty amazing. If you could meet one person, living or dead, who would it be and why? John Mayer and I'd just sit there and watch him play guitar for a while. The $100 bills I keep slipping in people's pockets. What will it take for you to become the Canadian Idol? It will take perfect songs that suit me and the Canadian public to connect with that and want to hear more from me. What has been the most challenging part of the competition so far? Learning new songs under huge time constraints and no sleep. Whose career path would you like to follow and why? Kalan Porter's got it down so far, he really understands that he has to make it as an artist, not just a Canadian idol. What part of the Canadian Idol experience has surprised you the most? How many people here that are just like me, practically clones, or maybe I'm the clone, anyways, we all just have the same passion for music, which is incredible. What did you learn about yourself during the Top 100? That I'm not as comfortable on stage as I thought I was, I never thought I'd see the day that I forgot what song I was singing right before I had to sing it, totally took me by surprise. What was your reaction when you made the Top 32? When I walked into the room I saw a bunch of the people that I thought would make it through for sure, so I was pretty confident, and then when they actually said we're in, It just flashed through my head that a bunch of my friends didn't make it in. so I didn't really get excited until the next day, I was just kind of blown away. Probably my mom, she really has a heart for people, I've always looked up to that. She is just a great example of someone living after Christ. Who has helped to make you the singer you are today? A huge part would be Dean and Adeline Maerz, when I was 14 we were in a band together and they taught me all about what it's like to really be a musician and singer What song touches you the most? Why does it affect you so much? "Word of God Speak" by Mercy Me. I was sitting in my room one day and was totally upset with myself because I had a bad attitude towards a couple people, I was totally convicted. So I decided I would just sit and listen to some worship music, and the words of that song spoke right to me and really affected my life. What do you do to keep your nerves in check during the competition? Pray and just think about other things, I try not to over think it, especially after what happened at my first audition for the top 100. How has this competition changed you? I don't think it has yet, and hopefully it doesn't. It helps me grow as a person but I don't think it has or will change me. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Apparently I say "cool" a lot, but I think I do a good job of mixing it up once in a while. |
