A California-born pop singer/songwriter known for his passionate, piano-led songs, Matt Simons became a surprise success in the Netherlands when his debut album made a strong run on the nation's pop chart. By the middle of the 2010s he was charting throughout Europe and had landed a number one hit with a remix of "Catch & Release," the title track from his second album. Over the coming years Simons continued to enjoy overseas renown while remaining relatively obscure at home. He returned in 2022 with the deeply personal Identity Crisis, his fourth album.

Trained in classical and jazz and proficient on a number of instruments, the Palo Alto native had moved to New York to ply his trade as a pop craftsman. His introspective, piano-driven songs were at the heart of his self-released 2012 debut, Pieces, which he marketed online using social media. To Simons' surprise, he'd suddenly gained a small but dedicated following in the Netherlands and, after traveling overseas to play a handful of shows, his music was championed by a prominent television writer. Soon he was a minor celebrity in Holland with an album that had reached number 23 on the Dutch charts. On the strength of his single "With You," he struck a deal with Sony in Europe, focusing his efforts overseas while remaining relatively obscure back in the U.S.

With a larger budget than before, Simons wrote and recorded his follow-up album working with various producers in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Holland. Released in 2014, Catch Release fared even better than his debut, climbing high into several European charts thanks in part to a Dutch house remix of the title track that became a number one hit in Belgium the following year. Simons returned early in 2018 with the buoyant pop single "We Can Do Better," which became another European hit. The song anchored his 2019 LP, After the Landslide, which again made a strong showing on the Dutch charts. Throughout 2020 and 2021, Simons began issuing a succession of singles that went in a somewhat darker direction. Confessional songs like "Cold" and "Better Tomorrow" explored his struggles with mental health and were later included on his fourth album, 2022's Identity Crisis. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi