Don’t Play Dumb

Matty Gottesman is a 19-year-old recording artist living in Los Angeles. Matty began writing songs at the young age of 6 and has since been writing music by himself at his piano. Over the years, Matty has learned to produce, record, and mix all of his own music and vocals; creating a unique, modern, and unparalleled sound for his project.

His latest work is thoughtfully enhanced by performances from some of the industry’s greatest session players: Amos Heller on bass (Taylor Swift, Thomas Rhett, Florida Georgia Line), Matt Billingslea on drums (Taylor Swift, Lady A), Brent Paschke on guitar (Pharrell Williams, The Neptunes, Post Malone, Katy Perry, Beck), and Jesse McGinty on horns (Lizzo, Shawn Mendes, Pharrell Williams), as well as mixes by Sawyr (Taylor Swift, ZAYN, Nicki Minaj, Ryan Tedder).

Matty’s varied influences and love for both modern and classic pop music have inspired him to create his upcoming genre-bending body of work. His unreleased song “Sleepless Summer” won Best Pop Song in the 2022 USA Songwriting Competition. Matty’s first single “Don’t Play Dumb” was released in early 2023 through Empire Records.

Matty is also passionate about helping others and giving back. In high school he started Charity Rocks, an organization that brings young musicians together to perform in benefit concerts to raise money for various nonprofit organizations. This not only gives other young artists a chance to showcase their abilities, but also helps raise money for wonderful causes.

When Matty isn’t writing or producing music, he enjoys playing baseball and was a starting pitcher on his high school team. He is especially enthusiastic about his beloved hometown Dodgers, and is currently a freshman at UCLA.