Worldwide superstar Matoma has built a following for his signature uplifting melodies and catchy hooks, amassing more than 2 billion streams in the process. This summer his schedule has shown an unrelenting pace of releases and performances. He recently added yet another infectious track to our list of summer hits with ‘Around The World’ featuring Bryn Christopher.
It’s an aptly named track title for Matoma, from a quick glance at his Instagram you will see just how many places he’s visited over the years. So to celebrate the release of the new single, we sat down with the Norwegian electronic talent and got some insight into a few of his favourite cities.
So without further ado, in the spirit of going around the world, let Matoma transport you between three unique and interesting cities that left an impression on him along his travels with his partner Maren. He kicks it off with Budapest, then across the oceans to Hanoi before flying back to Europe for Berlin – where he took the stage of Lollapalooza Berlin this past weekend.
Budapest
Hungary
Over the last few years, the city has been developing due to an increase in tourism due to its nightlife, cheap food and drinks, great streets to walk around and a diversity of shops. During my time there, I visited with my partner Maren. We went to the Hungarian Spa on the Buda side and the thermal bath at Széchenyi which had lots of vitality areas.
Budapest offers many great activities if you are thinking of a weekend trip in one of Europe’s finest cities. The city is very pretty with great architecture from the romantic and the renaissance eras. As well as this the people of the city are lovely and there is plenty do, both night and day.
I would recommend the area around District XIV, it has lots of cafes surrounded by ancient and majestic castles, the Citadella tower and Parliament building. In this same area is a great sports arena with lots of activities. One of the highlights of my trip, however, was being a guest of honour and warm-up for Enrique Iglesias during his concerts in Budapest.
Hanoi
Vietnam
Hanoi is a big city located in Northeast Vietnam on the border of China. The reason I wanted to include this city is that it is full of culture, nightlife and exciting streets with lots of good traditional Asian street food.
Hanoi is a big city full of exciting history, culture and nightlife. If you are interested in art and culture, Hanoi is the city to go to. Here you can go from one street to another and get custom made silk garments at a tenth of the price as in a New York store, but with equally good quality and individuality.
Maren and I were in Vietnam in connection with an inspirational trip we did around Asia 3 years ago and we ended up travelling around Vietnam for 14 days because we thought the country was so exciting.
On our trip, we spent an incredible amount of time tasting different Pho soups and Vietnamese dishes. One night we sat on small stools on a street corner eating noodles in the Old Quarter area and Ba Dinh District and it was incredibly cosy.
The museums are also worth a visit as there is a lot of interesting and important history associated with the city. The war museums covering the period from the Vietnam War are especially recommended for those who want to learn the history of the people of Vietnam during this time.
There are lots of possibilities to take day trips outside of Hanoi. The rice fields at H. Hoa Lu is a must and is absolutely beautiful. You get an insight into traditions that have passed over thousands of generations. The image I chose to attach is from there.
Berlin
Germany
Berlin is a fantastic nightlife city with lots of exciting streets, artistic infrastructure and offers great entertainment in the form of shopping, nightlife, food and German traditions.
The reason I chose Berlin is that two years ago I played during Lollapalooza and Maren and I had a fantastic weekend. Berlin is a city that impresses with beautiful urban culture and makes me feel very at home, and I’m back there for the second time at Lollapalooza in 2019.
Germans are a bit like Norwegians and can be a little more enclosed, but they are incredibly nice and accommodating, especially if you meet them over a German beer in a German pub! Being allowed to play in the heart of Germany at Lollapalooza in a city like Berlin resonates it as a place extra special to me.
All the history of the Cold War has also left its mark on the city and walking along the river and looking at the art from the remaining meters of the Berlin Wall is a nice and educational attraction to understand that one should never take democracy and freedom for granted.
Now if you’ve learned a little bit about travel, we can now recommend you give Matoma’s ‘Around The World’ a spin. The release follows “Bruised Not Broken” (feat. MNEK & Kiana Ledé) and ‘When You Leave’ featuring Nikki Vianna. Meanwhile, his vocal assistance comes from highly regarded Bryn Christopher who’s previous cuts have been on records form Blonde, Sigala and Full Crate. The collaboration results in an undeniably euphoric, dancefloor anthem that all can enjoy.
The thrilling official feature video accompanying the release was directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada (Billie Eilish, Carly Rae Jepsen, Thundercat) and Jeff Desom (Father John Misty, Watsky) which you can also watch below if you want to learn the lyrics after the melody gets stuck in your head.
Making his debut in 2015, Matoma has joined the ranks of EDM’s most popular and innovative new stars, prompting Rolling Stone to declare him the “leader of tropical house’s next big wave.” Born Tom Lagergren, Matoma scored a breakout success in 2015 with his RIAA gold-certified single, Matoma & The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Old Thing Back (Feat. Ja Rule & Ralph Trevsant),” featured on the ground-breaking 2015 debut album project, “HAKUNA MATOMA.” Since then, Matoma has made waves with life-affirming originals (including the smash “Running Out”) alongside cross-genre collaborations with the likes of Jason Derulo, Jennifer Lopez, Dua Lipa and The Vamps as well a dazzling array of remixes for artists as varied as Coldplay, One Direction, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Sean Paul, among others.
Matoma is currently travelling the world on a wide-ranging live tour, including headline shows and festival performances. For complete details and ticket information, please visit https://hakunamatoma.com.
