Greg Mate has been absorbed in music since the age of eight, when he started classical piano lessons and was promptly kicked out two years later when he expressed his desire to play the drums instead (he never did learn to play the drums). In high school he was sucked back into the world of music inspired by artists like Billy Joel, Elton John, Pink Floyd and David Bowie.

He got his first used Casio keyboard through a good friend. “I had lent him a hockey helmet, which he’d worn out, so since he didn’t play the keyboard he traded me his old one. But I didn’t touch it for a few years until my neighbour finally talked me into joining a regular Friday night basement jam next door. When I got there, I was handed lyrics with chords. I thought, What’s a chord?” It wasn’t long before he was sucked back into the world of music. Mate methodically started teaching himself to play the keyboard, and before he knew it, he was playing regular local gigs.

Before his current music career, Mate thrived in a variety of professions. Proving himself to be a ‘jack of all trades,’ music being Mate’s fourth career, after bartending through college, running a boutique advertising agency, and spearheading a web design and SEO company.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the entire world to spend 2020 inside in isolation, Mate turned to music once again and began to realise his passion for songwriting. He composed a song for two of his friends who had fallen ill, one with a lifelong disease. Through this, he began see how his music could make a difference in the world around him. Mate recalls how one of his friends remarked that I had told the story of his life through my music.

Since then, he’s never looked back. He studied songwriting and composition, seeking professional mentors and learning everything he could about how to communicate his ideas through music. Through his studies and his dedication, Mate is now becoming a jack of all musical trades – live performance, studio recording, mixing, production, and songwriting – and a master of blending his unique combination of expertise into each of his projects.

Mate’s debut EP, Nothing Is As Short As Never (February 2022) introduces a soft rock sound through various versions of a power ballad by the same name. Mate also has no less than three more EPs on the way, showcasing his diversity in genres including Pop, ‘80s Pop, and Orchestral Pop arrangements.

With no plan to stop anytime soon, Mate loves collaborating with other musicians. “I’m a team player, so I play well with others” the King of Puns says. He is open to further experimentation with a plethora of genres and sounds including Indie, Alternative Rock, Blues, Funk, Psychedelic, Soul, old school R&B, with influences from many including The Band, The Doors, Santana, Babe Ruth, Earth Wind and Fire, REM, Roxy Music, Talking Heads, Steely Dan, The Tragically Hip, The Black Keys, Half Moon Rising, and Tame Impala.

When asked what he wants to accomplish with his music, he says “I want to write music that means something to me, and hopefully others can relate to and enjoy.”

The Sync world fascinates him as well, and he is working to share his songs through licensing to help others tell their stories.

His positivity and creative ability are set to challenge the status quo and help listeners find hope in a world that can sometimes feel hopeless. And with the quality and breadth of genres that his music offers, there will surely be something in Greg Mate’s growing catalog for everyone.