Creator to Creators S7 Ep 33 Matthew Hartley

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Bio Born into and immersed in music, Matthew Hartley, Charleston-based Christian Rock
songwriter, embodies the importance of valuing your journey. His own life runs parallel
to his creative process, and while he may be curious about the outcome, he’s not
concerned by it.
Rather, he’s ignited by the lessons, growth, and opportunities that come from honoring
your process and pursuing your passions regardless of your circumstances.
As young as 8 years old, Matthew recalls always having a notebook by his side to write
down lyrics anytime they channeled through. He grew up in the era of vinyl records and
cassette tapes, jamming to hair bands like Poison, Whitesnake, Van Halen, and Bon
Jovi. He was enamored by the power of rock and listened for sheer enjoyment.
Influenced by the genre's raw energy at a young age, we timelapse to Matthew as an
adult, where his life experiences led him to rediscover a faith he had always carried
within him. While the emotional conviction of rock shaped his guitar playing and
songwriting style, it was his life’s journey that naturally integrated Christian themes into
his music.
He shares an example of when he wrote his first Christian rock song in 2001 called
“Rise Above," which marked a reckoning with his own sins, and an acknowledgment
that things had to change. However, while he was growing in character, he recalls that it
wasn’t until later in life that he embraced the true blessing of faith when faced with
another hardship.
He elaborates on a time he went through a debilitating divorce, and as he navigated the
painful disentanglement from the complexities of family separation, he found himself at
his lowest point. And in that moment of exhaustion and total breakdown, the lyrics:
When your heart is bawling,
You know that Heaven’s calling …out your name
Represent a pivotal point in his story. In his newest single, “Heaven’s Calling,” Matthew
shares that when you’re at your most vulnerable it’s exactly when God speaks the
loudest. Heaven is calling your name to show you there is hope and love even in the
darkness.“God is working on you and he will get you through it. You have to have faith through
the storm,” he states encouragingly.
Another theme in “Heaven’s Calling,” that Matthew unravels is the humanity that births
from devastation. In the May 18th premier of the “Heaven’s Calling” music video, there
are images of hurricane damage, flooding, and rescue missions from the disaster.
Hitting close to home, literally and figuratively, Matthew shares that after the destruction
of Hurricane Helene in 2024, he witnessed firsthand the valor of those rescuing, the
heart of those helping, and the resilience of those who survive a natural disaster.
“Love is powerful; the best of people through devastation is remarkable,” he says.
“And for those, Heaven’s calling [too].”
In conjunction with the hurricane footage and rescue scenes, other parts of the music
video feature Matthew performing on rooftops around downtown Charleston with
different historic backdrops like St. Michael’s Church, Cannon Park, and the Charleston
City Market.
After building a storyboard and scouring the city for permits and approvals to shoot
different church features and historic sites, Matthew and his team creatively, and
thoughtfully sewed all the pieces toget