Riding wave of ‘Voltes V’ hype, Matt Lozano shines spotlight on his music

Matt Lozano

While more popularly known these days as Big Bert of “Voltes V: Legacy,” Matt Lozano is also a music artist and a former band vocalist. The actor hopes to make the most out of the attention he has been getting from the series to showcase his other talents.

“I think ‘Voltes V’ is a big help. Maybe this time, I can make use of the spotlight to let the audience know about another side to my craft,” he said at a recent press conference for his new single, “Liham,” under GMA Music.

The 30-year-old actor started out in show biz in the late 2000s as a teen hopeful, landing roles in movies like “When I Met U” and “El Presidente.” However, Matt’s subsequent weight gain affected his career prospects, forcing him to go on hiatus around 2014.

That’s when he shifted his focus to music. Matt formed a band called Cygnet and played regular gigs. In 2016, he joined and won the “Eat Bulaga!” talent competition “Spogify ft. Singing Baes.” His band has since parted ways, but he has continued pursuing music as a solo act.

While acting is now his bread and butter, thanks to the big breaks he has been getting lately from GMA 7, Matt won’t let go of his love for music. “It’s a great feeling that I get to do both of my passions, which are acting and songwriting. Writing songs is my emotional outlet and I’m happy I’m given [the] freedom to create new songs,” he said.

Passion

Matt Lozano

“I now treat acting as my profession, but music will always be a passion,” added Matt, who released two earlier singles under GMA Music, “Walang Pipigil” and “Kwarto.” “I’m able to balance both. I arrive on the set prepared for my acting job. In my free time, I write songs when an idea comes up.”

While past releases were inspired by his biggest musical influence, John Mayer, “Liham” leans toward the hugot soft-rock style that many young listeners enjoy. And unlike his past works, the poignant breakup ballad was actually inspired by personal experience.

Raw emotions

“Liham” cover art

“It’s very personal, so much so that I finished writing the song in 15 minutes. I don’t usually write that fast, but the emotions were very raw. After writing, I let my producer listen to it, and I felt good. It’s my baby,” he said. “I used to draw inspiration from other people. But this time, I tried writing at the peak of my emotions. And it felt good because I was able to express what I was feeling.”

And in a way, acting and the training he undergoes for it have also benefited his music. “I think acting helped my songwriting, because now I know how to handle my emotions better. Instead of crying them out, I write them down,” he related.

The goal is to put out a full album in the future. “I will not veer away too far from hugot songs. But I also want songs that are more hopeful, about moving on and moving forward. I want to put out songs with different sounds, but still identifiable as Matt when you put them all together,” he said.

Meanwhile, Matt couldn’t be more excited about his acting career so far. The success he’s enjoying at the moment, he said, is something he and his mother have been dreaming about for a long time.

“She didn’t want me to pursue show biz at first, but I was stubborn. I kept auditioning. Eventually, she liked what I was doing. Our dream is for me to have a big project or an album. Now I’m slowly achieving those. We cried as we watched ‘Voltes V’ together. This is the career we have been dreaming of,” he said.

Now, when he goes out in public, little kids call him “Kuya Big Bert.” “It feels so heartening. Kids look up to us as superheroes. I hope I can use this platform to be a role model,” he said.