Paper Idol is the brainchild of Matan KG, Milwaukee-born music producer and former Wesleyan University neuroscience student. It all started in 2015 as a college dance-punk project with a ragtag rotating band, leaving Matan studying by day and collecting noise complaints by night.
After college, Matan considered attending medical school. He took a job as a project manager at a healthcare technology company, and soon found himself in Copenhagen installing medical records in Danish hospitals. In response to extreme boredom and unfulfilled musical aspirations, Matan left the office behind, and – like many hopefuls before him – drove to Los Angeles without a home, job, or any real plan in place.
In retrospect, relocating to LA was the right move. Now settled in with a like-minded community of artists, Matan KG bounces between songwriting, producing, and performing. As a solo artist, he has amassed over 2 million streams on “Easy” (Seeking Blue), with more collaborations on the way.
Paper Idol is more than just another indie pop band; it is a multi-dimensional art project with Matan as the auteur. He writes, records, and produces the music himself, in addition to designing and creating the artwork. Inspired by nu-disco and dance music as much as art pop and indie rock, Paper Idol offers a rare combination of new-school production and old-school vibes. This spring, Paper Idol is linking up with the formidable electronic label Lowly for a string of summer releases and playing select shows in celebrated Los Angeles venues such as The Mint and The Echo. While remaining a one-man act in the studio, Paper Idol is joined live by Adam Rochelle (keyboards/synths) and Victor Singer (drums).
With Paper Idol’s last single, “Still So Alive” currently #2 on Hype M, Glide is proud to premiere a spirited cover of Drake’s “Passionfruit”(below). Paper Idol dives headfirst into building a creative palette that reimagines a track from a pop superstar into a realm of indie credibility.
“I had this crazy dream I was roller skating with Drake – he was wearing his roller skates, bell-bottom jeans, star-glasses, an orange boa – the whole 70s getup,” says KG. “It was so funny that I woke myself up laughing. I went to the studio, pushed all my other work aside, and decided to produce the soundtrack to that dream. This cover is what I came up with that day.”
Photo by Anna Lee
