Hello everyone it’s your host Daniel from Dulaxi, and today I have with me the exceptional artist, Matt Wolejsza from Gaithersburg, MD, United States. And Matt Wolejsza is here to discuss his original album “The Beast I’m Meant to Be”, which was released on April 18th, 2025. So, welcome, Matt Wolejsza! But before we begin our interview, to our audience; here is what you need to know about this artist.
Matt Wolejsza is a Gaithersburg, MD-based singer-songwriter and guitarist whose artistic identity has been shaped by years of disciplined craft development, community collaboration, and deep-rooted musical influence. Growing up with a strong admiration for Metallica, which he studied intensively while learning guitar, Wolejsza developed a guitar-driven sound that channels the intensity and structure of thrash metal while still allowing room for genre flexibility when his creative direction demands it. His songwriting journey began as a personal outlet in adulthood and evolved into a structured artistic path through involvement in the Baltimore songwriter community led by Diana Hanson-Young, where he refined his skills through assignments, critique sessions, and peer feedback. This environment connected him with key collaborators, including Baltimore-based producer Tim Boate, who handled recording, mixing, and mastering while enhancing Wolejsza’s ideas with additional production layers, and executive producer Brian Feinstein from New York, who provided long-term feedback and helped shape song arrangements into more refined and impactful forms. From these collaborative foundations, Wolejsza developed a style centered on transforming lived experience and observation into emotionally grounded musical narratives, ranging from personal reflection to broader societal commentary. This artistic evolution culminated in his original album “The Beast I’m Meant to Be,” released on 18th April 2025, a project that spans years of songwriting growth and emotional exploration. The album confronts both internal and external realities with unflinching honesty, addressing issues such as digital-age cultural decay in the lead track “Stupidity Gone Viral,” while the title track dives into themes of depression, hopelessness, and diminished self-worth. Across its composition, the album draws from Wolejsza’s accumulated writing experiences, balancing autobiographical storytelling with wider social observation, and includes deeply personal moments such as the reflective track “One More Hug,” a tribute to his cat Bonnie. The result is a cohesive debut that highlights artistic perseverance, emotional vulnerability, and the power of collaborative refinement in shaping a fully realized musical vision.
Having this brief Introduction about Matt Wolejsza, I’m sure new and current fans must be excited about our Interview today.
INTERVIEW SESSION
Daniel: Growing up studying bands like Metallica while learning guitar, what was it about their music that first inspired you to pursue songwriting and musicianship seriously?
Matt Wolejsza: I’ve listened to Metallica since I was a kid and the angst always resonated with me. When I was dealing with depression as an adult I needed an outlet to express myself. I felt their style of music fit my emotions so I started writing lyrics and learning guitar from there.
Daniel: Your journey seems deeply rooted in collaboration and continuous learning through the Baltimore songwriter community led by Diana Hanson-Young. How did that environment shape your confidence and identity as an artist?
Matt Wolejsza: It was a good environment to feedback in but also to get assignments that would stretch my creativity. I was also able to learn about song structure and other aspects of writing.
Daniel: Your music balances heavy riff-driven energy with emotional storytelling and social commentary. How would you describe the artistic vision behind your sound today?
Matt Wolejsza: It’s hard to pin it to one thing. I would say it’s mostly metal with some variety. I do what I feel is right for the song. I write about whatever strikes me from personal issues to social commentary to video games.
Daniel: “The Beast I’m Meant to Be” feels like a very personal and emotionally fearless body of work. What inspired you to turn years of songwriting into this particular album at this stage of your life?
Matt Wolejsza: I had always wanted to finish some songs and properly produce them. Then another member of the Baltimore group did an album on their own and I inquired about how he did it. I decided to follow suit. He actually found producer Tim Boate whom we both worked with.
Daniel: The lead track “Stupidity Gone Viral” critiques internet and social media culture in a bold way. What specific behaviors or patterns in modern online culture pushed you to write that song?
Matt Wolejsza: That song came from reading too many youtube comment sections over the years. Also, the way politics was unfolding at the time and seeing the misinformation going around led me to write it.
Daniel: The title track confronts depression, hopelessness, and diminished self-worth with striking honesty. Was writing that song emotionally difficult, and what message were you hoping listeners would take away from it?
Matt Wolejsza: I wasn’t in a good place when I wrote that song so it was tough emotionally to write. I hope anyone in that place who listens to the song can see that they are not alone in those feelings and that there is a way out.
Daniel: “One More Hug” carries a heartbreaking emotional weight centered around losing your cat Bonnie. How did you channel such a personal experience into music without losing the rawness of the moment?
Matt Wolejsza: I actually came up with the idea for the song the day she died while walking. I think that helped bring me back to the moment when I would work on the song over the next few months.
Daniel: Across the album, there’s a strong contrast between personal vulnerability and broader cultural critique. How important was it for you to balance introspective storytelling with commentary on society?
Matt Wolejsza: While I wanted to express some of the personal issues I’ve dealt with, I didn’t want to drag people through the mud too much over an entire album. The emotions would desensitize people. Balancing the deeper songs with lighter songs helps keep listener engaged when the album gets emotional and helps those songs stand out.
Daniel: You mentioned trying to emulate some of the riff styles and musical intensity of Metallica in your songwriting. Which songs on the album best reflect that influence musically?
Matt Wolejsza: I would say Stupidity Gone Viral and The Lion Must Roar reflect the fast, heavy style I grew up listening to. Also When a Heart was influenced by their ballads.
Daniel: Working with producer Tim Boate and executive producer Brian Feinstein seems to have played a huge role in shaping the album. How did their creative input elevate your original ideas?
Matt Wolejsza: Brian helped review the songs I had written already so I could polish them up before taking them to Tim to produce. Tim shaped the sound of the album.
Daniel: Since the songs were written over several years, how did you approach arranging the album so that it still felt cohesive emotionally and sonically?
Matt Wolejsza: I worked with Brian on balancing variety with cohesion. I was worried there might have been too much variety but the feedback I’ve gotten says the balance was good.
Daniel: You’ve spoken about songwriting becoming a form of self-expression in adulthood. At what point did music shift from being an interest into something deeply personal and necessary for you?
Matt Wolejsza: Battling depression and struggling sometimes to express it even in therapy led me to search for a way to get things out. I found I was able to write songs. It grew more personal as I expressed more emotions in my songs.
Daniel: Looking back at your earliest songs compared to the material on this album, where do you think you’ve grown the most as a writer and guitarist?
Matt Wolejsza: I would say I’ve grown most in learning to balance commentary with not being too preachy. I want to have something meaningful to say but also have that message resonate with the listener.
Daniel: Feedback and critique were clearly major parts of your development through meetup groups and songwriting assignments. How did learning to accept and apply feedback shape your creative discipline?
Matt Wolejsza: It’s important to be able to receive and incorporate feedback because you can’t see how others will receive your writing on your own. Especially if you’re going to put music out there for others to listen to, you want it to be received well. You can learn patterns and certain things to look for to improve your piece but you will always miss something.
Daniel: Many artists struggle to stay persistent while refining their craft over the years. What kept you motivated during the long journey toward completing your debut album?
Matt Wolejsza: The Baltimore songwriters group was definitely a big factor in staying persistent. I would get assignments and feedback that would keep me going. Also the desire to see creations out in the world kept motivating me to continue.
Daniel: Your music explores difficult emotions and uncomfortable truths with honesty. Has creating this album changed the way you understand yourself personally or emotionally?
Matt Wolejsza: It’s definitely helpful to put some of these ideas about myself down on paper and into my writing. I can see things clearer that way and understand my own patterns better. It’s hard to see things clearly when they are all jumbled in my head.
Daniel: Since the album’s release, have there been any listener reactions or personal messages that deeply resonated with you or surprised you?
Matt Wolejsza: The Clear Check Blues resonated with others who play the same game and grind hard levels. Someone with my permission actually used the song in a youtube video when they beat the level that inspired it.
Daniel: Because the album touches on themes like depression, grief, and social toxicity, what kind of emotional connection do you hope listeners walk away with after hearing it?
Matt Wolejsza: As far as the social commentary, I hope people can look at themselves and evaluate their own behavior and see if they are contributing to the problems or the solutions. I also hope people will see that others may be dealing with issues they don’t see and will be more respectful of others.
Daniel: After releasing such a deeply personal debut album, where do you see your sound and songwriting evolving next creatively?
Matt Wolejsza: I have more personal songs and more commentary written. As far as writing new songs, I write about whatever strikes me. A lot of what’s striking me right now is current events. I try to find truths in the noise that people can agree on, which is tricky.
Daniel: Are there any upcoming projects, performances, collaborations, or future musical goals that fans of Matt Wolejsza should be looking forward to?
Matt Wolejsza: I definitely would like to keep writing music and work on another album in the future. I have no hard plans yet. I am also open to collaborating with other artists should the opportunity arise.
Having Had A Close Listen To This Deeply Introspective And Emotionally Charged Album, Here Are My Thoughts.
“The Beast I’m Meant to Be” by Matt Wolejsza stands as a deeply immersive and emotionally unfiltered rock and metal experience that feels both intensely personal and culturally reflective. Listening to it, I find myself drawn into a body of work that does not shy away from discomfort but instead leans fully into it, transforming years of songwriting growth and lived emotional experience into something raw, cohesive, and strikingly human. The album moves between personal narratives and broader social commentary with a natural fluidity, confronting themes such as depression, grief, isolation, misinformation, emotional exhaustion, and the search for meaning in a fractured modern world. What makes it especially compelling is how these ideas are not treated as separate observations but as interconnected realities shaping both the self and society. Sonically, the record thrives on distorted guitar-driven intensity layered with atmospheric restraint, creating a dynamic push and pull between chaos and reflection that mirrors the emotional instability at its core. The production retains a deliberate grit, avoiding over-polished artificiality in favour of something more organic and lived-in, which strengthens the emotional credibility of every moment. Vocally, Matt Wolejsza delivers with a sincerity that feels worn but intentional, carrying urgency, fatigue, anger, and vulnerability in equal measure without ever tipping into exaggeration. As a listener, what resonates most is the album’s refusal to romanticize suffering; instead, it presents emotional struggle as something complex, ongoing, and deeply real. Ultimately, “The Beast I’m Meant to Be” feels like a work built not just to be heard, but to be experienced, an honest confrontation with inner and outer darkness that leaves a lasting emotional imprint long after it ends.
~ Daniel (Dulaxi Team).
Finally to our audience, I urge to listen to “The Beast I’m Meant To Be”, add its songs to your playlist and be inspired by them, and on behalf of Dulaxi I like to appreciate you all by saying thank you everyone, See you on our next interview.
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