Simon Mathew
The Danish television viewers decided to send Simon Mathew with All Night Long to the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, Serbia.Simon Mathew is 24 years old and was born in Grenå, in mid Jutland. At the age of 9, he and his large family moved to the town of Hirtshals in North Jutland where he lived until he moved to Copenhagen four years ago in order to be able to focus more on his music.
Music itself and the performing aspects of it, have always been an important ingredient in the life of the young vicar’s son, who was the singing and performing child in a large group of brothers and sisters, in Simon’s case since he was six years old. First as a member of a gospel choir, later on still more often with his older sisters, primarily Rebekka and Sabina.
Simon Mathew’s favourite genre has always been pop, he has performed with his own or other people’s songs, and at the age of 15, he made an agreement with a publishing firm which was to handle the rights of his songs that were to make out his first album.However, financial cuts and relocations in the record company prevented his album from becoming reality.
This did not discourage Simon Mathew. On the contrary, he continued performing and also recorded a promotion video, and his first successful attempt to win national fame was made in the talent contest Scenen Er Din (the Danish equivalent of the international TV-show Star Search), where he presented When I Get You Alone, and later You're the Voice, before he won the prize with I Don't Wanna Be.
That certainly paved the way for his first album, Simon Mathew, which was released in 2005. Many of the songs turned out to have hit qualities in them, first and foremost Dreamer which was a number one on the Propaganda List, but also These Arms, which has not only been played frequently on Danish radio stations but has also become number one on the socalled Tjeklisten.
In addition to his increasing number of concerts in cafés and other smaller musical stages, Simon Mathew has started a lecture tour on youth related issues, problems that are specifically related to institutions where he has given these speeches.
Simon Mathew has also teamed up singers and entertainers who have performed with different shows including lectures, stand-up, song and music typically dealing with issues a little more serious than usual.
The interest in Simon Mathew has certainly not diminished as a result of his performance in the TV show Vild Med Dans (fDanish version of the BBC’s show Strictly Come Dancing), and in between, he has held the odd job in a video store, and he has found the time and energy to record a single called, Never Another You.
After attending school, first in Grenå and later in Hirtshals, Simon Mathew has taken no other formal education. He gave up after a mere three months at the so-called MGK – Musical Base Course - in Ishøj, Copenhagen, because he much preferred the performing life on the stage.
Currently, he is taking an admission course to be admitted into the Danish police force, a job of his choosing, not only because he wishes to work with other people but also because his job as a lecturer on youth issues has given him an acute interest in police work.