Q&A with CADO

From a small suburban Massachusetts town to Shanghai, Matt Mckeen of CADO has expanded his musical talents across the world. 22 year-old Mckeen recently graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where he studied International Maritime Business. During his undergraduate career, he was able to perform across the U.S. in major cities like Boston, New York, Providence and Los Angeles. This fall, he is once again taking his music career abroad. WRBB had the chance to talk to Mckeen about his journey and vision for CADO.

**Catch CADO live at the Sonia in Cambridge, MA on Saturday, August 19th, 2017. Click here for tickets.**

[three_fourth]Jasmine Chan: What has your experience been like trying to balance being a student and developing a music career?

Matt Mckeen: It was difficult, but it was a good outlet for me. The business stuff I was learning helped me with some Cado stuff- I treat it like a business.

JC: Who is your biggest influence and inspiration in music?

MM: Kanye. Just Kanye.

JC: Where does the name CADO come from?

MM: It came from ‘avocado’. Cam and I were just throwing words out there and it just stuck. It sounds like a dumb story, but it’s an easy way to explain how to say it. Avo-Cado.

*Cameron Cox is his long-time producing partner that helped Mckeen make CADO a reality when they were just a Junior and Senior in high school.

Image courtesy of Matt Mckeen.

JC: I know coming from a small town and having big dreams is hard. How did you deal or continue to deal with the people who doubt you or judge you for pursuing a rap career?

MM: I just don’t really care about what anyone says about it. I’m just doing what I feel and it’s just a natural thing. If anything about being from a small town would be holding me back, I think it would be that if I were to do this in New York or LA I would have more resources, but the internet has always been right there.

JC: What is one short term goal and one long term goal you have for CADO?

MM: Short term is to get exposure on bigger music blogs like Pigeons & Planes. Long term would just be to be genuinely appreciated as an artist. To be a household name, let’s go with that.

JC: How does your family support your music?

Image courtesy of Matt McKeen.

MM: Wicked, wicked supportive. Obviously it would help if my family were loaded and could dump a bunch of money into it like some bitch-ass kids (no shade), but they enjoy my music and just want me to have the best future for myself. They come from hard-working backgrounds and sometimes don’t really see it as a viable career, which can be discouraging, but they always come to my shows to show their support for me.

JC: Do you like pineapple on your pizza?

MM: I love it, hawaiian pizza is the best. People who think it’s gross are crazy.

JC: What does music mean to you?

MM: It’s life, yo. It’s energy. I don’t know what I’d do without it. It blows my mind how people can capture not only people’s attention, but touch you in some sort of way. That sounds perverted, but that’s why Kanye is my favorite: no one else can punch through like that and hit me in the gut like he does.

During his senior year of college, Mckeen spent a semester studying abroad in China where he wrote his most recent single, “Kintsugi”. In September, he will be returning to China to get his Masters Degree in International Trade at the Shanghai Maritime University. Although he will continue to write and release music while overseas, don’t miss your chance to see him live this Saturday, August 19th at the Sonia in Cambridge.

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Listen to CADO’s most recent single, ‘Kintsugi’, here:

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