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Matt Shultz | |
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.jpg) Shultz performing in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Matthew Ray Shultz (1983-10-23)October 23, 1983 (age 42) Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S. |
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Matthew Ray Shultz (born October 23, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter for the rock bandCage the Elephant.[1]
Matthew Ray Shultz was born on October 23, 1983, and raised inBowling Green, Kentucky. His father, Donald Bradley Shultz Sr, was also a musician. Growing up, Shultz came from a poor background alongside his brother,Donald Bradley "Brad" Shultz Jr, which subjected them to teasing from their peers at school. Their parents separated when the brothers were young, which inspired them to begin writing music while they lived with their grandmother in a trailer park. Their mother disapproved of their passion for music and began dating hisfootball coach after the divorce, and which prompted him to quit the team and play music as an act of rebellion. He attendedGreenwood High School.[2]
Before startingCage the Elephant, Shultz worked in construction as a plumber. He said in an interview that he felt if he didn't quit that job, he would be stuck there for the rest of his life.[3] He therefore quit and worked at a sandwich bar with Brad, who had previously worked in telemarketing.
Before Cage the Elephant, Shultz was in a band with current bandmatesJared Champion and Brad Shultz known as Perfect Confusion. Perfect Confusion formed in 2001, and played smaller music venues around their hometown, Bowling Green. They released one self titled album in 2005, however the band broke up the same year, but the former members occasionally have reunions and performances.[4]
Shultz is best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter for the rock bandCage the Elephant. The band has released several albums, includingMelophobia,Tell Me I'm Pretty, andSocial Cues, with the latter two winningGrammy Awards forBest Rock Album in 2016 and 2019, respectively.[5][6][7][8][9]
In 2008 Shultz and his fellow band members moved to London, England, to gain a broader audience for their indie rock market after being discovered at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in 2007. The move coincided with the release of their self-titled first album in the UK in June of that year. In 2011 their sophomore albumThank You Happy Birthday was released. In 2013Melophobia was released, Shultz viewed the record as a battle "to remain transparent and to remain honest."Isaac Brock (frontman ofModest Mouse) once told his friend Tiger Merritt (ofMorning Teleportation) that "if you're not slightly embarrassed to sing the lyrics, you're probably not writing a good song," and encouraged him to refrain from attempting to write poetically but rather naturally. Shultz said this made sense to him. When writing new tracks, Shultz would often doodle an image alongside his lyrics for visual reference.[10]
Released in 2015,Tell Me I'm Pretty marked a stylistic and emotional evolution for Cage the Elephant. Shultz described the album's title as both ironic and unsettling, capturing a generation's obsession with self-presentation amid emotional dislocation.[11]
The track "Sweetie Little Jean" stands out as a deeply personal meditation on depression and childhood trauma. Matt revealed that the song weaves together the story of a girl abducted from their neighborhood with his own struggles with memory and grief, making it a haunting reflection on presence and loss. He noted that depression can rob a person of emotional closeness, even when someone is physically near: "It's as if they are a ghost."[11] Musically, he drew from a rich palette of influences—The Zombies,Motown,the Ramones,Neil Young, andIggy Pop—while intentionally moving away from rock clichés and toward emotional transparency. Matt spoke of shedding performative personas in favor of authenticity, acknowledging the discomfort of creative vulnerability: "Allowing yourself to be naked… can be pretty painful."[11]
Despite differing perspectives within the band, particularly between Matt and his brother Brad, their creative friction ultimately forged a more honest and nuanced record. As Matt put it, they sought to blend character with honesty—a kind of artistic duality he likened to combining Iggy Pop's energy with Neil Young's sincerity.[11]
Cage the Elephant's fifth studio album,Social Cues (2019), marked a deeply personal and stylistically ambitious chapter in Matt Shultz's career. Written in the aftermath of his divorce, the album channeled hisgrief and emotional fragmentation into lyrics exploring identity, melancholy, and disconnection.[8] The death of close friends and family, including Matt and Brad's cousin and Brad's father-in-law, deeply influenced not only the lyrics but also the instrumentation of the record.[9]
Thematically, the record oscillates between bleak introspection and sonic vibrancy, a contrast often underscored by Shultz's lyrical ambiguity and vocal delivery. Tracks such as "Broken Boy" and "What I'm Becoming" delve into existential confusion, while others, like "Night Running", embrace a funk-driven surrealism that masks darker undertones. In interviews, Shultz emphasized the importance of engaging with the full emotional spectrum, resisting the pull of melodrama to instead "acknowledge all angles of emotion."—from frustration and anger, as in "Tokyo Smoke", to the quiet resignation and fragile hope of "Goodbye".[8][9]
Critics praised the album's raw vulnerability and its textured musical palette, which incorporated electronic and psychedelic elements alongside the band's rock foundation.Social Cues would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, further cementing the band's reputation for blending accessibility with emotional depth.[8]
In the early 2020s, Matt Shultz experienced a severe mental health crisis triggered by an adverse reaction to prescribedADHD medication, which led toparanoiddelusions and a break from reality. His condition culminated in a high-profile arrest in January 2023 in New York, where he was found with two loadedfirearms. Shultz later avoided jail time through aplea deal and underwent extensive treatment, which he has credited with saving his life.[12]
This turbulent period deeply influenced Cage the Elephant's sixth studio album,Neon Pill (2024). The album features lyrics reflecting Shultz's psychological descent and recovery, blending confessional songwriting with the band's evolving, genre-fluid sound. Songs like "Neon Pill" and "Rainbow" trace his personal trauma, including a temporary divorce from his wife Eva.[13] In interviews, Shultz has spoken candidly about the dangers of blurring performance personas with personal identity and has since adopted a more grounded public presence. The band's return to touring in 2024 was met with critical acclaim, and Shultz has described the experience as a profound reset, offering new perspective on fame and artistic identity.[12] On October 10, 2024,CBS Mornings aired a segment featuring Shultz and his brother Brad where Matt opened up about his psychosis.[14]
Shultz was previously married to Juliette Buchs from 2014 until they separated in 2018. He then married fellow Kentucky-based actress, dancer and musician Eva Ross in early February 2020.[15] "Love's The Only Way" was a song written by Matt for Eva while they were dating. Eva announced on December 1, 2021, that the couple had separated and were filing for divorce; however, they were remarried on October 24, 2023. Matt explained in an interview with CBS that he filed for divorce from Eva out of fear for her safety while experiencing psychosis and that she saved his life many times. Eva gave birth to their first child, a son, Huxley Lennon Shultz on June 14, 2025.[16]
Shultz has spoken about his three-year struggle withpsychosis, triggered byADHD medication. He described it as a "nightmarish" state ofpanic,paranoia anddelusions.[17] On January 6, 2023, Shultz was arrested in New York on charges of felony firearm possession. He was staying atThe Bowery Hotel in Manhattan, where a hotel employee reportedly saw him carrying afirearm into the bathroom and called9-1-1.[18][19] In aplea bargain, Shultz pleaded guilty to three charges in exchange for avoiding jail time.[20][21] Shultz called the arrest a "miracle", leading to hospital treatment andtherapy.[22]
Guest appearances
Shultz cites bands such as thePixies as influential on his vocal style, explaining that he discovered them alongside other punk bands while living in England during the recording ofThank You, Happy Birthday. His stage persona is inspired by punk pioneers such asIggy Pop.[23]
During the first two Cage the Elephant albums Shultz's lyrics touched upon not selling out. The albumThank You, Happy Birthday made this point with tracks like "Sell Yourself" and "Shake Me Down".[24] However, since their 3rd studio album the lyrics have been more focused on Shultz's personal experiences, exploring his grief, depression, existential questioning and dealing with fame.[25] When writing the lyrics for the band's albumMelophobia, Shultz stated "You don't really write a song, you let a song find you."[26] In the albumNeon Pill Shultz's lyrics focus heavily on his mental health struggles.[27]
Shultz began his art career as the lead singer and a founding member ofPerfect Confusion in 2001. Later, he would also do the same withCage the Elephant.[28]
Beyond music, Shultz has explored various artistic fields, includingdance,fashion design,visual art, andperformance art.[29][30][31] In March 2019, he collaborated withThe Frye Company to release aboot collection inspired by archetypes such asthe Punk Rocker,Cowboy, andHarlequin.[32] Later that year, in August 2019, he threw his debut art show inGreenpoint, Brooklyn with New York artistDanny Cole,Beck, and other friends. The event was captured byRolling Stone in a photo journal.[31]
Shultz is known for his showmanship during live shows, with energetic movements, dancing, crowd interactions, along with “signature jumps”, high energy antics including the occasional stage dive.[33][34][35] He is also known to wear unique outfits.[36]
The bands managerPeter Mensch has stated that Shultz performance is what makes the band special stating “He’s the guy. He’sAxl Rose, he’sMick Jagger, he’s around the stage. We’ve got great players, but what elevates Cage The Elephant is Matt Shultz.”[37] The Nashville scene described him as “the love child ofDavid Bowie and Mick Jagger “throws his wiry frame around, hair flailing, with arrhythmic reckless abandon, aping Iggy antics like walking atop the outstretched hands of the crowd.”[38]
Even when he suffered a foot injury during the band's 2024 tour and was on a scooter with one foot elevated and housed in a medical boot, he still managed to put on a show for the crowd popping wheelies and making sudden banks and turns.[39]
Cage the Elephant's first nomination came in 2011, when the music video for "Shake Me Down" was nominated for theBest Rock Video at the2011 MTV Video Music Awards. In 2014, Cage the Elephant was nominated for the Best Alternative Music Album forMelophobia, at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2016, Cage the Elephant won theGrammy Award for Best Rock Album forTell Me I'm Pretty, winning again in 2019 forSocial Cues.[40][41] In 2025 the band's song "Neon Pill" was nominated for bestAlternative Music Performance at the 67th annual Grammys.[42]
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