About this artist
A self-described “global pop star” from Dublin, CMAT crafts smart, witty pop songs that have a pronounced country influence without spoiling their up-to-date pop sensibilities. Citing Dolly Parton and Katy Perry as equal influences, CMAT’s songs reflect the outlook of a contemporary woman examining everyday life through the lens of kitschy pop culture, finding room to comment on relationships, mental health, and self-image with a serious intent that doesn’t blunt her dry sense of humor. The tunes are radio-friendly pop that finds room for the sunny and mournful duality of classic country. If her material is seemingly built on contradictions, she presented a clever, unified creative vision on her 2022 debut album, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead.
Born in North Dublin in 1996, CMAT stage name is an abbreviation of her given name, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson. She grew up on a musical diet of contemporary pop and classic country, citing Johnny Cash as a local favorite and recalling many karaoke nights where folks at the bar would do their best to emulate their Nashville favorites. CMAT began making music when she was 17 years old, and after relocating to Manchester, England, she first attracted serious attention for her work as half of the duo Bad Sea; she and bandmate Alan Farrell first met one another on the online dating platform Tinder. While Bad Sea earned enthusiastic press, the project was short-lived, and as Thompson was plotting her next move, she attended an event where fans were invited to give pop singer Charli XCX pointers on a handful of unreleased tracks. CMAT attracted Charli’s attention when she was the only attendee who offered any actual criticism of the music, and Charli reached out to the aspiring songwriter, advising her to leave what she’d been doing behind and start fresh with new inspiration.
CMAT returned to Ireland, attended college for a while. She began to focus on her mental health, and dropped out to take a job at a clothing shop while she moved in with her grandparents. She gave herself an assignment to write one new song every week, and over the course of six months, she posted videos of her new tunes online while staging periodic performances at a local yoga studio. In 2020, she started posting singles of her work, and “I Don’t Really Care for You” and “I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby” started racking up impressive numbers on streaming services, as well as airplay on BBC Radio One. She struck a deal with AWAL Recordings, and CMAT’s first album, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, was released in February 2022. ~ Mark Deming