Matt Lopez: Mormon Musician

Matt Lopez is a singer, songwriter, and member of the country group Due West. He is also a member of The Nashville Tribute Band. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Lopez formed Due West with Tim Gates and Brad Hull in 2004. They met at a party hosted by Dan Truman and played guitar and sang harmonies together impromptu. People at the party were impressed and asked them the name of their group and how long they had been together. So the three formed Due West and have been together since that night.[1]

Matt Lopez, a native of a small town in Wyoming, spent time in New York City playing his music in the subway stations. After he arrived in Nashville, he established himself as a songwriter. He helped write "Love’s Lookin’ Good On You," a song that Reba McEntire turned down but was recorded by Lady Antebellum on its debut album. The song has reached more than one million in sales, which was a huge opportunity. Matt explains, “I’m blessed for it. Reaching even a half a million in sales was a pretty cool moment.”[2]

In 2009, Due West self-released its first single, “I Get That All the Time” with a music video that premiered on Great American Country (GAC). In 2011, the group released a music video for their second single, “When the Smoke Clears.” Both singles made it into the top 20 of Great American Country. In February 2011, Due West created the album, Forget the Miles with Black River Records. The group left Black River and used Kickstarter to raise funds to produce an album independently. With producer Brandon Metcalf, the group created an EP, Move Like That in 2013, which was the group’s highest charting album and a Christmas album, I Hear Christmas. Some of the group’s singles include “The Bible and the Belt,” “Things You Can’t Do in a Car,” and “Slide On Over.”

Lopez married singer songwriter Cardin McKinney in 2011. They are the parents of one son.