Matt Hansen joins Live From Mars for an emotional deep dive into his debut album Orchid, the songwriting experiences that shaped it, and the realities of building a music career completely independently.

Matt opens up about going from posting covers in parking garages during COVID to becoming one of the internet’s fastest-rising independent artists with over a billion streams worldwide. Alex and Matt discuss emotional songwriting, social media burnout, creative freedom, therapy, heartbreak, healing, and why Orchid feels like the first project that truly tells his story.

They also break down the pressure of virality, transitioning fans from covers to original music, the cinematic influence of Coldplay and Hans Zimmer, and the meaning behind songs like “Let Em Go,” “Yellowstone,” and the album’s title track.

Topics covered:

• The story behind Matt Hansen’s debut album Orchid

• How TikTok changed his life and music career

• Building an audience independently without a label

• The emotional process behind songwriting and healing

• Why “Let Em Go” changed everything for him

• Coldplay’s influence on his music and production style

• Learning to separate artistry from analytics and virality

• The importance of emotional maturity in songwriting

• Why happiness felt scary after years of sad songs

• What Matt hopes to learn from the Orchid era

Follow Matt Hansen:

Spotify: Matt Hansen

Instagram/TikTok: @matthansenmusic

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TikTok: @vinylbymars

Instagram: @vinylbymars

YouTube: @vinylbymars

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The Grammys are officially wrapped, and we’re breaking down everything that happened the night after music’s biggest show. In this episode of Live From Mars, Alex is joined by returning guest and fan-favorite Amanda Leopizzi to recap the biggest wins, surprise losses, standout performances, and the moments everyone is still talking about.

We dive into Bad Bunny’s historic Album of the Year win, Olivia Dean taking Best New Artist, Billie Eilish’s controversial Song of the Year victory for “Wildflower,” and why Sabrina Carpenter walked away empty-handed. We also talk through Lady Gaga’s pop vocal win, Kendrick Lamar’s continued dominance, and the evolving relevance of award shows in today’s music landscape.

Beyond the trophies, we get into the cultural and political moments from the night, social media reactions across platforms, and how fan discourse is shaping the narrative around artists in real time. To close things out, we look ahead to the 2027 Grammys and start calling early contenders across pop, country, and alternative.

In this episode:

• Biggest winners and snubs of the 2026 Grammys

• Best New Artist performances and medley highlights

• The Billie Eilish eligibility debate

• Lady Gaga vs. Bad Bunny Album of the Year conversation

• Social media reactions and fan culture shifts

• Early 2027 Grammy predictions

• Best and worst moments of the night

Follow me:

Substack: https://vinylbymars.substack.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vinylbymars

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinylbymars/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vinylbymars

To provide feedback, please fill out this survey: http://bit.ly/livefrommars-survey

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Subscribe on Substack: https://vinylbymars.substack.com

Grammy week is here, so I’m locking my final predictions before the votes are revealed.

In the first official episode of 2026, I break down my Grammy ballot across 12 categories, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. I also compare my picks against hundreds of listener submissions from my Grammy poll to see where the internet agrees with me and where it doesn’t.

This episode is all about how the Recording Academy actually votes, where narratives matter, and which categories are primed for upsets.

In this episode:

• Final Grammy predictions across the Big Four
• Why Album of the Year is a three-artist race
• The category I’m least confident about
• Listener poll results vs my actual picks
• Dark horses the Academy could surprise us with
• 
  

The next episode will be a full Grammy recap reacting to the winners, performances, and biggest moments of the night. Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast to be notified when the next episode drops!

01:46 Predictions for Record of the Year

03:53 Album of the Year Contenders

07:55 Song of the Year Insights

18:19 Best New Artist Predictions

19:24 The Rise of Olivia Dean and Leon Thomas

20:37 Predictions for Best Pop Solo Performance

22:37 Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Insights

24:33 Best Pop Vocal Album Showdown

27:01 Best Dance Pop Recording Predictions

28:04 Best Dance Electronic Album Insights

29:17 Best Remixed Recording Analysis

30:38 Best Traditional Pop Album Discussion

31:46 Best Music Video Predictions

Follow & support:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vinylbymars

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinylbymars/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vinylbymars

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/vinylbymars

Substack: https://vinylbymars.substack.com

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