There’s something to the adage “Less is more.” For Matthew Wade, assessing what is truly important is really the essence of life and his new album Bigger.
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“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” says Wade, who goes by My Silent Bravery. “To me, ‘Bigger’ is a consciousness of living a more fulfilled life. It’s not about having more possessions or bigger toys, but it’s about feeling more fulfilled by what we do have.”
Written before the pandemic, the title and songs of Bigger are appropriate for the times, particularly following the onset of COVID when more people were forced to look a bit deeper into their own lives, and learn to live to the fullest. “I think we all had to do a deeper dive internally and see if we were living the way we wanted to,” says Wade. “Having a life-altering sports injury for most of my life, I had learned early on that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. I learned to go chase my dreams and to think and dream big at a young age, but not everyone thinks this way.”
Singing Can’t go big if you are thinking small, the title track gives a One Love nod to Bob Marley and moves along the shifting refrain of expanded manifestations for a richer life—Bigger with your heart, Bigger with your love, Bigger with your touch, Oh, Bigger, Bigger with your vision, Bigger how you think about us, One life, One love, One chance to give it our all, Bigger, Bigger with your vision.
“At the heart of every My Silent Bravery album is a deeper message of positivity, hope, love, and perseverance,” says Wade. “To me, My Silent Bravery symbolizes persistence, perseverance, and inner strength to overcome obstacles in the face of adversity.”
Throughout Bigger, Wade’s reggae-pop beats maneuver through more universal tales, from the prodding “Say Something,” a call to action on “Rise Up,” through the more anthemic “The Reason,” and the acoustic-led close of “Without Love.”
At its core, the thing that threads Bigger together: love. “I think the album is a cry for help for people to learn to love again, not just in relationships, but within ourselves, and our experience of the world,” shares Wade. “I think ‘Bigger’ is about diving deeper into ourselves and how we view our lives and the world and learning to be happy with our life experiences.”
Now, Bigger is more relevant as people are addressing their mental health, relationships, work, and finding a better balance.
“I think there is more of an urgency present in the world among people to find and feel fulfillment, joy, and positive energy in general,” says Wade, “And with this album and every interaction with my listeners, my hope is the same, that they leave more inspired than when they came.”
Living through the pandemic, people are ultimately looking at the much bigger picture in life. “People began taking stock of the importance of seeing the smaller things in life as bigger,” he says. “There was a newfound importance of being humble, grateful, and mindful of our lives and how we treat others. I think people also were reminded that there are bigger things in the world than what is going on in our personal lives. There are issues within our country, society, our way of life, [and] the planet, that still all need our attention.”
Right now, Wade wants to continue offering more positive energy through My Silent Bravery.
“The world feels more divided than ever especially when it comes to things like politics and the way our society should function and how we should live our lives,” says Wade. “My mission when I first started MSB was to unite people and bring people together through music. And it’s still the mission.”
He adds, “‘Bigger’ is a reflection of what’s happening in the world. The album is a call to unite. And in order to unite, I think it all starts with the golden rule: treat people how you want to be treated. In addition to speaking up and having our voices heard, I think we also need to continue to listen and learn. We were given two ears and one mouth for a reason. That is why my bravery is silent. It’s my hope that this album unites, helps, and inspires people to think and dream big and to manifest their dreams to reality.”
