By John Hayden

“The major switch, if you will, was learning to write my story without editing myself in order to be palatable to others.” Those are the words of Matthew Darren, who has just released his first album, The Switch.

With his unique voice, flowing hair and easy style, Darren is a local talent we don’t deserve but are thrilled to have. The album tells a story, a look at his life in chapters, with music to reflect where he was at different stages of his life.

“Two years ago, on my 39th birthday, I decided I needed to write my own solo album.” And write he did. At one point he had 23 songs written. “I had to figure out what songs were going to be on the first album. Maybe there’s a second album in there. Now, I’ve taken those songs beyond paper and into the computer.”

In addition to dropping new music, he’s bringing back the sexy show he debuted this year.

Manlesque is his take on old-school variety burlesque; dancers, soloists, collabs, all with very few shirts (probably to keep wardrobe costs down). The show returns to Gray Box Theater October 4, 2026. “I had such an amazing team around me,” he says of bringing the show to the stage.

He debuted one of those songs, “My Better Judgment,” during Manlesque in the spring. And while it was rockin’, he says it was a basic version. He says live performances will extend the sensuality of the song with a full band. As for what it’s about, he says the title is pretty self-explanatory.

“There are experiences I’ve had where I’m so captivated by someone, who they are as a person and the energy they bring to a room. That’s what the song started out as. But when I go back into my past, when have I had those moments and allowed them to take root and grow the way that I wanted to and just be in the moment. It’s one of those things where we’ll just deal with the outcome in the morning.”

His love of music and performing is part of his soul, and he’s been working on his process since childhood. “I’ve been writing since I was a little guy. I would take those little cassette recorders, I had two of them. I would sit at the piano and record it, then listen to it back. I would come up with something to sing to it. Then I would record me singing with the other one playing.” 

The final product was one analog recording of another and then of another. But for a kid, it was a glimpse of what was possible.

Casual fans know he was a contestant on American Idol who made it beyond the audition round. Since then he’s become a classic multihyphenate: singer-writer-producer. His production company, D-Rock Productions, works with other artists to bring their visions to life, such as when it did set design for Alexander Zenoz’s live show.

In addition to Manlesque, Darren is also doing Spooktacular, A Night of Beats, Thrills, Tricks and Chills on October 29 at Gray Box, and his annual Holiday Fantasia at Sunshine Cathedral on December 6, 2026.