Called “an artist to watch” by Canadian Music magazine, Matthew has long demonstrated a unique talent for transforming pop singles into jazz numbers. “I don’t stick to the old standards,” Matthew explains. “I enjoy incorporating pop music and basically reinventing it into a jazz and blues fusion.”

In 2009, Matthew released her debut album, Make You Feel My Love, through Awesome Music and EMI Music Canada. The album, produced by Juno Award-winner Greg Kavanagh, featured jazz renditions of classic tunes by Joni Mitchell, Elton John, Bob Dylan, and Aerosmith. The album garnered praise from a variety of media outlets, with Doug Gallant of Canadian Music declaring, “Cara Matthew has the potential to become Canada’s next international jazz star.”

A year after the release of her debut album, Matthew went to the drawing board and began work on her second album, Everybody Hurts. Set to appear in January 2016, the album includes jazz covers of songs from artists as diverse as Katie Perry, the BeeGees, and even 80s pop sensation Erasure. True to its title, a nod to the classic R.E.M. song, the album is “about reaching out to people so they feel like they’re not alone. Connection.” The album also features a first for Matthew: a song she co-wrote with producer Greg Kavanagh.

Matthew’s future goals and engagements include show casing some material from her new record on November 18th at Monarchs Pub in Toronto and November 21st at Manhattans in Guelph, a cross-Canada tour in 2016, a Japanese album release, and the album’s worldwide digital distribution. Inspired by the brave example of individuals like Malala Yousafzai, Matthew encourages her fans to pursue their dreams, whatever those might be. “What is your dream and are you awakened enough to go after it?” Matthew asks. “Are you daring enough to dream?”