RECORDS Nashville/Arista Nashvilel

If you keep an eye on Matt Stell‘s socials, you may’ve noticed he recently got a new tattoo. And based on his mother’s reaction, it’s likely his first. 

“The headline should read ‘Matt Stell Gets Tattoo! Mother Furious!'” he laughs. “Because she’s so p*****, y’all. She’s so mad!”

It all came about because two of Matt’s longtime friends celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary with a group trip to Vegas, complete with themed party nights.

“They hired a tattoo artist to come to the party,” he explains. “How are you gonna pass that story up? You’ve got a guy that’s up there just like, ‘Hey man, the needle’s hot. All I need is some skin!'”

Matt had already been contemplating the ink he’d like on his chest.

“I’ve had that idea for a little while about that Galileo quote…” he reveals. “The quote it is: ‘And yet it moves.'”

“Legend has it,” he continues, “Galileo said, ‘Hey, funny story. The [Earth] revolves around the [sun], not the other way around.’ The church at the time was not cool with that. And so they put him in house arrest.”

“And when they got him out,” he goes on, “[they] said, ‘Well, how does it feel to know that the Earth is stationary?’ And he said, ‘Yeah. And yet it moves.'” 

It’s a notion that appeals to Matt on several levels.

“I think about it like ‘truth to power,'” he says, “but also, there’s really no reason that my heart gets to beat every day and that all of ours does, you know. We’re just lucky to be here.”

Matt’s new EP, Better Than That, featuring his top-five hit “Everywhere But On” and his debut number one, “Prayed for You,” is out today. 

By Stephen Hubbard
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