Matthew Wilder

The career of Matthew Wilder is a living rebuke of F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous line about there being no second acts in American lives. In fact, Wilder's had three or four. Born in New York City in 1953, he started his career in a folk-rock duo signed to Playboy's record label in the ’70s. When Matthew & Peter ended, he became a session vocalist in Los Angeles, singing for TV ads and stars like Bette Midler. But it was his next move that established Wilder as a pop force in his own right. In 1983, he released I Don't Speak the Language, his first solo album and a complete reinvention of his sound. Fusing modern synth-pop, smooth R&B, and soft rock, he captured the zeitgeist and landed in a spot triangulated by movers of the era like Howard Jones, Billy Ocean, and late-period Police. Boosted by irresistible groove and a doggedly positive hook that perfectly fit the aspirational ’80, the reggae-tinged "Break My Stride" became downright ubiquitous. Even so, Wilder made only one more album before redefining himself yet again—this time as a producer—and finding even more success in the process. Besides No Doubt's 1995 career-making Tragic Kingdom, Wilder has brought his ability to capture perfect pop moments to superstars like Miley Cyrus, Christina Aquilera, Selena Gomez, and others. He made his way into movies too—nabbing a couple Oscar noms by lending his voice and studio chops to Disney's Mulan—and even musical theater, confirming the one thread that runs throughout Wilder’s work: a refusal to repeat himself.