Matt Kaye – Bio

MATEJ KRAJNC (MATT KAYE) – Born in 1975 in Maribor, Slovenia (EU). He holds a master’s degree in comparative literature. He published his first book in 1988, first printed book in 1992 and in the same year started combining poetry and music into a singer-songwriter routine. Between 1998 and 2023 he recorded over 400 albums for various labels, participated in nearly every important literary-music festival, won several prizes for poetry, worked for national radio and other media as a musical connoisseur, and wrote/translated over 100 books as a member of Slovenia’s National Writers’ Association and National Literary Translators Association. He is also a member of Slovenian PEN and MIRA organizations. He has written several monographs, including books on the works of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Slovenian singer Oto Pestner. He has translated works of Alexander Pope, Lord Byron, Samuel Coleridge, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Kris Kristofferson and many others. He has been writing musical/literary reviews and articles for many important newspapers and reviews in Slovenia, incl. Delo (Književni listi), Odzven, Nova muska, Glasna, and Literatura. He writes and performs in English as Matt Kaye.

He records in English as Matej Krajnc, Matt Kaye and Blind Boy Spectacles (gospel and blues standards).