Matthew Runaway wants you to “STAY” In His Cover From Justin Bieber and The Kid LAROI

His name is Matthew Runaway but you’re going to want to stay and listen to his newest single, a cover of The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s 2022 song “STAY”. Runaway integrates his genre spanning background into this pop radio hit to reimagine it with a country-rock tonality.

A singer/songwriter and youtuber with over 80K subscribers, Runaway has developed a strong fan base through fun reaction and insightful commentary videos about modern music from the perspective of a country artist while delivering to his followers his own original music.

Matthew Runaway’s Cover of “Stay” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber

A fan of both artists, Runaway published a reaction video when the original version of “Stay” was released about a year ago describing it as a “killer track”. He praised the song expressing how impressed he was in particular with The Kid LAROI, citing obvious vocal growth from the 19 year old Australian.

Subtle slide steel guitar bridges the tracks original sound with Runaway’s unique style. The cover manages to fuse 80’s synth pop with Runaway’s roots – a blend of country, metal, and rock that emerged from the beginnings of Matthews career with the EDM rock band, Aspire. Showcasing strong vocal power, Runaway maintains a gritty honest twang in his vocals that shines through skilled execution. A pop sound permeates through Matthew’s cover however, it’s doused in country rock and metal instrumentals giving the track a whole new feeling. Musically, there’s something for everyone in Matthew’s take on this hit!

The song really takes off in the bridge where Runaway is able to masterfully lift the track to a powerhouse climax with guttural vocals. You can hear the influence of some of today’s hottest country stars, like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, and Eric Church, in Runaway’s version of “STAY”.

Runaway’s greatest strength is his authenticity as an artist. He always brings an element of vulnerability to his music both sonically and lyrically – even in his choice of a cover. His sound represents his story – a small town guy, raised on a farm, who found his start in music experimenting with rock, before cultivating his roots in country music.

Inspired by contemporaries like Granger Smith, Runaway infuses soulful honesty into his music with the goal of resonating with his fan’s. In a previous interview with Front Porch he shared about songwriting “It’s sometimes hard to write them, and it’s very vulnerable. Once it’s out, it’s like therapy and it’s the world’s now.”

About Matthew Runaway

Matthew Runaway is a rising country singer/songwriter from Perth, ON. Raised on a diligent cattle and crops farm, Matthew’s song writing style speaks to his established work ethic, recreating the stories he’s lived and the memories he’s made.

Most recently, Matthew was named artist of the month by the Country Music Association Of Ontario! Matthew has exploded on his YouTube channel gaining close to 100,000 subscribers and 12 million views in such a short time. The explosion has put Matthew’s channel inside the 900th biggest in Canada and top 5 in country music. Despite this channel’s exponential growth in such a short amount of time, Matthew’s love for writing and singing country music will always be his utmost priority. Matthew’s cattle-and-crop-farm roots have undoubtedly instilled the Small Town-Big Dream energy responsible for his visionary nature.