In 2021, Matt Alvarez, a freshly graduated college student, introduced to the world Sad Boy Radio in an effort to make space for his own thoughts and mental health. Three years later, his infamous Sad Boy logo and podcast are known across the city of Chicago, interviewing Chicago heavyweights such as Hot Rod of WGCI, OG Stevo, DJ No Sike, DJ Drip, The Mind, and more.
His engaging content surrounding mental health has contributed to extended conversations about artists and their music. Their creative process and how they have been able to navigate healing through creating music. “Sad Boy Radio was created because Matt loved music, and Matt also loved to talk about things going on in life. That’s why the summary of the show is discussing everyday problems through the universal language of music.” said Matt.
The podcast has experienced significant growth and is now resonating with various audiences across the Chicago music scene. Despite the recognition of Sad Boy Radio, many are still unfamiliar with the man behind the mic.
Who is Matt of Sad Boy Radio? Is he a podcaster? Journalist? Music lover? or Hood therapist? When you watch the pod, you will see layers unfold. In a world where men of color are often told not to show emotion, Matt is breaking barriers. Creating a brand and platform that allows individuals to express themselves.
Growing up, Matt’s father was a typical Latino father. Like most Latino men, there is an expectation to remain masculine at all times. The podcaster credits his mother for providing the tools for him to express himself while growing up.
“My mom always talked to me about my emotions. I think that with relationships and learning through that, um, a lot of the times we unknowingly learned that we have to lock up our emotions to save others from feeling a certain way. And I did that. And once I wasn’t a part of that anymore, I realized, like, oh, I can really say how I feel.”
The journey to building Sad Boy Radio started as an idea inspired by various life changes. 2021 was a year that embodied many ups and downs for the podcaster. “In 2021, we were coming out of COVID, my grandma passed away from COVID. A week later, we found out my other grandma had cancer, and it was stage four. By February, I stopped talking to a girl that I had been involved with for a long time.”
“So, like, I always tell people, 2021 should have been the worst year of my fucking life. Like, out the gate, like two months in, everything fell apart, but I created this podcast that gave me an outlet.”
Initially intended as a personal outlet for expressing his thoughts and feelings, it has evolved into a safe space for many prominent individuals in the city to share their genuine emotions and insights openly. A psych major in college and a natural talker, Matt’s ability to guide conversations has created an environment where people feel comfortable discussing topics they might not always share with others.
Although he has created a safe space for others, Matt also admits that he has had to come to the realization that building a brand comes with some cons. “You grow a brand, you grow a platform, and people start to view it as that. They don’t view it anymore as like you’re just having a conversation. They view it as, let me get a viral clip.
So, I think that part of it was like, people started coming here for an experience. They wanted an experience.
They wanted to see, like, I’m I wanna be in that studio and I wanna have the conversation. It was like it was never supposed to be all about the other person. It was never even supposed to be all about me. It was just supposed to be a conversation. And, um, I don’t necessarily think that’s been lost. I just think that, um, you gotta find a way to get back to it.”
Sad Boy Radio has garnered 2.17K subscribers on YouTube, 18K followers on Instagram, and 12K on TikTok. While the brand continues to grow, Matt has established himself in the Chicago music scene, covering various events throughout the city, including the Suenos Festival. Although the name Sad Boy implies that the podcaster is always sad, he admits that, despite facing challenges over the past few years, he is, for the first time in a while, genuinely happy with where he has landed.
“Today I was driving, um, going to get my haircut, and I really thought I was like, you know what?
There was a time a couple of months ago where I didn’t ever think that I would be not sad, and, um, I was searching for this new normal. I talked about it a couple of different times, where it’s like, you know, you gotta find this new normal.
And I feel like I found it. I feel like I found that new normal, where I feel okay with where things are and building to be where I want to be.” said Matt
Be sure to hit the subscriber button on Sad Boy Radio.
