“Trading the stability of playing for a pop star to start walking on my own steps was a very tough decision”: Mateus Asato has walked away from Bruno Mars, Jessie J and Tori Kelly to pursue a solo career – and his solo album is finally ready

Mateus Asato has cemented his reputation as both a social media guitar phenom as well as a sideman to the stars, having played guitar for the likes of Bruno Mars, Tori Kelly, and Jessie J.

However, Asato is now stepping out on his own. After years of teasing the potential of an album, he's now confirmed that his debut record is finally done.

“In my early 20s, I started wonder[ing] if just playing guitar was enough,” the electric guitar virtuoso shares in a recent YouTube video. “I remember hearing from some people that I've worked with in the past something like, ‘Oh, man, if you knew how to sing, we could have gone [to] bigger places.’

“And the fact that I'm not a singer created this sort of frustration that I've never felt before as a musician. For some years, I carried this thought of underestimating the potential of my own art for not having any lyrics, which was also part of the reason why I went through some different phases of figuring out how I could make up this lack of identity.

“I spent my whole 20s being a sideman,” he continues, “working with some of the greatest artists in pop music. I was able to travel the world, play at the most legendary venues and festivals, and so many other things that helped me grow as a musician, but toward my last years as a sideman, I realized that I had to make a choice.”

MY ALBUM IS DONE! FINALLY... - YouTube

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According to Asato, that choice was simple, though it was a difficult decision to make.

“Trading the stability and the status of playing for a pop star to start walking on my own steps was a very tough decision, and that takes time,” he reflects. “Now, in my 30s, I was able to organize myself better.

“I achieved other great things in life, professionally and personal side, and mainly, I was able to give myself a proper season of rest, which was very important, to visualize things over a different perspective, and to bring back the meaning of why I'm a guitar player and not a singer. [It] cleared the path for me to start this first season of my solo career with a very great feeling.”

In last year's exclusive interview with Guitar World, Asato discussed landing the gig with Bruno Mars, how his pink Suhr went from reject to best-selling signature, and the guitar superstar who encouraged him to forge a solo path.