After huge anticipation, the wait for Mateus Asato’s first single is over – and Cryin’ is full of the smooth and soulful licks with which the Brazilian electric guitar virtuoso made his name.
The former Bruno Mars, Tori Kelly, and Jessie J guitarist has achieved a lot before releasing any of his own original music. The long-time Suhr endorsee launched his signature guitar back in 2018, with the pink six-string becoming one of the firm's best-selling axes since.
Five years later, he dropped a signature plugin with Neural DSP, and he released a collaborative track with Plini last year, before admitting to Guitar World that he's been taking his time to work on his hotly-awaited debut LP.
“All creatives are in a state of constant change,” he said. “I started out as a sideman backing these big pop artists… I had a lot of conflict with myself when it came to my art.
“At one point, I was going to write an album with a bunch of collaborations and go for the mainstream thing. Recently, I realized these short instrumental pieces are my true identity.”
The song begins with some tender piano lines, but it doesn't take long for a run of crooning, edge-of-breakup leads – the kind that defines Asato's irresistible playing style – to cut through the mix.
The song is simple, hinging on one core melody rather than being overpopulated with shred and fireworks. That’s indicative of his taste-before-showmanship musicality. And it’s a real earworm, too.
“Cryin’ is my emotional celebration of life – the first act of being human and the sound of joy, fear, and love all at once,” he says of the track. “It’s a reminder that life is full of emotions, vulnerability, and movement, and you’re free to feel it your own way.”
It would have been easy for Asato to neglect his songwriting talents. With Bruno Mars and Jessie J, especially, he's been at the top of the pop game, playing some of the world's most iconic venues and benefitting from a reliable paycheck. But the Brazilian wanted to take the risk.
“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 said during a pensive chat with GW last month. “I was able to give myself a proper season of rest. [It] cleared the path for me to start this first season of my solo career with a very great feeling.”
More details about Asato’s album, which is slated for release in early 2026, are expected to land imminently. In the meantime, we can bask in those lucious licks.
Or, readers could learn a few of his tricks, including his poetic soloing secrets, and the key to his neo-soul style, which Haken guitarist and GW columnist Charlie Griffiths says every player can benefit from.
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