Matt Hansen recorded a cover of Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” in his Los Angeles garage, posted it to YouTube years before the song went viral, and watched the video climb to 12 million views. Now, after years of therapy, heartbreak-to-hope songwriting, and the four-y
When Matt Hansen hit upload on a cover of “Iris” from his garage, he didn’t predict what it would become. Years later, long after Goo Goo Dolls’ hit turned into a viral trend, his own version had already found an audience: his YouTube video has 12 million views.
Hansen. 25 and Los Angeles-based. talks about that connection in the context of a different turning point—his debut album. “Orchid. ” which is out now. In a performance space built for rising and notable artists. he described his writing as a personal path that begins in heartbreak and moves toward hope.
“It’s basically my path from heartbreak to hope,” Hansen said. “It took a lot of effort, a lot of therapy, a lot of self-reflection and ownership of things and moments where I went wrong.”
That therapy didn’t replace songwriting—it shaped it. Hansen’s debut album, four years in the making, grew through multiple writing sessions after a breakup in his personal life.
He credits one moment in particular with shifting the album from process to clarity: his 2023 release of “Let ’Em Go. ” a cathartic song about learning to move on. Hansen pointed to lines that include “Sometimes you need the pain / To know it isn’t love.” After the track came out. he said he realized he had something worth saying.
“After the song was released, Hansen ‘realized I actually have something really legitimate to say,’” he said.
Hansen also described the reaction he saw after “Let ’Em Go” landed—people responding in a way he hadn’t expected.
“I saw a lot of people react in a way I hadn’t seen them react before,” he said. “Then I just started really digging into how I’m feeling.”
On stage, fans can expect that new focus alongside the music that put him on listeners’ radar. For his headlining tour supporting “Orchid,” Hansen says the set list will include “Let ’Em Go,” “yellowstone (holding you),” and more.
The tour itself is already taking shape for listeners across the country. On May 26, Hansen announced a world tour that includes an 18-city trek across North America. After touring Europe in October, he will play Montreal on Nov. 13. The U.S. run starts on Nov. 17 in New York, and Hansen wraps the North American stretch on Dec. 13 in San Francisco. Tickets go on sale May 29.
He’s also drawing on experience from the road—one reason the new solo era feels more grounded than rushed. Hansen previously toured with Train, and he said the band’s lead singer, Pat Monahan, offered advice he plans to carry with him on this next step.
“(Pat) was like, ‘Just make sure that you’re enjoying all this because this is why you do it,’” Hansen said. “If you write these songs and then you see people out there loving them, it’s a next-level amazing feeling.”
Matt Hansen Orchid Let 'Em Go Iris Goo Goo Dolls John Rzeznik therapy songwriting tour tickets on sale May 29 North America tour New York Nov. 17 San Francisco Dec. 13 Train Pat Monahan