Matt began his career at 12 years old starring in national commercials and, subsequently, made his theatrical debut at 17 years old in Cats, at that time, the youngest to ever perform in the mega blockbuster. After a year and a half of touring the country with the feline hit, his career led him to Broadway where, still just a teenager, he made his Broadway debut in A Chorus Line. Zarley has appeared in numerous shows including Chicago, and the title roles in both Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Who’s Tommy on Broadway.  He has also had the pleasure of performing with Whitney Houston, Reba McEntire, Chaka Khan, Vanessa Williams, Brandy, Usher and Olivia Newton-John, among many others.  Matt’s passion for songwriting resulted in his first solo album, Debut, which was released in 2002 through Universal Distribution. The critically acclaimed set featured the dance hit, “You Always Want (What U Ain’t Got)” and “Say Goodbye”; which was also featured on the all-star Human Rights Campaign (HRC) benefit CD, Being Out Rocks. Zarley’s sophomore album, Here I Am, had its title track chosen as one of the 2008 “American Idol Songwriter” competition’s Top 20 finalists in the prestigious national contest. He co-wrote the tune with Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner, Tom Kitt (Next To Normal) when Tom was serving as Matt's music director for his NYC engagements. The set was also named one of Billboard Magazine’s Critics “Top 10 of 2008.”   Change Begins With Me, Matt’s 2012 album release garnered near unanimous acclaim. Critics hailing it “inspiring,” “powerful,” “passionate,” “soaring,” “dreamy,” “poignant,” and “a rare breed of artist….soulful and impressive”. The album’s first single, “WTF” became Matt’s 3rd Billboard hit; while the music video became an internet cult classic. His next single, “Trust Me,” quickly became Matt’s 4th consecutive Billboard single and, the song’s music video became a viral sensation, having clocked over 100,000 views in its first 2 weeks of release. To top it off, the album received the 2012 OutMusic Award for both “Album of the Year” and “Single of the Year.”  In 2015 Zarley released, hopefulROMANTIC, an original musical film about one man's emotional journey through love, heartbreak, and healing. It's a universal story about loving, letting go, and holding onto faith that there's somebody for everybody.  In addition, the film also features film and TV icon, Star Trek star and LGBT activist, George Takei. hopefulROMANTIC, the film, received acclaim and was chosen as an official selection by dozens of film festivals around the world, including:  Cannes Short Film Festival, Mumbai International Queerfest, Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, SHOUT! LGBT Film Festival, Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, Cinema Diverse: Palm Springs LGBT Film Festival, Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival, Out On Film: Atlanta LGBT Film Festival, and the Chelsea Film Festival in New York City, among others. 
Matt’s next project happens to be an all cover song album and the first album he produced solely on his own. THE ESTROGEN SESSIONS, which was released on March 8, 2017, to coincide with International Women’s Day, is a tribute to some of pop music’s most prolific female artists featuring the songs they made famous. Songs by Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Sara Bareilles are just a few of the artists' songs featured on the set, as well as a duet with long time friend and Tony & Grammy winner, Billy Porter (Kinky Boots).   During the pandemic, Matt created an original 12 episode short form musical series called 11 o'CLOCK NUMBER: a visual album. Each episode is less than 10 minutes in length and features a well known musical song, all were originally performed by women. Matt directed, produced, edited, and starred in this very ambitious and very personal  project. Watch the entire series on his YouTube channel.  
​Follow Matt online @ MattZarley.com. 


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