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Matreya – Be Love
The transformation from reality television contestant to spiritual seeker turned serious recording artist rarely yields compelling music. Yet Matreya—formerly known as Mason Noise from The X Factor UK's 2015 series—has emerged from years of meditation, Reiki training, and self-discovery with 'Be Love', a track that transcends the usual trappings of manufactured pop reinvention to deliver authentic, transportive soul music.

'Be Love' announces itself immediately through its Afrobeats foundation, but this is no superficial appropriation of trending sounds. The production, helmed by Reece Hayden and musical director Iwan VanHetten (whose credentials include work with Sister Sledge and The Pointer Sisters), pulses with organic vitality. Live horns and saxophone weave through the arrangement like smoke through incense, while guitars and keys provide a lush, earthbound counterpoint to Matreya's vocals, which soar and dip with the confidence of someone who has genuinely found their voice.


The track's genius lies in its refusal to choose between the cerebral and the visceral. Matreya describes it as "a carnival on a spaceship"—an apt metaphor for music that manages to feel both celebratory and contemplative, rooted in rhythm yet reaching toward the cosmic. The Afrobeats pulse drives the body forward while the layered instrumentation and vocal harmonies suggest something deeper, older, more fundamental. This is dance music for the soul, quite literally.


Lyrically, 'Be Love' trades in simplicity, but it's the simplicity of a mantra rather than a marketing slogan. Matreya frames the song as channeling "an ancient message, as old as the universe itself," and while such declarations often ring hollow, the conviction in his delivery sells it. His vocals—smooth yet powerful, intimate yet expansive—carry the weight of someone who has actually sat with these ideas, rather than simply borrowed them for aesthetic purposes.


The production deserves particular praise for its restraint. In less assured hands, the combination of live horns, Afrobeats rhythms, R&B vocals, and spiritual messaging could easily collapse into overwrought fusion. Instead, VanHetten and Hayden allow space for each element to breathe. The arrangement builds gradually, adding layers without clutter, creating a soundscape that feels both contemporary and timeless—a rare achievement for any production team.


Context matters here. Matreya's journey—from controversial reality TV contestant to years spent training in healing practices—could read as gimmicky. But 'Be Love' demonstrates that his spiritual exploration has been genuine and formative rather than cosmetic. The track benefits from this foundation, possessing a centered quality that distinguishes it from the glut of "conscious" pop that often substitutes vague positivity for actual substance.


The song also arrives at a moment when Afrobeats continues its global ascendance, with British artists increasingly drawing from the genre's infectious rhythms and global perspective. Matreya's contribution feels earned rather than opportunistic, integrated into a broader sonic vision that also incorporates R&B, soul, and atmospheric pop. The result sounds like an artist synthesizing influences rather than chasing trends.


His upcoming #WeBeLove campaign—encouraging listeners to share acts of kindness—might easily veer into saccharine territory, but the track itself possesses enough musical heft to justify its message. The mantra-like quality of the composition invites repetition, turning the song into a practice rather than just a listening experience.


'Be Love' positions Matreya as a serious artist with vision, craft, and something meaningful to say. As a preview of his forthcoming debut EP 'Anchor', it suggests an artist who has used his time away from the spotlight productively, emerging not with a calculated comeback but with music that actually moves the spirit. Whether addressing romance or universal principles—Matreya himself notes the song "ripples beyond romance into the very principle that brings life into being"—'Be Love' delivers its message with infectious warmth and musical sophistication.


This is the sound of an artist who has truly found himself, and the music is all the better for it.