“I had no idea of the impact that these Instagram videos were having until I went to South Korea. There were 500 people there just to see this ‘Mateus Asato guy’”: How Mateus Asato changed gears from sideman and Instagram guitarist to fully-fledged artist

Mateus Asato with his signature Suhr guitar.

It's a truth universally acknowledged that social media can make or break you. In Mateus Asato's case, social media has proven to be a way for him to carve a path to the higher echelons of the music industry, leading to an ever-evolving résumé that includes names like Bruno Mars, Tori Kelly, Jessie J, Joe Satriani, and John Petrucci, as well as a signature guitar with Suhr.

However, back in 2016, Asato's role as an A-list sideman left him questioning his future. While traveling to South Korea for a guitar clinic – and confronted with real-life human beings who had discovered him through Instagram and were actually invested in his personal career – he realized there was tremendous potential to switch gears from “sideman” to “artist.”