First, to clear up any misconception, Kirstian Matsson who performs as the Tallest Man On Earth is not literally the tallest man on earth. Standing 5 ft 7 in tall, he is far from it. In fact, Sultan Kosan from Turkey is the tallest man, at 8 ft 3 in.
Matsson’s first release came in 2006, and initially he provided no personal information with the music as he did not expect to become a full time musician. The Swedish singer-songwriter got his first widespread critical praise via his second album, 2008’s Shallow Grave. It led to his being chosen to open Bon Iver’s tour, which led to solo tours in the US, despite having no record distribution in the states.
After settling for a time in Brooklyn, Matsson has moved on now to North Carolina where he has recorded his most recent album. The moves represent a better understanding of who he is. Matssons says “I’m kind of a hummingbird as a person,” laughing. “Weirdly, it’s the moving around—meeting other people and being in the world—that makes me calm. I used to think that I was an introvert who needed time alone. I’m realizing now how much of a little social creature I am.”
There was a forced two-year gap between Brooklyn and North Carolina. When he chose to leave the city, he decided to return to Sweden to visit his parents, only to be locked down there for 18 months.
