Before he was Matalian, he was just a kid from Washington Heights. Salvador Tony Mendez grew up in that Columbus neighborhood before leaving the city to finish high school in Enterprise, Alabama. In 2000, he joined the Army — a decision that would take him overseas to war twice and, unexpectedly, toward music.

It was during his deployments that Tony first picked up FL Studio and Acid, production software soldiers used to pass the time between missions. What started as a distraction became the foundation of a craft he'd carry with him long after he left the military.

A medical discharge, and a fall In 2006, Tony was medically discharged from the Army. The transition back to civilian life didn't go the way he'd hoped. He became homeless, sleeping in a park for a year and a half — a stretch of his life far removed from the stages and studio sessions that would eventually define his career as Matalian.

Slowly, he rebuilt. Tony found work at a Chevron gas station, then moved on to a job with Time Warner Cable. Steady work gave him a foundation, and piece by piece, he put his life back together.

Building something permanent Tony eventually bought a house and started his own construction business — a second act built on the same determination that got him off the street.

He's also a father of three. Inside his own house, Tony did something he'd wanted to do since his days overseas: he built a home studio. Using the same production instincts he first developed on deployment, he started making music in earnest, recording under the name Matalian.

From a war zone to a park bench to a home studio, Tony's path to music wasn't a straight line — but it's the one that shaped the artist he became.

He is releasing his third album Emotionally Scarred soon on all major streaming platforms.