"I have a big feeling that we are losing the essence of musicianship interaction" – guitarist Mateus Asato closes Instagram account, takes break from music

Instagram has been huge for musicians – a direct forum to share with fans, and to perform and gain new followers. But now Mateus Asato, a wonderful player and one of the social media platform's most successful guitarists, has decided to step away from it. He's also taking a break from music in general for a while. But why?

In a statement on his Instagram account (renamed @brb before it closed) yesterday (7 February) Asato was candid in his explanation.

"What I am about to share is a confession of something I would never expect to happen that early in my life," Asato wrote. 

“This feels very weird because I don’t even feel the excitement of grabbing my guitar to enjoy the goodness and blessings that music creates on us artistically,” Asato explained. “I honestly didn’t want to blame the pandemic but I got to a point where my inspiration simply disappeared.”

While it's hoped that inspiration will return, Asato also revealed he's "concluding" his relationship with social media. Although he noted the positive effects it's had on his career, Asato also seemed to suggest it might be the source of his inspiration issues.

"I got lost inside the boxes of the 15s-60s videos," he wrote. "I have a big feeling that we are losing the essence of musicianship interaction, establishing patterns based on the same 4 bars / chord progressions to 'start the vibe'."

Asato signed off with "I'll be back soon, hopefully", so we're hoping he finds the break and inspiration he needs.