10 Interesting Facts About Mat and Savanna Shaw – The Viral Father/Daughter Singing Sensation

In case you haven’t been online during the quarantine and are completely oblivious to Mat and Savanna Shaw – one of the many incredible stories that have emerged in the pandemic – I want to tell you about this father-daughter duo that is taking the internet by storm.

Mat and Savana Shaw filmed a duet singing “The Prayer” and posted it online for friends and family to see. That was just the beginning. More videos uploaded and close to 50 million views later, this family is bringing hope and happiness in a time where it is in short supply.

In this article, we wanted to highlight 10 interesting facts you’d be excited to know about Mat and Savanna Shaw.

10 Things You Want to Know About Mat and Savanna Shaw

1. Mat is not a professional singer.

Contrary to popular belief, father Mat is not a professionally trained singer. While your ears might be confused to know that, the reality is that he is a real estate agent. Music has always been part of his life, but never the main focus. Based on the backdrops of their music videos, you can see that they have a beautiful home as well!

2. Savanna Didn’t Have an Instagram Account Until She Was 15 

Savanna is a unique teenager, and I personally LOVE the fact that she waited so long to get social media because I believe it is very damaging when placed in young hands. Mat explained that until recently Savanna had never had social media and only asked for it so that she could start a singing Instagram account to keep in touch with her choir friends since practices were canceled.

3. Mat and Savanna’s YouTube Account Exploded

YouTube takes a lot of work and it isn’t easy to be successful. Let alone reach the Silver Play button status (achieved at 100,000 subscribers) in ONE MONTH! Yet, that is exactly what Mat and Savanna did. Way to go Mat and Savanna for making such an immediate impact! We can’t wait to see what the future holds! Their channel now has over 600,000 subscribers.

4. Lexi Walker is Savanna’s Biggest Role Model

Savanna has instantly gained her own measure of fame and has thousands looking up to her, but Savanna has her own role models. Word has it that the biggest of these is singer, Lexi Walker. If you don’t know who Lexi is, this Frozen video with Alex Boye that has over 105 million views might ring a bell. 

5. Savanna is Taller Than Her Mom

One Mother’s Day, Savanna posted a wonderful tribute to her mother who has taught her daughter “to be authentic and brave.” She has taught Savanna to love who she is – and I bet her thousands of new fans have been a boost to Savanna’s confidence as well.

In this touching Mother’s Day post on Instagram, we learn a lot about her mother, including the fact that Savanna at age 15 is already taller than her mom. (Or maybe Savanna just has heels on?)

Savanna with her mother

6. Mat Had Surgery That Could Have Affected His Voice

When Mat was due for surgery a few years ago, Savanna was worried about the well being of her father. Mat’s dad passed away at the age of 38 (Mat was 14 at the time). It concerned Savanna that the family didn’t have any recordings of her father singing up to that point (he was 37 at the time), so she asked him to do a recording of that song. Now close to 5 years later, you can watch a video recording that was just recently released of Mat singing the song Evermore on their new YouTube channel.

7. Kelly Clarkson Had Them On Her Show

Mat and Savanna appeared on the Kelly Clarkson show. Kelly, of course, was on the first season of American Idol and has wowed fans ever since with her powerful voice. You can see their interview click here. Since that first interview, Mat and Savanna have done dozens of interviews and their influence is spreading.

8. Savanna Has Never Loved the Spotlight

You’d be surprised just seeing how well Savanna is behind the camera, but she has always been immensely shy. Her dad stated in an interview that when they posted their first video online and so many people saw it, a lot of Savanna’s friends weren’t even aware that she could sing that well. Perhaps a lesson to us all from this is to not hide your talents!

9. Mat’s Dream as a Child

According to an article in the Deseret News, Mat “always loved singing. As a child, he had dreams of recording music and being on Broadway. But that all changed when his dad died. He was 14 years old. After his father’s death, his family suffered some financial hardships and moved from Los Angeles to Kaysville.”

Mat eventually pursued a different career, putting the needs of his growing family first, realizing that music wouldn’t be the most stable way to provide an income to support his family. If I was a betting man, I’d say that the chances of Mat, and Savanna, making it on Broadway are pretty high. While Mat’s dreams most definitely haven’t come true the way he imagined, they’ll come true!

10. The Infamous Recording Closet

When they began, for each video release, Mat and Savanna recorded an audio track in Mat’s closet, with a microphone that is propped up by some pajamas and plugged into an iPad. Definitely not fancy, but it certainly gets the job done. They’ve upgraded their studio since!

Mat and Savanna have been a breath of fresh air. With all the chaos that surrounds us – not just from COVID-19, but from contention in government, natural disasters and the like, it’s been such a joy to hear these two bring hope and peace to millions throughout the world.

To learn more about Mat and Savanna’s backstory and how they came to be worldwide sensations, read our story here: The Father Daughter Duet That is Breaking the Internet.