Early Life

Cole Ishaan Matta was born and raised in Inglewood, California. He’s the son of Kamarina and Umang Matta and the brother to three sisters; Jordyn Matta, Astrid Garza, and Charlotte Matta. Kamarina is of Nigerian descent, while his father is of Dravidian descent. His father worked as a postal worker while his mother was a retired childcare worker. Ishaan was a very energetic and rowdy kid. He would frequently get himself into trouble at school by purposely prompting fights "just for the fun of it". Throughout elementary school, Ishaan went by his first name, Cole, but when entering high school he strictly wanted to be referred to by his middle name, Ishaan. He was enrolled in track and field in middle school through high school. In 3rd grade, Ishaan met Taylor Scott and they instantly became inseparable. Family members would always joke about them being lovebirds. They later dated for 2 weeks in 8th grade only to conclude that they were truly just friends.

Sexuality

Ishaan’s sexuality bemused him during his teens as he went through many labels. The confusion led to frustration that spilled into his everyday life. In high school, Ishaan started dating Xavier Lyman. In his senior year, Ishaan’s father suspected their relationship and had threatened to kick him out of the house. Ishaan found a supportful friend group in college that helped him through self acceptance. While attending college, Ishaan and Xavier were roommates until Xavier had to move to Montana in 2009 due to family reasons. They tried to keep their relationship, but Ishaan couldn't handle the long distance and had to part ways in late 2010. After the breakup, Ishaan lived with Taylor for a few months.

Ishaan has always been very open lyrically expressing shameless pride about his sexuality. Through 2011 to early 2013 he had been in two short relationships with an actress and a model. In 2014, he met Basilio for the first time at a private party. Ishaan had taken the opportunity to give Basilio his number, and they quickly linked. Their relationship didn’t go public until early 2015 with the release of their second solo albums.

ADHD & Substance Abuse

Ishaan went undiagnosed with ADHD all throughout his adolescence. He was constantly personally and academically frustrated. He felt an extreme dissonance between himself resulting in severe highs and lows. Ishaan was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder around age 13 after his parents had prompted him into therapy. He was medically treated for a panic disorder at age 16 after beginning to experience unprecedented panic attacks. He’d often find himself with the wrong crowds during high school which provoked unhealthy substance use.

In January of 2016, Ishaan had blacked out from arrhythmia. This incident forced Ishaan to finally take initiative to change his habits. He took a year and a half long hiatus from music to focus on rehabilitation. He was finally diagnosed with ADHD and was prescribed proper medicine. With his mind empty and his world silent, he began taking steps to improve his lifestyle.