NYC-based indie-pop artist Andrew Smith creates bright and nostalgic piano-driven songs that are undeniably catchy. His unabashedly honest lyrics are both humorous and melancholy and aim to better understand complex feelings about life and purpose. The songwriter confides, “Many of my songs are born of reflections I have about my life or discoveries made in therapy, etc.”
Born south of Boston in 1993, Andrew Smith grew up performing in theatre and writing short films at a young age. However, it wasn't until he studied at Berklee College of Music that he began writing and producing original songs alongside long-time collaborator, Jackson Hoffman. From there, Andrew knew that music was his emotional outlet, oftentimes comforting him in times of uncertainty, fear, anxiety and depression.
Smith's last EP, ‘To My Therapist’, addresses his journey to self-acceptance, the ups and downs of coming out, and finding romance in modern-day Manhattan. Inspired by his love of songwriters like James Taylor and Randy Newman, Smith pulls elements from 1970s piano pop, The Great American Songbook, and contemporaries such as John Mayer and Ben Rector. With To My Therapist, Andrew thematically hopes to bring a deeper honesty and inspiration to the often challenging and confusing experiences we all navigate on the road to self-acceptance.
An impressive new single, ‘Magic Mess’ is about finding your true identity in a time of feeling lost and overworked. It also pays tribute to the “people who applaud you for being you.” Smith reveals, “I had so many beautiful people cheering for me as I fell on my face. They dusted me off again and again. This song is really about people who applaud you for being you. I’ve always been a very clean-cut person, and the song is also about leaning into your wrinkles, messing up your hair, choosing the t-shirt over the tie.” The song was co-written by Jackson Hoffman and Ryder Stuart who helped craft the indie-pop bop. Shimmering vibrant synths float alongside funk-fuelled bass and soaring layered vocals creating a release that is contagious as it is thought-provoking.
His recent single ‘Twenties’ was written in his parent’s attic during the pandemic. The poignant song narrates Smith’s feeling of being overwhelmed by his own path and feeling unaccomplished and unworthy. He confides, “I spent many years of my twenties putting my personal life on the back burner. Am I falling behind!? When I’m being critical of myself, my demons say that I’m late to the party. I’m “falling behind. This has been a huge lesson as I navigate self-acceptance and self-love. Time and showing myself compassion is a theme through many of my songs lately.”
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