Interview with Andrew X

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

• I always loved music from a young age. I can still remember being very young, like 3 or 4, and asking my babysitter to turn up the radio when The Cure or the Top Gun soundtrack would come on!

  With that being said, my parents and my grandmother had a huge influence on me musically as well. 

  Growing up, my father was a play-at-home musician who would often play guitar and sing to us as kids. He worked a full-time corporate job, but on the side he always had a hobby of playing guitar and trading hi-fi stereo equipment, so as he worked on bills and paperwork, he would always play music on his stereo. Often we would just sit and listen to vinyl, cassettes, and later on CD's. He played all kinds of artists. From Fleetwood Mac to The Human League. 

  My mother ran a hair salon, and many of my earliest memories are of sitting on a burgundy velvet couch in the waiting room while she worked listening to late 80's pop radio. She always encouraged me to sing and dance! Once I started playing guitar as a kid, she always encouraged me to practice, play for others, and go after my dreams. 

  My grandmother was a singer. She sang at church. She sang at work. She sang at home! She loved to sing and dance! She often told me stories of her childhood which involved her singing at events and on regional radio programs. She always encouraged me to pursue singing and dancing (which I don't do much of)!

  If I had not gotten into music today, I would probably be running a boxing gym or working for some sort of non-profit. I owned and operated a competitive boxing gym for a few years when I stepped away from music, and I am currently training a boxer for competition right now. I also do a lot of work in my community with different organizations to try and help others and make it a better place for everyone. So, I could totally see myself doing something in these fields.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

• I love staying busy and doing things in the community and building relationships with others. I also love being active with sports, exercise, and just being outdoors. I'm a huge fan of warm weather and being at the coast! Listening to music while driving on a warm summer evening is about as good as it gets to me. That is why I named my album "Driving At Sunset."

  One of my favorite parts about being a boxing coach is helping young people build confidence that transcends the sport and empowers them as people. I feel like my love of warm weather and encouraging others to be their best and pursue their dreams really comes through in my music. Many of my songs have themes about following passion and reflecting on relationships.

How long have you been making music?

• I started playing guitar when I was 9 and wrote my first song when I was 15. I recorded my first song in a studio when I was 17. I released my first full-length album at age 19.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

• I currently live in a small town in western North Carolina, called North Wilkesboro, but I have always based my musical projects out of Charlotte, NC because it is a bigger market with more opportunities available for a pop-rock musician like myself. I'm not really sure if the area I live in has influenced my music a great deal. My old bands "hot vegas" and "The Air Station" always did really well in the state of Florida. I feel that my pop-rock-type music really seemed to go over well in a lot of the coastal areas. I always felt moved by the year-round summer vibe of South Florida.

  In western North Carolina, you have a lot of Americana going on right now. My music does have somewhat of a classic pop-rock type feel to it, that maybe in some way leans a little bit in a traditional direction compared to a lot of today's current pop music.

Tell me about your most memorable shows, if you haven’t played live what is your vision for a live show?

• A few come to mind. 

  One time my band opened for Relient K and Sherwood at a sold out show in Norfolk, VA at a place called The Norva. We were put on the show on like two days notice, but when we played, the crowd reaction was great! I heard many of the people in the crowd actually shouting our names, which surprised me! It was like they had already taken the time to find out about us even though we were a last minute addition. The energy was great that night! I knew it was going to be good when they walked us down to the stage from the green room upstairs. It was dark, and the current was pulled, but you could hear a huge crowd and feel the buzz of excitement in the room!

  I've got a friend who worked at a music venue called The Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, NC and she once asked us to play her birthday show. She said she had booked some great bands. We loved her, so we were eager to play! When we got there, a band we played with was called "NEEDTOBREATHE" and I was really blown away that night at how great they were. It was just one of those moments where you knew they were doing something special. We ended up playing several shows with them after that, but that first show was definitely special. 

  We also once played a show at "The Casbah" room at Tremont Music Hall located in Charlotte, NC that was pretty great. It was with a band from Asheville, NC called The Campaign 1984. They were a heavier band, but they had asked us to play their album release show. So, two heavy bands went on, then we went up there playing our jangly guitar pop rock. I was afraid we might get booed off the stage, but the reaction was the opposite! The crowd was packed so tight I could have walked across them. They seemed to really loved what we were doing and it was just a great vibe. There was more energy in that room that night than any show I ever played. It was one to be remembered. 

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

• Hmm... That is a tough one. I don't have a favorite one in particular, but I always loved playing shows in South Florida! I love being able to go to the beach during the day and soaking up some of that great sunshine! I just love it! 

  I would love to play some of the great venues in California one day. 

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

• Of the more current-era artists, I would probably say Walk The Moon, Bleachers, And Wilderado. 

  All time? Late 1980s with Steve Winwood, Bryan Adams, 38 Special, and Bruce Hornsby.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

• Save up money to promote your albums! I would always do the best I could to find a good producer, mixer, and mastering engineer for my records, but I never really set aside a great budget to promote them.

  I would advise all up-and-coming artists to go by the "50/50" rule. Spend the same amount of money marketing your album as you did creating it! You can make a spectacular album, but if you don't promote it, you are limiting how many people will ever hear it! There are a lot of great ways you can promote your music for free, but you need a budget to help create other assets to supplement your album, and you need to spend some money on hiring people who can help you do things you can't do on your own. 

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

• "Whatever It Takes" is going to be the first track on my upcoming album "Driving At Sunset". I'm going to release it in August, and I feel like it summarizes what I am all about as an artist and a person right now. It has a classic vibe to it which just feels so authentic to who and what I really am as an artist, but more importantly to me, it has a sincere message of what I'm all about, doing WHATEVER IT TAKES to get the job done! This is how I live my life. If I am passionate about something, I'm going to do whatever it takes to see it through! 

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

• I love playing the song "Stranger" which is the first song off of my last release "Young Hearts" (2015). It has always just felt right when I play it. There isn't anything I would change about that song. 

  I also love playing the song "Heaven Sent" off of that record. It's not one of the more well known songs, but I play a 12-string guitar on it, and I love the dynamics and the lyrics. It's just this really happy heartfelt song that makes me feel good when I play it! 

  A lot of people really like to hear "Young Love" from my last record. Since the new record isn't out yet, people have not gotten to hear them yet, but I believe they will be the crowd favorites as they are released! I really believe in the new material and I am very excited for people to hear it! 

What is your creative process, and what inspires you to write your music?

• While I do write some songs off of concepts, most of all of the ones that end up making the album are usually songs I write about how I feel in a certian moment. I think often about past relationships with people I knew. I write a lot of songs about that. I'm a lover, a real romantic at heart, so I often find myself being inspired to write songs about the highs and lows of romantic love. 

  I am also inspired by hope, following your dreams, and pursuing passions. I am very inspired to write encouraging songs that can be people's anthems as they strive to acheive their goals. 

  Regarding my creative process, I have went about it many different ways over the years. Usually I will have an idea about a strong feeling or situation I want to write a song about first. At this point, I usually start trying to get to the core of what I'm feeling and what I want to say. I try to sum it up in a good chorus. If I can find a chorus I like, then I will build from there and go to a verse, and then an intro. So, at this point I'll usually have an intro, verse, and first chorus. 

  Sometimes I will finish it immediately, but sometimes I will sit on it for a bit to decide if I believe it is worth pursuing. If I have 10 songs on an album, I can assure you I originally had 50 - 75 partial songs that got me to that point. If the chorus isn't strong, I stop there and look for more creative ways to say what I want to convey to the listener. I have to feel it. It has to feel right! Once the chorus is right, I'll do the first verse, then an intro. If all that gels, then I will go on to the second verse, a bridge, etc. 

  This process can vary, but in general, I start with a chorus and build from there. 

Do you have messages that you like to get across in your music? if so please tell me about them.

• Yes! 

  I believe in love! I believe it is worth pursuing and fighting for! 

  I believe in working hard to follow your dreams and pursue your passions! I believe that if you are willing to work toward something, you can acheive it! 

  I believe that life is good! While we may all have reasons to feel down about our circumstances, it is our choice to decide to get back up, keep pushing forward, and holding on to hope for a bright future! Attitude is everything. It is the one thing that is in our control. We can't control what happens to us, but the attitude we choose can determine how we react to our circumstances. 

Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?

• Of course! I am so excited about the new album "Driving At Sunset" that will be released in August! It was produced by Matt Goldman (Underoath, Anberlin), mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons), and mastered by Ted Jensen (NEEDTOBREATHE, Florence + The Machine). 

• The album has 10 songs, of which 3 are singles I will be promoting throughout the summer. Each single will have an original album version, a lyric video, a music video, a re-mixed "Golden Hour Version", and an "Acoustic Version". 

• "Miracles" was the first song to be released back on May, 31st! The lyric video is being released today, and next Wednesday, June 14th, the official music video for Miracles will be released! 

  To stream the song, or watch the videos visit my website: www.andrewxmusic.com

• The second single, "Where Are You Now", will be released on Wednesday, July 5th, followed by "Whatever It Takes" that will be released on Wednesday, August 9th. 

• The entire album will be released on Wednesday, September 20th.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

• I plan on continuing to promote the singles and the album release throughout the summer of 2023 and play live shows throughout my region. I have just got back into the music scene after stepping away for 8 years to pursue other things with my life, so I am in a building stage. I'm just going to keep pushing forward with consistent, sustained promotion to tell people about my music! I hope to be able to play as many live shows as possible! 

  I am very excited about all of the new songs, the alternate versions, and the video content. It is some really cool stuff that highlights who I am as a person and an artist. 

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

• My website, www.andrewxmusic.com is the hub for everything I do. 

  I am active on Instagram (@andrewxmusic), Facebook (@andrewxmusic), and YouTube (@andrewxmusic), and I'm currently beginning to put more focus on TikTok (@andrewxmusic). 

  Thank you so much for your time and covering my music! It is appreciated more than you know! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out! THANK YOU!!!