Andy Grammer on Songwriting, Fear and Persistence

Mar 18, 2020

01:01:56

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Welcome to episode number one of the New Music Business podcast! This interview with Andy Grammer was recorded live during my book signing event at Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles on January 16th, 2020. I've conducted hundreds of interviews over the years. Most of them were private, one-on-one just for me to write about. This was by far one of my favorite interviews I've ever conducted. Seriously. Andy dropped gem after gem after gem for artists, songwriters, and managers on how to approach songwriting, a music career, and just life in general.

Multi-platinum selling pop artist Andy Grammer is all about inspiring and empowering the world by communicating his truths through his music. Grammer is the first male pop star in a decade since John Mayer to reach the Top 10 at adult pop radio on his first two singles. His discography includes a succession of anthemic pop hits, including "Keep Your Head Up," "Fine By Me," "Honey, I'm Good.," "Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)," and "Fresh Eyes." His most recent album Naive is home to his latest single, "Don't Give Up On Me," which quickly reached the Top 10 on iTunes and is already certified gold.

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Quick links:

2:37 - Andy's journey from before his first album came out

5:30 - How longer were you on the Promenade performing?

9:20 - The importance of giving. It's about the audience.

10:10 - What kept you going through the soul-crushing gigs?

13:00 - Was there a shift in your perception that enabled you to leap to the next stage in your career?

17:15 - How did you transition from playing the Promenade to doing radio tours?\

18:55 - Manager as a partner

22:03 - How do you know when you've reached the bar?

25:00 - Do you have a practice or routine that enables you to crush your fear regularly? Has the fear ever gotten to be so much that you can't handle it?

28:30 - Does your fear ever prevent you from writing new tracks, especially since you've already written so many hits?

30:10 - How don't you know if you've written a good song after a session?

33:15 - Andy's co-writing process

39:32 - Can you remember when you first went into a top-level writing session? What was that like?

40:45 - How do you remain humble with all of your success?

47:10 - What is branding?

51:50 - Do you have a way to process songs that are just for you?

54:50 - How do you make it in the new music business?

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