Meet Cassidy Andrews | Singer/Songwriter & Folk Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cassidy Andrews and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cassidy, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
When I started playing guitar and piano, I was obsessed with practicing. I spent hours and hours alone playing piano whenever I could, spent hours in my basement doing fingerpicking patterns. It’s the same with songwriting now- I’m obsessed with the practice. The creative process is the only way I know how to sort out how and what it going on emotionally for me. Sharing with other people in shows and through streaming feels connective and vulnerable and I can’t imagine not being an artist.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Currently, really excited about my newest release “Learn”. All the songs came out basically full finished, really narrative, and extremely vulnerable. It was the best experience to listen and change and add pieces with my friend Charlie Rauh. These are the first songs I’ve listened to not just to work on, but for my own pleasure because they sound *good*. Really hoping people listen to it on their Bluetooth speakers or headphones – all the way through.

It’s been a challenge in some ways to get to this point professionally. What I focus on is the best use of my time and resources as a priority, meaning saying “no” when things don’t feel good or fun or creative. There’s definitely a freedom being an artist with so many options so I try to cut out a lot of what I *could* be doing so whatever I do ends up rad.

I want the world to listen to the music and find their own stories in them. It’s really meaningful and cool when people repost or let me know they’ve loved a certain song or line. Ultimately, I hope the music is connective and can heal heartbreak with the heartbreak woven in.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So I actually haven’t been to LA since I was a kid! I need to go at some point as as adult…

But if an LA person was in NYC would definitely take them on a walk through Sunset Park, get some skewers from the carts here and maybe duck in to a bubble tea shop. I love Orchid Cafe. Then maybe some free live music under the Manhattan bridge or at Lincoln Center’s series!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Oh, wow. So many to shoutout! I think my close friends inspire me the most. My friend Jared Saltiel took an interest in me as a songwriter from this little demo called “The Lost” which was about the death of a child I worked with. It was just a simple two track recording on GarageBand; I didn’t have any mics so I just sang into the computer and somehow it turned out really creepy. I’m so grateful I sent it to him because we ended up making “Through the Dark”, my first EP, together. Without someone to be like “Hey, this is worth something here”- it would’ve taken me so much longer to invest in recording my own music.

I also have to shout out Emily Wolfe who’s been listening to my freshest songs since we were teenagers. (And she also sings a harmony in “Through the Dark”). Similarly to Jared, she always helps me figure out what songs to keep and is a constant support as well as a source of inspiration with her songwriting and arrangement and taste. It was foundational to spend so much time playing guitar, piano, and harmonizing and sharing songs for hours over the years.

Website: https://cassidyandrews.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotblondelesbian/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassidyandrewsmusic/

Other: https://cassidyandrews.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Shravya Kag (just for the first two)