Maggie Andrew Teaches OTR How to Sing for Money
Alt-pop powerhouse Maggie Andrew is back with the release of her second EP, HOW TO SING FOR MONEY. A deeper exploration into her expansive sound, she balances dreamy synth with unflinching lyrics and striking melodies throughout the tracklist. Moving across themes and dealing with the reality of the music industry, relationships, and growing up, the EP is an honest (and, at times, brutally relatable) reflection of where she’s at in life. Maggie Andrew brings a blunt humour to her music and lyricism, having no problem calling things exactly what they are in songs like the title track “How to Sing for Money”. This record marks the beginning of a new chapter in Andrew’s career, and she’s made it clear she’s not shying away from defining her sound on her own terms. Maggie Andrew sat down for Off The Record to talk more about the release of How to Sing for Money.
1. Congratulations on the release of HOW TO SING FOR MONEY! Is there anything about this EP specifically that you're particularly excited about? How does this fit into the next chapter of your music?
Thank you so much! I’m mostly excited for other people to finally get to hear and listen to all the new songs. I am excited about all the videos though, they were really fun to make! I’d say the next chapter of my music opens with this EP, so it fits quite nicely!
2. A large part of this EP was written with longtime collaborators Carleton Stone and Kyle Mischiek, what was that process like?
We all had a lot of fun. Anyone who knows me and my lore, it’s pretty iconic to write an entire project with your current boyfriend and your ex. I think it was a nice healing process but more than that, it was really fun. We all love making music and especially love making music together, it feels like we all become one giant brain when we get together and the ideas are endless. 11/10 would do it again in a heartbeat.
3. Your music touches on struggling with the music industry, especially in songs like "How to Sing for Money," what has been the best and worst thing about this journey so far?
Man, I don’t think there’s really anything that's been “the worst” about music. I’m grateful to be fueled in a creative way and every day I get to wake up and do what I love, it’s always a great day. The best would be living in LA and having all kinds of crazy adventures and experiences. The worst thing would just be working jobs that I don’t love and am not passionate about.
4. Outside of musical influences, what do you think inspires your artistic process the most?
I think about my own experiences and things I’ve been through. I try to write what I know. I had a really rough time growing up and experienced a lot of trauma and music was my escape and what saved my life. So whenever I am creating, I am creating in a way that takes me away from those things.
5. For first time listeners, what three songs of yours would you want them to hear and why?
I’d say "Emotional Touchdown." It’s a super fun song and one of my personal favs! The second one I'd pick is "How To Sing For Money" because it’s real but also feels fun and upbeat. I also think the melodies are really interesting and I love all of the lyrics! And for a third song, I would say “About Us." It's a song from my last project but it's really emotional and raw. It holds a sort of melancholic powerful feeling that I think is important to my own story, not just as an artist but as a woman and human.
6. Anything upcoming you’d like to tease? What can listeners expect in the future?
Keep an eye on my socials for a new music video coming soon. And, of course, more music can be expected in the future!
Listen to HOW TO SING FOR MONEY, out everywhere now.
