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Charese Fruge’ (@MCMediaOnline) Talks To Ingrid Andress
September 27, 2022
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“I believe that good songs always win and will stick around forever, so don’t let your gender define the path you take to achieve success. Being a woman is an incredible gift, so don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.”
Words of wisdom from Warner Music Nashville’s Ingrid Andress for young women who want to make it in the business. “Be fierce, kind, competitive, compassionate, and prepared to work yourself harder than you ever thought possible,” she adds.
It’s a lesson she’s learned in the last two years, as the work she’s put into her career makes her a multi-genre artist and continues to expose her to a much broader audience. It’s the perfect time for Atlantic Records to release her single “Seeing Someone Else,” to Hot AC radio. Ingrid says about the song, “We all grow and change, but not everyone wants us to,” she shares. “Some people want to keep you exactly where you are for as long as possible, even if it’s hurting you. Sometimes you don’t even realize it’s happening. But then one day you wake up and decide the person they want you to be isn’t you anymore, so you pack your shit and break free from their grip.”
What you probably don’t know about Andress is, the three time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter and performer has already amassed nearly 1 BILLION global streams as a solo artist, and has written songs for and worked with artists across multiple genres including; Alicia Keys, Charli XCX, Dove Cameron, Bebe Rexha, Why Don't We, rockers Halestorm, and more. Let’s start from the beginning:
“I grew up in Highlands Ranch, CO, right outside of Denver. I was home-schooled until high school and music was an integral part of my life,” says Andress. “My mom taught me piano at 5 and then I started playing drums in my teens (I was totally an emo kid from day 1). I played volleyball and almost went to college on scholarship, but then I took a big left turn and ended up at Berklee College of Music, where I figured out that I wanted to be a songwriter after literally trying every other major you can think of first.”
“After college, I moved down to Nashville, the songwriting capital of the world, to learn as much as possible and pursue a career writing for others. It wasn’t until I gave a specific song away that I realized the story behind the song actually couldn’t be shared through someone else but instead needed to be told by myself, as an artist,” explains Andress. “I took the Country music route first because my songs are so rooted in storytelling and steeped in the traditions of Country music in terms of writing about what is really happening in my life and the world.”
“Ultimately, I signed a record deal and then released my debut album, “Lady Like” during the pandemic (silly me!). My sophomore album, “Good Person,” just came out and it shares stories from both the most difficult and best times in the last two years of my life. I really stretched myself as a co-producer on this record and sonically, a lot of inspiration comes from The 1975 and Coldplay.”
Fast forward to today, and Andress has a lot to be grateful for. “My life is now complete because I got to open for Stevie Nicks this summer!” she says. “Also, getting nominated for a Grammy was a highlight for me for sure. It was a tough year thanks to the pandemic, so that was the first time I felt like I had actually made it onto the map. But this second album is probably the proudest I’ve been of a body of work in a long time, so it’s been exciting to finally have it out in the world.”
Having musical roots that aren’t quite so “traditional,” Andress has often been referred to as a “Nashville Outsider.” I asked her what that transition was like, surely, that can’t be the case anymore. “The road less traveled can be a little lonely sometimes! But I kinda knew coming into it that it was going to take some time for people to understand my style of music,” she says. “Anything new and unfamiliar can be scary to people at first, but I’m all about discovering new ways of expressing the human condition through music, which includes many different styles!”
Andress has been compared to Sia on several occasions, noting her ability to write anthems the way Sia can. I asked her if she was a fan, and if there were others who had influenced her writing over the years. “That one made me so happy!! I love Sia, and she inspired a lot of my writing when I started off in college,” she says. “Her voice is so strong and powerful at any range, so I taught myself how to have that kind of singing range because she did it so gracefully. John Mayer and Coldplay have been huge musical influences in my life from a young age, and John Denver was played in my house constantly,” says Andress. “I got into Country because of the lyrical writing of The Chicks, the stories in Garth Brooks’ songs, and the vivid paintings of emotion Mr. Johnny Cash brought to Country music. So, I guess I’m a little all over the place.”
There are so many different opinions these days on whether or not digital/metaverse and social media can make or break an artist. I wanted to know if these platforms were important to Ingrid’s fans. “I think for me it was helpful during the pandemic, because I had an album to share but no tour to share it on, so the metaverse turned out to be ok!” she says. “As of today, though, it’s begun to annoy me. I think it’s starting to have the opposite effect; instead of bringing people together, it’s making everyone feel isolated and alone. Sure, it’s way easier to ‘like’ someone’s stuff than it is to actually talk to someone, but you’re missing that essential human interaction that we all need to feel alive, loved, and understood. And there’s just too much information being thrown at us that our brains just can’t naturally keep up with. So, I only use it when I have to at this point.”
For an industry whose survival depends on the growth of a younger audience, I asked Andress the million-dollar question. How can we capture the loyalty, engagement and growth among Millennials and Gen Z? “Just listen to them. Ask them questions,” she says. “Learn about what they care about deep down at their core. There’s a ton of talking and yelling happening right now in our society but not enough listening. I think writing about real, relatable things will always bring fans in and make them feel understood. My favorite question I ask young fans is ‘what is your favorite song and why?’ And they’re always so excited to tell me their story. And I listen…. Or I guess you could do a TikTok dance and pray it goes viral for more than 24 hours.”
As far as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Andress thinks the industry has made “leaps and bounds, even within the past 10 years. Hip-hop/R&B wasn’t on pop radio, and now it’s everywhere, and I think that’s awesome. Everything comes in cycles, so I think the industry just has to be ready to embrace who is resonating with people, even if it’s different from what they’re used to,” she says. “Change seems to be the thing everyone is afraid of, and yet that’s the one constant thing we know is going to happen in life. Seasons, colors, everything changes, and so does music. I think we could take a few more risks on things we really believe in, instead of waiting for everyone else to like someone.”
So, what keeps Andress up at night? “The better question is what ‘doesn’t’ keep me up at night,” she says. “As a writer, it’s really hard to shut my brain off at any given moment, so I usually have to allot at least one hour before I can fall asleep. It’s my toxic trait.”
“At this point in my career, the majority of my songs are sad and introspective. That is very much me, but it’s only one part of me,” says Andress, “But I think people would be surprised to know that I love comedy and laughing, so I don’t take myself too seriously the way it sounds in my songs. I take my emotions and life experiences very seriously, but when it comes to everyday life and interactions, I try to enjoy myself the best I can and hopefully make everyone else laugh in the process.”
What’s necessary for good song writing is finding some kind of balance in life. Andress has no problem doing so. “Being in nature really centers me. There’s something about it that reminds me how small we all are, but in a great way,” she says. “It relieves the pressure I feel from society, and I feel as though I can just exist without needing an explanation. If I ever have any days off, I’m either hiking, swimming in a large body of water, or learning how to garden (which is going very poorly since I haven’t been at my house in 3 weeks).”
As far as what’s next for Andress, “I’m still figuring that out. I’m pretty new to touring, so I’m currently just focused on doing that!” She says. “Planning out my own headline tour at the top of 2023 and then a European tour in the spring, so I’ll pretty much be making up for lost time and meeting all my new fans that I haven’t gotten to meet yet.”
What/Where (digital/social media) would you like listed for people to follow you? “Haha. Uh…Instagram? Or TikTok? I would be happy with a Spotify link honestly. Just gets right to the point!”
Follow Ingrid Andress on Instagram @ingridandress
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