Maggie Andrew
Maggie Andrew has just released one of new favorite songs. It’s called “How to Sing for Money” and it will make you want to dance and. Catchy, fun and addictive, “Sing for the Money” is a big song.
Co-written with Carleton Stone, Corey Lerue, Kyle Mischiek and Joel Stouffer, the energetic single came after reading a guidebook on how to sing other people's songs for money.
“It’s kind of funny how being an artist is mostly just singing about your misfortunes in life and people relating to them,” Maggie shares. “This song is written from the perspective of speaking to someone who did you dirty, and now they’re crawling back to you because you’re famous and make cool songs. So, you go ahead and teach them how to do it too.”
Her new EP will be available later this year, but for now stream “How to Sing for Money” is out now !!
Photo credit: Brendan Lyle
Hi Maggie, how are you? What's your story?
Hiiiiii! I am so great, thank you for having me! If we started at the beginning it would be very long, so long story short, I’m an artist from Waverley, Nova Scotia. I started writing songs to talk about my experiences and express myself. Songwriting has always been very therapeutic for me and it has helped me get through so many different times in my life and has brought me here today!
"How to Sing for Money" is your latest single - what's the inspiration behind this song?
There’s a book from 1939 that's actually a guidebook on how to sing other people's songs for money. We figured it would be funny to write, not that. As songwriters and artists it’s our job to write songs. I draw from a lot of my experiences and feelings in my songs and oftentimes those feelings have been sadness or anger. We figured it would be fun to flip it and the concept was really interesting.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this song? When did you start working on it?
I started this song last November at a basement apartment in Toronto with my boyfriend Carleton Stone. He had said “How to Sing For Money” and we immediately knew we just HAD to write the song. We sat down and he played his guitar while we free-styled some hook melodies and the next day we went into the studio for a co-write with Kyle Mischiek (sunsetto) and Joel Stouffer. The song came together pretty fast and it was fun to write. That was the day we made the demo. In January, I took Kyle, Carleton and Corey with me to the National Music Center in Calgary and we finished the song there, adding instruments from their living collection including Myles Goodwyns drum kit! We had access to a lot of really cool things there, it felt like the sky was the limit. The demos were good but once we got to the final track it felt like so much life had been injected into the recording. It was amazing!
What did you feel when recording "How to Sing for Money"?
I was feeling really excited! When we were writing, it felt like everyone was excited and the lyrics were such a blast. The concept is so much fun. Then when we were finishing the song in Calgary I felt relieved (but still excited) because what I had imagined for my song, exceeded my expectations in every way!
When did you know "How to Sing for Money" had to be a single?
I knew it was going to be a single when I had all the songs for my upcoming project finished and was actually able to go through and pick which songs stood out. The lyrics in this song are really fun and I think the melodies are super catchy, so it only made sense to make it a single!
What can you tell us about the artwork?
The artwork was shot by my good friend Brendan Lyle (@moosecanfly) on the “How to Sing for Money” music video set. My hair and makeup for the shoot were done by my best friend Michaela Jessome! We were going for big hair and dramatic eyes. I did all of the set design and styling for the video/artwork, and it was just such a fun day on set. We took the photos after we wrapped the video, which was a perfect ending to a great day!
What's the best advice you've ever received?
Early on, when I released my first song in 2019, I received some advice from the indie electronic duo Matt and Kim that never left me. They told me that you only get to experience things for the first time once, and to really soak in every moment of it. That’s always stuck with me. It might be a little cliche, but when you think about being an artist, putting out music there are so many pressures and expectations that you feel when you release something. The way success is measured and sometimes if your art isn’t doing what you “think” it should be doing, it takes away from the fact that you still spent time creating art with people you love making things with and all the work that went into it. It’s always good to remember that you only really get to make a song for the first time once, and each time it's a new experience—leaning into that is really grounding.
In your opinion, what would make the world a BETTER place?
This is a hard question if you’re trying to just pick one thing!!! More kindness and less hatred, for sure. Another big one is if everyone had access to clean water and food—small things that we often take for granted. I could seriously give you a big list right now, but maybe we’ll save that for another time ;)!
Any upcoming projects you'd like to tease?
I just finished up my second EP and it’s coming out this fall! More on that later but you can keep up with me on socials @maggiedandrew to see what else is coming soon! :)
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