It’s been about a year and a half since American singer-songwriter Andy Grammer released his third album, The Good Parts. And now, he’s back once more—this time exchanging shimmery, stadium-pop production for a more organic sound.
His change in swagger can be heard clearly on his latest single, the gospel-tinged anthem, “My Own Hero.” Steeped in optimism and silver linings, Grammer’s forthcoming album, Naive, is due out July 26th. He sat down with Popdust to talk more about his legacy, his relentless positivity, and his upcoming album.
Your music tends to be as catchy as it is heartfelt. When a song comes to you, does it seem to more frequently show up in the form of a melody or a lyric first? What is your writing process like? Has it changed or evolved at all over the years? How so?
I think it’s really hard to do heartfelt, catchy, and uplifting without being cheesy. My process is that I chase these topics that are real to me a lot. I spend the majority of my writing hunting for them and then only keep the top 10%. There are a lot of songs that get left on the cutting room floor.
You’ve been creating music for quite some time now. In your opinion, what should a successful song accomplish? What does a great song do for the listener?
Fundamentally, I think songs are supposed to make you feel not alone. We are all alone in our heads with our experiences, but good songs remind us that we’re all feeling a lot of the same things.
Who would you cite as having the largest influence on your music? Who do you have on regular rotation these days?
For this last album I was listening to, a lot of the great story tellers: Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder. I love artists who can be light and deep at the same time.
I understand that you have a new album coming out soon. What can fans expect from the new material? Do you see it as deviating much from your previous work? If so, in what ways?
My new album is titled Naive. I find that when your natural state is smiling and shiny, sometimes people misconstrue that as daft or stupid. I wanted to make a collection of songs for people who believe in seeing the good, even in the bad. It’s probably my most organic sounding record to date.
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