Andy Grammer Artistfacts

December 3, 1983
Grammer was born in Los Angeles to singer/songwriter Red Grammer, a children's entertainer, and Kathryn Willoughby, a women's rights activist. He grew up in New York but returned to LA in his early 20s.
His early musical influences were from his dad's music collection: The Beatles, Billy Joel, and Paul Simon. The first artist he "discovered" on his own was Lauryn Hill, through her groundbreaking Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album. He's also a big fan of John Mayer and Coldplay.
His 2011 self-titled debut earned him the blue-eyed soul tag thanks to the Adult Contemporary hits "Keep Your Head Up" and "Fine By Me."
Many of his early tunes were written during his busking days. In between his street performances, he would jot down ideas. "I wrote 'Keep Your Head Up' on the street," he told Songfacts.
Grammer also told Songfacts how he grew as a songwriter between his first and second albums: "When I was a young songwriter, I'd think, 'Oh, that would make me look shitty, I probably shouldn't write that.' And then when you start to realize, 'No, that's exactly the lyric you should write, because that's what makes it honest,' that's what makes someone's ear lean in, when you really get to the good stuff and you're honest and it's a little bit raw, and there's edges."
His first Top 10 hit on the Hot 100 was "Honey, I'm Good," from his sophomore album, Magazines or Novels. It peaked at #9.
Grammer has worked with songwriters like the Norwegian production duo Espionage ("Sinner"), Jon Levine ("Blame It On The Stars"), and Ian Kirkpatrick ("Fresh Eyes"). When we asked him if he prefers writing solo to co-writing, he said both are important as long as there's balance. "It's very important to be aware of what you need at the moment. If you've co-written too much, you can feel like you're losing your sense of self and your point of view," he explained. "But if you go for too long by yourself and you don't get something, you can get discouraged and bummed out, so then you need new energy to bring it back in."
In 2015, he participated in Dancing With The Stars. He and his partner, Allison Holker, finished in seventh place.
His decision to save himself for marriage inspired the track " Holding Out." His girlfriend Aijia Lise wasn't too keen on the idea but went along with it. They married in 2012 and welcomed baby girl Louisiana in 2017.
The actor Kelsey Grammer is his third cousin.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Born on the BayouCreedence Clearwater Revival

John Fogerty was not born on the bayou - he's from Berkeley, California. He got the idea for the song when CCR was on tour in Louisiana.

Human NatureMichael Jackson

Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" was written by the keyboard player from Toto, who was working on the Thriller album.

The Kids Aren't AlrightFall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy's "The Kids Aren't Alright" song title is not a reference to The Offspring's 1998 single of the same name. It actually alludes to The Who's 1979 rockumentary film called The Kids Are Alright.

Addicted To LoveRobert Palmer

The models in Robert Palmer's iconic "Addicted To Love" video were chosen in part because they couldn't play music, so they're all playing and moving to different rhythms.

AnticipationCarly Simon

Carly Simon wrote "Anticipation" when Cat Stevens was late for their first date. She was "anticipating" his arrival and set down with her guitar to calm her nerves.

When I'm With YouSheriff

Sheriff had been disbanded for years when "When I'm With You" hit #1 in America thanks to rediscovery by radio stations. The group never re-formed and never made a video for the song.