'Dancing With the Stars' was fun, and it opened me up to dancing.
— Andy Grammer
I don't really connect with super-sad, somber songs.
I really wanted to write a song like Eric Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight.' It's just such a sweet sentiment. It's so simple but so genuine.
You want to hit people's ears to make them want to dance in their kitchen. So that is what a hit is to me.
You can't have Thanksgiving and not just be like, 'All right, where's the football.' It's been branded very, very well. You can't have one without the other at this point.
There's two things that are tough when you're trying to be a songwriter: Number one is, how do I write a great song? The second thing is, how do I write a great song that's right for me?
My dad is a children's singer. His name is Red Grammer. He's literally one of the happiest people on the planet.
It's really fun to have the spotlight and feel ready for it. Not in a conceited way. But just like, 'Man, I think I'm going to give you what you need.'
When I was a street performer, before I had any songs of my own that anybody would stop and put in money for, I would always be doing covers. Even with covers, people wouldn't stop in the beginning.
I think I'm genuinely sincere, and that's what hopefully makes it work. I take that very seriously when I'm writing.
You know when you hear a lyric and you can tell that the person means it? That is really hard; that is so much harder than it seems: to find the topics that you're passionate about and have it come across as like, 'Yeah, that guy needed to sing that song.'
A big part of my upbringing was being with an instrument and kind of figuring myself out through music. So I feel a strong desire in any way that I can to help do that for other kids.
There are pretty girls all over the place. But there are still a lot of people standing strong, doing their thing in loving relationships, actually staying true. I wanted to write an honest love song from that point of view.
I'm a big fan of talking about God. Whether people believe in God or not, that's so fascinating. Or where you go when you die is fascinating.
My third album, that will definitely be about this little girl and the process of watching your wife get pregnant. It's crazy.
I thought I wanted to be a clown, because what would be better than making people laugh?
For me, it's always been about a mix of hip-hop, acoustic singer/songwriters, and piano rock. I pull all those together. Each song may lean more heavily on one than the other, but they all have all three pieces.
I always try to find things worth saying, things that are supposed to be said instead of being contrived. I do a ton of writing.
I love 'Seinfeld.'
Anytime I hear songs that are so honest, whether they make the person who's singing it look good or not, there's a level of honesty that resonates with people.
Even a song like 'Give Love,' in my head, there's a question as I'm writing it, going, 'Is this cheesy? Is it too on the nose to say 'give love?''
I made a deal with myself that no matter where I go, if I see a street performer, I'd tip them. It's sweet to know that you can get started from the generosity of others.
You need to be growing and getting better, and in L.A., it's so hard to get bookings. You literally have to pay clubs to book you. It's pay to play, and then you only get 30 minutes. That's no way to get good.
It sucked to make my own CDs. I'm bad at that. It sucks to figure out how to power my amp. I don't know that stuff.
'Fresh Eyes' was my own little discovery of having been in a relationship for a while and realizing that my favorite part of it is being surprised.
I love going places that could sound cheesy but, when you hear them, just sound sincere.
The alarm on my wife's phone is 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered,' so that's a great way to wake up.
I'm just trying to write things that resonate with people. And when we're all going through something together, I think you smile after that - I hope that people leave inspired after one of my shows.
You hear a lot of songs that are about people cheating or about infidelity. I haven't really heard one before about connecting with the noble part of yourself. I know it sounds a little bit cheesy, but that's the real deal. There are a lot of people who are making a genuinely good, sweet decision on a daily basis.
I think anyone in a relationship has to deal with temptation if they're being honest with themselves. People don't talk about it very much, but it's very honest. Guys and girls both have temptation.
The first song that I had that went platinum was 'Keep Your Head Up,' which was a long time ago. Then, you get 'one-hit wonder' with that.
I found that music was my favorite art form.
I know that sounds almost horribly cheesy, but that is what has to happen if you're gonna make a relationship work for a long time: You have to keep learning new things that are interesting about this person or having them catch you off guard and have these little moments of intense appreciation.
Any time you make the transfer of 'I've created something, and I'm giving it to you, and I hope it makes you happy,' that's good.
If I write a sad song, at the end it's gotta be like, 'Dude, things are looking up!'
Women take so long to get ready, but when they get out of the bathroom, they look smokin' hot. That's the struggle of men throughout history, waiting by the door. The wait is so worth it. Always.
A lot of the albums that I've been really into are like, 'Oh man. That doesn't make him look like a perfect human. That actually shows his warts and his scars, and for some reason, I'm super drawn to him now because he shared that or she shared that with me.'
I loved all sports, and New York's a pretty good sports town, and the Giants - I don't know why we chose the Giants over the Jets, but we chose the Giants.
I tend to be an all-in-type of guy, so I get in a zone to write, and then that's all I do. I'll spend eight hours doing nothing but chasing that one song. That's what works for me.
Street performing can be a great teaching ground and a barometer for what you're doing. It's rough and unforgiving at times, but it can be wild and fun and a real open canvas for your creativity.
I've been surfing several times, and I'm terrible at it. But what I found was that you're usually waiting on the board, hanging out, watching the waves come in. And one that you think is a big wave is not actually one.
We've all got vices, and we're all freakin' trying.
The fact that people put on 'Honey, I'm Good' to get their day started - that's really sweet.
I think that you just understand, as any creative person, that there's a beast that you have to beat, and it never goes away. I've resigned myself to that, and it's kind of what keeps you going. Writing is the worst and the best.
One of my passions in life is to try to inspire people. I don't know if that sounds cheesy, but I genuinely love to do that.
I think there's a song for every moment. I don't think there's one right love song.
One of my favorite things is to have a three-hour conversation over coffee with someone.
From losing my mom, I'll never be okay; I'll never be put together again.
What's so wonderful about the street is it's organic music. No preservatives. There's no other reason to be out there except you just love music and want to play.
I've never cheated on my wife, ever. But to say that it doesn't exist or it doesn't happen and saying you never deal with it would be lying.
