Filipino-Irish artist AndreaH was recently in Manila to open for Sam Smith's sold out concert. The 17-year-old singer-songwriter has been immersed in the music world at an early age – taking piano and voice lessons, learning how to play guitar and write songs. One of her earliest achievements is having to open for Irish band The Script for their shows in Singapore, Hong Kong and Manila in 2018.
She recently released her debut single entitled Best Friend, an original composition that she wrote for her best friend who was moving to a different city. Listen to it below:
We had a quick chat with AndreaH when she was in Manila where she shares how it was opening for Sam Smith, her inspiration for writing songs, her dream collaborations and more. Read the full interview below:
Can you tell us more about your debut single, Best Friend? What is it about and how did you do it?
It's about my best friend Karen, she's the closest person I've ever had in terms of having a best friend. We were in school together for four years then she had to move away because of her parents' job. On the last day she was with me, instead of giving her a material thing, I decided to write her a song and sang it. At first, it was just meant to be like a gift to her and then I decided to get in the studio and record it. I thought it would be the best single to release because it's one of the most meaningful songs to me.
What inspires you to write songs?
I guess it's just real life experiences. I think my album is sort of like my journal and each song is experiences and stories that have happened in my life. Every time I write a song is based off a real-life experience that has either happened to me or anyone who's close to me, like my best friend or family.
Do you have any dream collaboration?
Yes, I would love to either work with Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran or James Bay because they're all singer-songwriters and they produce music and I sort of want to go that line, which is the singer-songwriter vibe.
What's on your current playlist?
Definitely Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and James Bay, of course. I'm also listening to underrated artists on Spotify, like singer-songwriters that are undiscovered yet by the majority of the public. For example, I'm listening to JC Stewart who has released a bunch of music on Spotify, which are really good. And I also just listen to artists such as like Selena Gomez, Kygo and all that. I really have a broad range of music and I don't like to limit myself to just one genre and one style.
I know everyone has asked you this, but how was it like opening for Sam Smith?
He was absolutely amazing. He's honestly one of the nicest guys I've ever met and I guess just the experience of opening for such an amazing act and in such a powerful and influential man is just incredible. And it was great because the audience was obviously going to see Sam Smith who is a singer-songwriter and as a singer-songwriter myself, I thought that the audience sort of connected well with me because my music, although not entirely similar to Sam Smith has the same singer-songwriter vibe which we both have.
If you could perform with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Oh, that's a really hard one. I'd love to either perform with Beyonce or Selena Gomez because they're two of my favorite female artists.
Do you have any advice for those who want to pursue music and don't know where to start?
Work hard and be passionate about everything you do because I think with hard work and passion, they both go really well together. If you're hardworking, you'll get everything done and if you're passionate, you'll make sure that everything you do is done as the best level you can do. And just make sure you stay true to yourself and just keep practicing and improving your skills because being a musician is a lifelong journey. You can't be the best musician if you don't constantly practice and constantly work on ways to improve.
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Follow AndreaH on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay updated. Listen to her debut track Best Friend on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/
