We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Goodman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.

Andrea , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

I’m actually going to tell the story about how I came to be in the music industry to begin with. When I was in college studying to be an elementary educator, I was looking for items to pump up my resume. I asked my peers while in class one how I could do this. What would be the best option? They told me they needed a president of our student chapter for educators. I assumed this was an elected position but no one else wanted it! I accepted and thought how hard could this be? I asked what my first task would be and it was representing the program in the Valentines pageant. My head was spinning since I wasn’t into makeup or honestly dressing up that much. I was sitting there in boots, jeans, a t-shirt, and hardly any makeup at all. Then I was told I needed a talent. All I could do was ask myself what I was good at. I’d sang in church growing up. I recalled the days of listening to Bob Kingsley and his top 40 country countdown as a child and saying I was gonna be on there someday. I’d let that dream take a back burner. Needless to say, I ended up on that stage singing a church hymn, seated in a chair with my eyes closed singing solo for the first time in front of a couple hundred folks. Fast forward and here I am! Touring nationally!

Andrea , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Once I graduated college, I moved to Bowling Green, KY. I was singing harmony to the radio in the backseat of someone’s truck and a friend of mine said that I could sing and should start working up some shows with her. I probably never would have tried to without that encouragement.

Along the way, I have picked up many things that are very helpful like my connections with any crowd large or small. I act like we’re just a group of friends hanging out and they feel as good as I do and hopefully forget their present troubles just as I do. This is one thing I think sets me apart from some performers.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

Twice I have had to be essentially homeless to keep doing what I am. I’m fortunate at this point to be very blessed, but it hasn’t always been that way. The lease was up on my first apartment in Nashville and I had to move. I couldn’t find anywhere affordable so I moved in with friends. Once I went through the grueling process and got moved, their lease wasn’t approved. I then quickly moved into a home that one of my friends was helping renovate. It had no heat in the dead of winter, and was bare bones. There was a trash bag stapled over the bedroom door to keep heat from the space heaters in. In December I heard loud booms from outside and realized they were gunshots. This was a true learning experience.

Fast forward a couple of years, another displacement from a townhouse due to factors out of my control, moving back to Kentucky for the summer. I had moved in with one of my best friends. We were like family and I even let her drive my car since she didn’t have one. Things went downhill fast with drugs and such and she was found dead in our bathroom one night. I was taken in my boyfriend and his parents at the time and tried to recover from this traumatic event. When people talk about paying dues, I can no doubt say I’ve done my fair share.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

One thing that stands out with me is how I love people. Don’t get me wrong, if you treat me horrible or do me wrong, I will build a wall and still be cordial. However, those that treat me like family will get the same in return. I have started a writers night in town that has blossomed into one of the sought out ones. I’m so grateful and work hard to keep the quality of songwriters the highest I possibly can. I get comments from those in the community all the time to how they don’t feel like an outsider at our events and how I book some of the best people personality wise in the business. I pride myself in having created such an atmosphere. I want to give people the same chances I’ve been given.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.andreagoodman.rocks
• Instagram: Kyandreagoodman
• Facebook: Andrea Goodman
• Youtube: Andrea Goodman

Image Credits
Chelsea Erica Smith-Nash Bash Collective Ari Lyon