We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Magee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.
Alright, Andrea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I am originally from Ireland. I was born in Belfast in the north of the country during the end of the troubles. I grew up the majority of my life there and I am beyond grateful for my roots, my family and all the deepest parts of my being. Every sense of self I have resonates with everything that is there. But I always knew I was searching for more from a very young age, it was like a calling, a deep feeling in my being that knew I was going to seek out something else. Never really knowing what it looked like as a kid I would let my imagination run wild in day dreams of finding my own way. I played music in a family band from the age of 7 years old and it has always been my deepest passion (and it still us) .When I was 27 years old I answered that calling. Alongside my lifelong friend Ben Jones I packed up everything I had , grabbed my instruments left everything I owned and boarded a plane to USA in search for more in life and for my music. At the beginning it felt like an exciting adventure (and it still does) but reality also sets in when you are in a new country, don’t know anyone and all you have is what you are. It was like being at the bottom of a mountain with no shoes on my feet. The how’s and the why’s screaming so loudly at every-turn even though this was so exciting and invigorating internally and externally it also felt like a raging battle inside. How do we find our feet? How do we survive financially? Are we good? Am I enough? Do I have what it takes? These questions still sit in me but then they had a much louder voice, but even with them roaring we found a way. Every single night of that first visit to USA we played music in some way, on a street corner at an open mic and it we got so lucky at a gig. Our determination led the way and kept all the other parts quiet enough to keep going.
It was scary but we stuck it out because we knew in our hearts this was the right path. I have now been living and working as an artist out of Austin TX since 2015. That risk when boarding that first plane opened doors to some of the greatest adventures of my life. Including 3 years on tour as the opening act for Brian Wilson form The Beach Boys along side tours with Brain Setzer, Jeff Bridges and more. I have met some of the best people on this planet who have supported me from the ground up and helped shape my life in ways I could have never expected. I am still on the mountain, just now at a different peek and it all came from taking a risk.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I try my best to stay honest and authentic to my craft. I am singer songwriter who plays a tribal irish drum and through my writing my aim is to stay true to myself while channeling the hearts of others. To connect though a song is magical and for others to feel you heart and somehow make it feel like their own is a gift to any creator.
Through my art I love to shine a light and celebrate others and find that deep soulful connection music can bring.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
To acknowledge my ego. To not be entirely driven by it. To know it is essential part of the journey but it needs to be laughed at. I was not quick in coming to this perspective but I am so glad it is now something I am aware of and implementing. I have had a strong sense of ambition and drive since I was little but somewhere along the line I felt this may have got tangled up in some of the wrong areas. Art is an open hearted journey but the music business can sometimes feel closed to that side and I found that quite confusing and in some ways very self obsessed. I started to feel this and knew it wasn’t the correct path for my music, its a fine line but I needed a reminder to put myself aside while continuing to grow and promote my business. I want this to be for a greater source as well as for my own fulfillment and this is something I am reaching for everyday.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The connection to others. The connection to a listener, to know you have offered something that can help someone else as much as it soothed and helped you.
It is a gift to get lost in creativity but its a greater gift to watch someone else swim in it with you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.andreamageemusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreamageemusic/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Andreamageeofficial/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-magee-9a083197?challengeId=AQGVJCUnaMKx2gAAAYWsCELadPOPxalpqnHoh4809efQyzvGG2kCOMXD9LKjt6Ji3OlIDJk_umtdLzukldBIkfOcNqZ6rojaSQ&submissionId=dbd226fc-40ec-3917-dca7-abb3a7e3d768&challengeSource=AgEIpPWlguh9vQAAAYWsCHonjVsCRZcy86yW3aVMVdjk9hTBx_n2FZ3cWM24QHM&challegeType=AgFksNk31IjCxAAAAYWsCHoq7nXqpQP6rlMCHnrIasEDEnkiJItO-T8&memberId=AgGJnBwgBjVixQAAAYWsCHouiJMZUhtUJ4RBXlvxnFQgph4&recognizeDevice=AgFA_arglbKyTAAAAYWsCHoxYf7cLfB8aVRXcHGQS7HZcsNz2A5C
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/MageeAndrea/status/1345179936940847104
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Andreamageemusic
Image Credits
Stan Martin Nicola Gell