We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrew Wills a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrew, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I was already 15 years into my music business journey at the time. I had been a Music Row songwriter with a few Top 40s to my name but I was feeling really unfulfilled. It was becoming increasingly frustrating to rely on another creative (singer) to make my dreams come true. So I began brainstorming on ways I could take control of my own fate.

On a long drive I began thinking back to growing up and my fascination in American History. I always had a love for true stories about frontiersman, Native Americans and encounters with wild beasts. I started wondering how I could combine my love of buckskins and tomahawks with music. That’s when I came up with the idea for Hawken Horse. It is modern music written from the past.

Starting with one song called “Free,” I released it in March of 2022 with 6 followers on Instagram. 21 months later my Instagram is over 25,000 and I have over a million streams. Without the help of PR, I secured features in 4 print magazines, been a guest on several major podcasts and sold tons of CDs and merchandise. And the ceiling appears to be no where in sight as the listening numbers are growing end over end.

I realized very quickly that I had discovered a forgotten sector of Americans. These are folks who are dedicated to preserving the history (good and bad) of our country. You’ll find them wandering the halls of a museum or splitting firewood by hand. And by just doing what I loved, I ended up filling a major hole that we didn’t know existed.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I always loved music and started writing songs on guitar at age 15. It wasn’t until I forced to stay home with my newborn son who some seriously health issues, that I actually took the time write music seriously. Within a year, from another state, I managed to get a song recorded by a significant Nashville Country star.

I ended up moving my family to Nashville. I have written roughly 1500 songs to date, produced about 200 songs for several artists as well as TV/Film/Ad placements. But it was starting to feel like I was punching rivets in a car door and I wanted the fulfillment to see a project to completion.

The creation of Hawken Horse is when I started to enjoy music again. It gave me the creative license to write what I wanted to write and be in control of my own destiny. If I want to record a 4 minute instrumental on a record, I can do it. If I want to write about an obscure event, I can do it. I loved ridding myself of the box writing for the market puts you in. It literally felt like shaking off chains.

The main thing I want people to know is Hawken Horse isn’t an act. It’s not a movie project. It’s not a trend. It’s something I’m passionate about and I have so many more records in me.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I grew my Instagram organically, one upload at a time. But the key I didn’t look at my listeners as customers. I looked at them as fellow history buffs. I make a point to reply to every single comment and message. This can grow old quick if you’re selling widgets, but because I’m talking about Daniel Boone or the movie Last of the Mohicans, I don’t have to fake my enthusiasm. I’m genuinely passionate about this stuff and want to talk about it! And I think that is the trick, I built real relationships over social media. And in turn, they spread the word about Hawken Horse naturally because they don’t only love my music but they like me. It’s not a business plan, it’s a way to live your life.

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

The listeners in my crowds are researchers. They spend their free time reading original sources, journals and sifting through the Smithsonian online collections. And it raised some eyebrows when my lyrics showed I knew what I was talking about. The songs even lead to a personal relationship with renowned historical painter David Wright. David is a stickler for making his paintings historically accurate to the point of often having a historical reference for the scene he’s painting. Our public friendship became Hawken Horse’s stamp of approval. It has also helped by writing for numerous historical magazines such as American Frontiersman, MuzzleBlasts and Guns of the Old West.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hawkenhorse.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawkenhorse
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HawkenHorse
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOlpu8xMjiO9pkwor0B8qg

Image Credits
Photos: Eric Brown Artwork: no credit