Songwriter's career meteoric

“If life is a journey — What is this life I’ve stumbled into? Where is it going to take me?"

Singer-songwriter Andrew Allen wrote those words in 2009 for the song, Amazing.

He was on the road, literally and figuratively, living those lyrics. Little did he know how his reputation as a singer-songwriter was soon going to explode.

His story begins in Victoria, where he was born in 1981. He was adopted by two teachers and moved from Fort Saint John to Quesnel to Vernon.

His musical education started in Grade 7 at school. He experimented with playing the piano, alto sax, and other instruments until he discovered the guitar in Grade 10.

All his spare time was spent with friends and their punk band, Liable Cause, in his parents’ garage.

“Nobody knew how to play,” he said, laughing. “I had very patient parents.”

I can imagine how popular the band was to their neighbours. They did free open mic nights and rarely got invited back, but did eventually learn to play.

In his early 20s, he was lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Martin, a four-person band that was convinced they were going to be famous, but soon disbanded.

Andrew moved to Vancouver and just lived for a year. He was a bingo caller on Carnival Cruises for a year before moving back to Vernon and taking a musical director position at East Hill Community Church for two years.

In 2008, he decided to go solo, hit the road, and ended up ping-ponging between the U.K. and here. It is easier, evidently, to get established as a reputable performer in the U.K. They don’t need to hear you on the radio first. 

He was a one-man band: booking, planning and promoting himself without representation.

“The only thing I wish I could change…” — words from the song, Sooner

As a performer, you long for someone to hear and discover you. While he was in Eastern Canada, he was approached by EMI Records, which invited him to Nashville to work with their songwriters.

There, his career arc was meteoric.

He co-wrote with Robin Ghosh — a renowned Pakistani composer-singer — Loving You Tonight, which was in the Top 10 for 32 weeks in 2010.

Soon Epic Records US took him on as an artist while Sony/ATV offered him a publishing deal. He is still with them, 10 years later.

He lived and worked in Los Angeles from 2013-2015. He wrote more than 200 songs a year and also wrote his way onto the recording artists Who’s Who list.  

“I wrote all the time.”

H worked with Megan Trainer and wrote for Carly Rae Jepsen and Ryan Stewart, collaborated on projects for Maroon 5 and The Band Perry, wrote the song, Together, for the film, A Dog’s Way Home, wrote songs for Italian superstar Marco Mengoni’s quadruple Platinum album, Le Cose Che Non Ho. 

He has written singles for German, British and Korean pop sensations. This list goes on and on,

How does that happen, 200 songs a year? 

He said he is methodical and sets specific times for composing, organizing and planning. It doesn’t matter what comes first, the words or the melody but he does prefer to work the chorus before the verse. He will use whatever instrument inspires him and voice memos audible ideas.

You and I — the title of the song he wrote, and taught, in Ethiopia

In 2015, he became friends with the organizers of Canadian Humanitarian Organization for International Relief. 

“They invited me to compose and teach a song to the students they work with in Ethiopia. I was there for two weeks. 

“It was a beautiful experience, and I’m definitely still involved with the organization. They provide after school programs for the most at-risk youth in Ethiopia,”

"It’s all going to be alright" — from the song, Loving You Tonight

During his time in California, his daughter was born and he decided to move back to Vernon. 

“Although it is a better headspace, you are definitely not as connected.”  In L.A., he would often attend a function, get introduced to someone, and bam, he was working with them because you were all there. 

Through the darkest nights and the brightest days — from the song I’m In Love With You

He loves to perform more than anything else. Before COVID, he enjoyed 70-80 days a year on the road performing. He longs to return to it.

You’ve done a lot, what is the most memorable performance? 

He told me that he was performing in Vancouver and he was ill and couldn’t sing. He apologized to the audience and they sang all his songs back to him. Unforgettable.

I’ll teach you how you deserve to be loved — from the song, Deserved To Be Loved.

I teach a lot of girls popular music and it is so gratifying to find a composer who understands how important words are in forming young minds. 

His messages are relevant and his music eliminates the ho-hum out of today’s pop sound.

He is a force that is only beginning and he is home grown in the valley. How lucky can we be?

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.