With ‘How To Sing For Money’, Andrew cements herself as a rising phenom, fully in command of her expansive pop vision. Through glowing ’80s synthscapes, arena-rocking existential dilemmas, and moments of intimate reflection, she delivers melodies that oscillate between sweet and striking. Her lyricism balances sharp wordplay with unflinching vulnerability, underscoring what sets her apart as a songwriter. The record stands as both a milestone in Andrew’s artistry and a glimpse of what’s ahead.
“I think ‘How To Sing For Money’ offers a clear view into another dimension or chapter of myself,” Andrew says. “It reveals who I am and what I can do if I have the tools and the opportunities.”
One of the opportunities that helped make this record happen was Andrew’s 2024 win in CBC Music’s Searchlight competition, which earned her a recording residency at Calgary’s National Music Centre. Before heading west, she spent a month in Toronto writing and preparing with longtime collaborators Carleton Stone and Kyle Mischiek. “That month helped reignite the magical creative environment I’d been craving,” Andrew says. Their close-knit history—Stone is her partner, Mischiek her ex, and both are frequent collaborators—made for especially fruitful sessions. Except for one song, the ‘How To Sing For Money’ EP emerged entirely from that period of writing.
On ‘How To Sing For Money’, Andrew moves fluidly across sounds and themes: the gauzy synths of “Emotional Touchdown” capture the emptiness of a jet-set life; the title track’s grinding guitars mirror the exhaustion of the music industry; and the hazy melancholy of “Unfinished Business” explores the ache of chasing someone still caught in their past. The EP’s focus single, “Did You Cry,” erupts into distortion-fueled catharsis, while “Father Figure” pairs acoustic strums with reflections on growing up and transcending her past. She denounces the idea of a big bearded guy upstairs with the buoyant, folk-leaning “If God Was Real,” before closing with “Fall Like a Feather,” a stirring anthem of resilience.
Alongside the EP, Andrew unveils the cinematic video for “Did You Cry,” directed by MOOSECANFLY. In it, she embodies a runaway bride escaping a toxic relationship before it’s too late. “I wanted to conceptualize the aftermath of a breakup,” Andrew says. “When you’re with someone and think you’re in love, it’s easy to make promises. The video represents running away from something—or someone—who turned out to be no good. By contrasting stillness with chaos, it captures the wreckage that comes from having your heart broken.”
Call it alternative pop, or call it something else—Andrew’s music resists labels, but its constant is clear: “I embrace my flair and attitude; I don’t give a fuck about external pressure when I’m making music,” she says. “My voice is the thing that makes my sound my own, and the elements around it will always shift and change.”
About Maggie Andrew
Hailing from Nova Scotia, Maggie Andrew brings a creative and rebellious spirit to everything she does. Her musical journey began with a dream and a leap of faith. After sending her first song to her brother, artist and Olympic snowboarder Trevor Andrew, she was encouraged to fly to L.A. to turn her dream into something real. She dove headfirst into the scene, collaborating with industry trailblazers like blackbear, Ash Riser (Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul), Doc McKinney (The Weeknd, Drake), and Yeti Beats (Doja Cat, SZA).
With over 6 million streams and glowing praise from Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Alternative Press, Maggie has quickly become a standout voice in the alt-pop space. Over the past year, she won CBC Music’s Searchlight, headlined major stages at SOMMO Festival and the JUNO Block Party, performed at The Great Escape and BreakOut West, and received multiple awards, including back-to-back ECMA awards for African Canadian Artist of the Year (2024 and 2025), as well as Rock/Alternative Release of the Year in 2025. Just this week, she received ANSMA award nominations for Songwriter of the Year, along with Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “How To Sing For Money.”
Maggie Andrew’s songs are rooted in lived experience, exploring relationships, womanhood, identity, and the pursuit of confidence through chaos. With a sound that’s vivid, fearless, and unfiltered, she continues to push pop forward on her own terms.
Featured image by Maggie Andrew & Michaela Jessome.
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
https://www.maggiedandrew.com/
https://instagram.com/maggiedandrew
https://facebook.com/maggiedandrew
https://www.tiktok.com/@maggiedandrew
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4PJuPTnsXBp1QY667NS0Oo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdZwsiHPTzqwXtZ9tODJOIA/
