Singer-songwriter Andrew Ripp’s music is passionate, true, and perfect for fans of country, gospel, and pop music. Without labeling himself as a specific genre, Ripp was practically recruited to the Nashville music scene by musician/singer and Grammy award nominated songwriter Dave Barnes. He then had the incredible honor of releasing a duet with Vince Gill titled “Rescue Me.” With a new album released late last year and his Self-Titled Tour underway, he chatted with The Shotgun Seat about his career, songwriting process and his new single “Surviving.”
Tell us a little bit about your back story – when did you start getting involved with music?
I remember I started singing along with the radio. There was one moment when my mom cut off the radio while I was singing in the back of her mini van and I was like 12 years old and there I am singing and it was that moment, even though I was kind of embarrassed I was hitting the notes and so I realized I could do this. My parents got a piano for the house and I started just tinkering around – that’s when I started playing. My mom put in vocal lessons with the local church leader. I remember singing for him and it was a strange moment; singing is a very personal thing and it was the first time I sang for someone intentionally. Hearing him say how impressed he was gave me a lot of confidence. I started writing horrible, horrible songs in high school. My first song was called “Destiny” about a girl and it was so bad and I still know it to this day.
I moved out to LA after high school and I started writing more and I wrote a bunch of songs that were getting cut. I also made my first record that got into the hands of people in Nashville so I moved down there and started making records and going out on the road and planted my roots in Nashville.
I have been influenced by what I listen to and I listen to everything, but just because I love rap, doesn’t mean I should be rapping, I have been mainly focused on what my brand is and a clear target as far as what I have to say.
What is your songwriting process like?
I allow my instincts and my feelings to guide the way instead of using a formula. I like being off the grid when it comes to songwriting. I like the idea of not having rules in song writing. I look for ways to stroke emotional chords with people. Now that I have focused and zeroed in on what I want to say as a human being and as an artist, I have started focusing on genre. I am trying to not get caught up in labels, I want to make music that speaks for itself. I am not afraid to be put in a genre I just don’t need to think that way when I am writing a song.
I have been trying a new thing where I make a beat and just loop it and crank it in my house and just walk around and sing and try not to think about what I am saying and then when something good comes out I will go with that one lyric. The lyrics just naturally come to me that way. A lot of writers will say the best songs that I have are the ones that just kind of happened, this is the way for me to do that. That is creating to me, theres no rules. You can feel it when you are in it.
If its 3 in the morning and you wake up with a song you’ve gotta get up and go do it. The middle of the night songs are hilarious and you wake up the next morning and listen back and you thought you had something special, but you should have stayed in bed.
Dave Barnes heard your music and called you and asked you to move to Nashville. Can you tell us about that?
Honestly, I didn’t even know who Dave was when he called, I was living in LA in a whole different world, he isn’t really an LA guy, he is more the Nashville southeast region guy. He just told me to come to Nashville and make a record and I will take you out on the road. He came out to LA and I opened for him and we became really good friends. He is one of the first people in my life who actually did what they said they would do, he followed through. I have learned a lot from Dave as a songwriter, as a person and a friend.
You recorded “Rescue Me” as a duet with Vince Gill. Tell us about your experience recording with him.
I remember driving to the studio that day wondering how is this guy possibly going to live up to the hero that he is for me and I walked in there the guy was sitting in an office chair that spins and he was lounging back and he had overalls on and a flannel and some nerdy glasses and I was like that’s him! He caught me off guard because he was so down home and cool. I said, “Thank you so much for being here,” and he’s like, “Thanks for having me in, I love the song.” We just starting talking about what he had been up to and he said, “Just drove back from visiting my mom.” And I thought that was so cool, I don’t know why, but it was so normal. It was amazing. He did one take of the song and then into the talk back said, “Is that what you were thinking?” and there was just silence, I couldn’t even find words. Having Vince Gill sing one of my songs, it was definitely one of the highlights of my career.
One of the themes of your new album is overcoming fear. What does that mean for you in your life?
It is definitely a theme, I had been going through that, everybody has their own fears. They had started to really affect my happiness and day to day life and I got tired of it so I started digging into it. What I noticed, where it comes from… the majority of our fears are just lies that we can choose to believe or overcome and move forward. I found that for some reason, I don’t know what you believe but I can’t find any other reason than to throw us off our track. We all have a dream and a calling and we all have a reason for being here and we are on our way to that place and for some reason fear tries to throw us off our game. I wrote a bunch of songs on the new record in response to that. They just came out of this spirit and realizing I didn’t have to believe those lies anymore. This record came out of a new place of freedom. You’ve gotta stare that monster right in the face and it isn’t as scary as it makes itself out to be.
The first single off of the album is “Surviving,” which is such a powerful song. What is the inspiration behind it?
It is a love song, about holding on to somebody or something that I can’t do it without. Living without that person for most of my life, it felt like “the moment I met you I came alive and every moment without you is me just surviving.” Sometimes when I write songs it’s not just about one thing. It is about so many different people, it’s a spiritual thing for me and about creativity. I geared it more towards the love song side because that is where it first came from but as I was writing it realized it was about so many things for me.
Ripp takes his new outlook on overcoming fears into this next stage of his career. He is currently on tour and playing Nashville’s 12th & Porter February 10th at 7:00 PM.
For other tour dates check out his website, and you can grab his newest album Andrew Ripp on iTunes.