Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Cunningham.
Hi Andrew, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My journey with music and songwriting started when I was a young kid. I grew up in a musical family, so music was always a part of our home and life. My dad loved to compose music and played piano and trumpet. My mom sang and taught piano in our home for most of my childhood. They both served our local churches with music and did a little songwriting. It’s always funny when people ask me when I start writing songs because I don’t have an answer. I loved to sing as a kid, and writing songs was always how I processed life or expressed my thoughts or feelings. I have this memory from when I was four of writing a song about missing my best friend who was states away after we moved. I always did songwriting as a kid, and then it never stopped. Writing and recording took on more structure as I learned to play guitar and piano and grew as a singer. I served in our church leading worship, wrote worship songs, and wrote my singer-songwriter music. I’ll never forget the day I could finally play a G chord on my dad’s old acoustic guitar. The sound of it was like magic and began a love for the acoustic guitar that hadn’t stopped. I went to college for a music degree, worked as a worship leader, and now serve as a facilities and operations director coordinator. Music and songwriting have been a constant throughout the years.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a smooth road! Honestly, I think it could have been a rougher road if I’d chosen to move to Nashville and pursue making my living as a writer or musician. In college, I got a taste of the music life and decided that doing it full-time wasn’t for me. I loved it, but I loved being home at night and not constantly traveling. Writing and recording songs as something that I loved and not as how I paid the bills became more appealing as the years went by. Life has had its share of struggles that have helped me write some wonderful songs. The biggest was when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer seven months after we married. It started a long road of healing that was harder than we could have imagined. God was so kind and so good to us, though. And in the quiet moments, I did what I’ve always done. I wrote. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve always done songwriting, and it’s how I process life. My thoughts and emotions always become clearer when I write about them. I write to process, and I write to communicate things that I think people need to hear. Through our journey with cancer, I wrote two songs that I’m the most proud of. Shepherd is a song about God’s loving kindness and faithfulness to care for us. The Cancer Song tells about our struggles with cancer and how our perspectives have changed. As terrible as it was, those years also taught us what matters in life.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m known for writing songs that are beautiful and communicate meaningful messages. I love that some people create music and songs for the sheer beauty of it or to create something unique. For me, though, songwriting has always been about communicating things I needed to learn or think others needed to hear. The most important thing is our hope in Jesus and the salvation he offers. I’ve written many worship songs for the church over the years. However, I also love to write songs about life, its joys and sorrows, and how Jesus meets us in those places. When my wife had cancer, He was our hope and greatest comfort. When I need truth to guide my life, I run to and stand on the truth of Scripture. The themes of God’s faithfulness, control, peace, love, power, salvation, and goodness can be heard in all the music I write.
Any big plans?
I’m looking forward to recording and releasing more music. There are some exceptional songs that I’ve written over the last two years that I can’t wait to share!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewcunninghamsongs/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6GHEng0wxEcl3cnNIfSaKY?si=TucSlxAdTt23CN7iIIjB2g
