Fans of Justin Bieber and Machine Gun Kelly will love Houston native, Andersen Hugh.
Hugh artistically captures youth culture through his musical style and lyrical composition. This is evident in his third single, “While We’re Young.”
This upbeat anthem is about embracing the moment and letting go of the stresses that come along with growing up. This lead track showcases Hugh’s carefree upbeat vibe that fans can also look forward to on his debut EP Manifest, due out on August 28th.
We chatted with Andersen Hugh about the single, the EP and more.
How did you first get interested in music?
Ever since I stepped on stage I couldn’t imagine doing anything else and this was at a very young age. The moment I stepped on stage and truly felt passionate about what I was doing changed my life. I went from my life just being sports to having a vision, setting a goal and wanting to pursue something bigger than just doing it as an activity. When I knew that I wanted to pursue music as a career was when my mom convinced me to get back into it and then I got introduced to the prblm slvrs. They met me where I was at and helped me grow into the artist I am today. They also gave me back a love for music which I am so thankful for.
Who did you listen to growing up and does that music have an influence on your sound today?
This is a tough question just because my music is so authentic and I don’t try to imitate anyone’s sound, but artists that I listen to definitely have a huge effect on my life which has an effect on my music. So I guess I would have to say Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Michael Jackson, Post Malone, Justin Bieber and many more but those are who I am thinking of in this moment. I think every person and experience has an effect on an artists sound.
What was the inspiration behind your single, “While We’re Young”
“While We’re Young” is a song that describes youth culture today and is just an anthem of my generation. It’s just a fun song that I hope people can party and let go to. Everyone needs a song like “While We’re Young”. The story behind this song is one day in the studio we were talking about partying and Rian, one of my producers, said we should make a youth anthem and we just had a lot of fun making that song and you can definitely feel the energy and party atmosphere when you listen to it.
What was the writing process like?
It was such an upbeat song that there’s so much energy in the room and we are having such a good time creating that song it felt like a party.
If you could set fans up in the perfect environment to listen to “While We’re Young,” what do you imagine it looking like?
I would say the perfect environment is anywhere you’re having fun with your friends. I imagine a ton of people getting lit and having a great time.
How do you hope people feel after listening to “While We’re Young”?
I hope they feel happier then they did before listening to it. I hope they feel more young and wild. I hope they feel free spirited.
What can fans expect from your debut EP, Manifest?
Manifest is my first project and it’s based around my life, ideology and my experiences. I think this project definitely shows you who I am as an artist and also as an entertainer. This project means so much to me because it’s my introduction back into the world of music and the introduction of me as an artist. I worked so hard on this project along with the prblm slvrs and we put our heart and soul into it. I hope everyone enjoys it and has as much fun as we did creating it.
What is one quote that you have heard or that you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world?
The quote “You miss 100% of the shot you don’t take” by Wayne Gretzky. This advice keeps me motivated and pushes me to try and seize every opportunity and give it my best shot. The entertainment business is so risky but if I never tried I would never have a chance to succeed as an artist which is what I truly want to be.
Listen here.