I am Andrew Pierce. A singer, songwriter, performer, creator, and lover of life just to name a few. Born in Plano, Texas on September 12, 1994 to two parents who were athletes their whole lives. So how did I end up having a calling to music? Looking back on my life, I have had a pretty good one. I have done and experienced quite a lot in my short 26 years on this planet. But there has been one constant, music. Since I was wearing diapers music has been a part of my life. Standing in a laundry bin, holding one of those plastic echo microphones, wearing nothing but a diaper and singing every word to MMMBop all the way to today, where I have written ten songs, recorded four, and have so much more to say. Little diaper me had no clue what life had in store for us. Sure, in elementary school, and even some of middle school, was predominantly sports focused, but my parents were athletes. They threw my siblings and I into every sport growing up to see what we liked and did not like. I had a love for soccer and street hockey, even played street hockey through my senior year of high school, but I was never gonna play for my school or play in college. It was fun, but I am no athlete.

Life took a shift. It went from all sports to, slowly over time, all music. To be honest, I have no clue where it came from. Doing practically nothing but sports for years, it had to be some kind of shock to my parents when I came to them in third grade wanting to learn the violin. Thankfully, they said “no” to that and signed me up for piano lessons in sixth grade. Even though I have not played in years, that knowledge is still there and even helped me get a callback in college for The Music Man, which goes back to fourth grade. That was the first year you were allowed to join choir and the musical in our school. Of course, the shows were corny, and the choir was very bad, but I continued into middle school where it all took a step up. Since choir became a class there, music became a part of my life every other day and with the musical taking up four months of the year, I started having less time for sports. High school is where it really took off though. Musical work started in September and sometimes lasted through April, and choir eventually became an everyday class. Music and performing was taking over my life, but I still had no clue what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I was just enjoying life having fun with my friends.

Once the summer before my senior year hit, I had to start thinking about what I wanted to do after graduation. While there were a few hobbies I had on the side of music, hobbies I still pursue today, there was no way I could turn them into a career. So, music it was. Well, musical theatre that is. I emailed my choir director a month before classes started up asking for advice, as I had no clue how to go to school for that. He helped me in private lessons, during study halls, to explore my voice. Find where my limits were and what theatre styles best suited my voice. I continued to work with him post-graduation all the way up to me moving to NYC. I owe him a lot of gratitude, because he had no reason to help me after I graduated, but he did. He continued to expand my range upwards to where I can hit notes I never would have attempted before. Sometimes the lessons had no singing. We would warm up, but then he would just talk to me about me. How I have all this potential, but I have a wall put up that will prevent me from living that potential. He saw me before I saw me. Those lessons will stay with me forever and I have no idea how I will ever pay him back for it.

He was always trying to help me be me, both in life and musically. I guess that is why I hated my vocal coach in college. He was just doing his job and trying to help me fill out my audition book repertoire, but he always got frustrated that I could not learn the more classical Broadway music. The notes were easy, but he was trying to change the way I sing because my voice sounds pop, but that does not work for classical Broadway. I never liked classical, I always preferred the more modern and contemporary musicals. Which I why when it came time to audition for The Music Man, he wanted me to use a certain song. However, I went into the music studios late one night, and used my old piano lessons to teach myself one of the quartet parts. Mainly because I liked the song more and it was more in my range, but also, I would not have to rely on anyone else for the audition. I got a callback, by doing me. From then on, I have been trying to be riskier by just being me, and slowly, over time, that led me to New York. Which led me to 9Nine, into the Launch Showcase, to where I am now. AJ Pierce. A singer, songwriter, performer, creator, and lover of life.