Songwriter Andrew Farriss is best known as a founding member of legendary chart-toppers INXS. He played keyboards, guitar and sang backing vocals in the band –the songs he wrote with lead singer Michael Hutchence catapulted the group to international stardom that included sold-out arena and stadium tours, and more than 50 million album sales worldwide. INXS songs became the soundtrack of a generation and are still played on radio stations around the world on a daily basis. The music of INXS continues to inspire countless musicians globally.
With INXS not having any touring plans in the pipeline, and a swag of original material in his songbook, Andrew has now embarked on a solo career that sees him explore the Country-Americana genre.
Living on the land and running a working farm for the last 25 years, country music was never far from Andrew’s heart. Yet, it was a chance trip up to the Apache Pass along the Mexican border that set the musical direction for his first self-titled solo album. Andrew and his wife, Marlina, spent weeks horse-riding with good friends, cowboy wrangler Craig Lawson and his wife Tamara through the Chiricahua Mountains. The history of the area really captivated Andrew in a way that he wasn’t expecting, from the stories of the tumultuous fighting to the barren beautiful landscape. “I became quite enamoured with it, it became very real to me,” he says. “When I went back to Nashville, what I really wanted to do was write about that outlaw country that I just saw and the history of the area.”
Andrew is, first and foremost, always a songwriter. Consequently, when it came to writing material for his own album, he did what he had always done – throughout his years working with other artists and writing for INXS – he focused on writing good stories with great music. “I am really enjoying stepping out on my own with this album,” he says. “I love writing songs and telling stories that hopefully resonate with people. I have not followed any trends or formulas creating these songs. What I have written and recorded is different. I like different, different is good.”
After being asked so many times what people can expect musically from Andrew as a solo artist, he decided to record a live concert with his band and put it up on his Facebook and YouTube channel. Recorded in late 2020, when COVID lockdowns in Australia meant touring was off the cards. The concert features the songs from Andrew’s EP Love Makes The World, and is the perfect introduction to his solo work. The EP was released in mid 2020, to bridge the gap that the pandemic created when it was decided to postpone the album’s scheduled 2020 release. After waiting a year from the original planned release date of his self-titled album, Andrew decided to seize the day and stop waiting on the unknown and is now launching the album on March 19, 2021.
“I recorded the live EP set to give people an idea of what I am doing musically,” says Andrew. “The EP set is a little more diverse than the tracks on the album, but it is a good introduction into what is coming on March 19th when we release the album. Because of the pandemic regulations we were unable to have an audience for the concert recording, but now that it is up on my Facebook and YouTube, everyone watching will become the audience for my first solo live concert. I hope you enjoy it.”
Andrew’s debut self-titled album is released internationally through BMG/BBR on Friday 19th March 2021.
