Press release –
Nova Scotian songwriter and producer Maggie Andrew has released her brand new EP HOW TO SING FOR MONEY via turtlemusik. “This is a collection of some of my favourite songs I’ve ever made,” shares Maggie. “It’s fun, it’s upbeat, it’s honest, vulnerable and at times funny. It feels like a portrait of myself, captured by these 7 new songs.” Along with the release of the album, she shares the new single “Did You Cry” (co-written with her current partner Carleton Stone and her ex Kyle Mischiek (AKA Sunsetto)), and the cinematic accompanying video.
Touching on the bumps in the road with relationships,” shares Maggie. “You often wonder if the other person even cared about you or wanted to be with you at all when they break it off. Did they ever even cry about it? Or did they just move on?”
The EP also features “Emotional Touchdown“, the CBC Music Top 20 hit “How to Sing for Money“ (which peaked at #3), and “Fall Like a Feather.” It includes collaborations with an impressive roster of songwriters, including Carleton Stone, Kyle Mischiek, Corey LeRue, Ralph, Goldchain, Joel Stouffer, Colin Buchanan, 2oolman, Laureli O’Driscoll, and Skyler Cocco.
What’s The Story about the HOW TO SING FOR MONEY EP?
On the new EP, Maggie Andrew proves herself a full-fledged phenom in masterful control of her singular and expansive pop visions. Through glowing ‘80s synthscapes, arena-rocking existential dilemmas, and songs of reflection and resilience, she serves up melodies that oscillate between sugary and emotionally forceful. And she continues to foster her own natural voice in her lyricism, deploying winking wordplay and sarcasm in equal measure with heart-baring confessionals. The album is a testament to Maggie’s exponentially expanding artistic ingenuity—simultaneously an impressive peak and a stepping stone on her path toward bigger and bolder musical realms. “I think HOW TO SING FOR MONEY offers a clear view into another dimension or chapter of myself,” Maggie says. “It reveals what I am and what I can do if I have the tools and the opportunities.”
Much of the recording took place at the National Music Centre in Calgary following her 2024 CBC Searchlight win, where the musicians were able to tap into the museum’s impressive collection of instruments. The sessions featured Myles Goodwyn’s (April Wine) drums, Anne Murray’s CBS Masterworks custom acoustic guitar, Neil Young’s ‘58 Fender Pro Amp and U47 microphone, and a custom DI from the Rolling Stones’ mobile studio.
The gauzy synths of “Emotional Touchdown” propel and ascend like a dreamliner as Maggie laments the beautiful emptiness of a jet-set lifestyle; and the title track’s heavy guitar chugs along like a tour van while she reckons with the exhaustion of the 21st-century music machine and lays out a 7-step guide to making it. The delicate, hazy vibes of “Unfinished Business” conjure the heartbreak of pursuing someone who isn’t over their ex, and “Did You Cry” climaxes with a high-flying chorus fuelled by guitar distortion that mimics those heavy feelings of confusion that arise when you start questioning the reality of a past relationship. “Father Figure” rises with a hopeful acoustic strum and a beat with big forward momentum as Maggie sings of growing up and transcending her past. She denounces the idea of a big bearded guy upstairs with the bouncy, folk-leaning “If God Was Real.” And on the stirring “Fall Like a Feather,” she straps on the gloves and vows to never stop getting back up. One might call HOW TO SING FOR MONEY an alternative pop album, but now in 2025, genre is blurry at best, and an artist can’t be pinned down; there’s only one constant in Maggie’s music.
“I embrace my flair and attitude; I don’t give a f*ck about external pressure when I’m making music,” Maggie says. “My voice is the thing that makes my sound my own, and the elements of the music that surrounds it will always shift and change.”
What’s The Story about the “Did You Cry” Video?
In creating the “Did You Cry” music video, Maggie wanted to conceptualize the emotional aftermath of a breakup. When you’re with someone and you think you’re in love, it’s easy to make promises. The video is a representation of running away from something or someone who ended up being no good, contrasted with stillness and chaos, it shows the wreckage that can come from having your heart broken.
Teaming up with director MOOSECANFLY (who also worked on “Emotional Touchdown” & “How To Sing For Money”), they brought this concept to life. “Maggie came to me with this beautifully written song and asked me to create some visuals for her,” shares MOOSECANFLY. “She had this image of a veil in her mind, and from there, we sort of ran with this idea of a bride running away from a toxic relationship before it was too late. My favourite part is the breakdown at the end. Maggie is a great actor.”
A rising force in Canada’s alt-pop scene, Maggie Andrew continues to rack up accolades and milestones, including two 2025 ECMA Awards for Rock/Alternative Album of the Year and African Canadian Artist of the Year. In 2024 alone, she was crowned winner of CBC’s Searchlight competition for her breakout track “About Us” (which peaked at #5 on the CBC Top 20) and was named a JUNO Wavemaker Halifax Ambassador. With over 6 million global streams and time living in LA that led to high-profile collaborations with blackbear, Ash Riser (Kendrick Lamar, AB-Soul), Doc McKinney (The Weeknd, Drake), and YetiBeats (Doja Cat, SZA), Maggie’s momentum is undeniable. She’s also been featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, CBC’s Q, and AltPress, and earned major wins at the 2024 Music Nova Scotia Awards (New Artist Recording of the Year, African Nova Scotian Artist of the Year) and the African Nova Scotian Music Awards (Artist and Album of the Year for DAY JOB).
What’s The Story About Maggie Andrew?
Maggie Andrew (May-Gee An-Drew) has developed into a full-fledged phenom over the past couple of years, crafting sophisticated alternative pop songs that capture the peaks and valleys of life’s triumphs and tragedies without sacrificing banger-certified choruses or her winking sense of humour. Over the past few years, the Nova Scotian songwriter and producer has collaborated with Florida musician blackbear on “Sleep 4Ever” (2021), won CBC Music’s Searchlight competition, and plumbed her own depths for the multi-award winning DAY JOB (2024), embracing her shadows and swagger. For her latest album, HOW TO SING FOR MONEY (2025), she emerges from the darkness and swings for the rafters, balancing arena-sized pop grandeur with lush, understated moments, and lyrical tenderness with sarcastic wordplay. She’s still singing about big feelings—devastating breakups, losing her faith, the exhaustion of trying to make a living as a 21st-century artist—but there’s a richness to her perspective that can only come from living life fully. You’ll definitely laugh; there’s a good chance you’ll cry. And the songs are only elevated by catching Maggie in concert—her electrifying live show adds another unforgettable dimension to the many moods of her music.
Visit: https://www.maggiedandrew.com.
