Prelude Press
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Alt-pop powerhouse Maggie Andrew reveals her new EP, HOW TO SING FOR MONEY. The project features buzzworthy singles such as “Fall Like A Feather,” “How To Sing For Money,” and “Emotional Touchdown,” which broke through on US pop radio this week with a top 60 debut.
With HOW TO SING FOR MONEY, Andrew cements herself as a rising phenom, fully in command of her expansive pop vision. Through glowing ’80s synthscapes, arena-rocking existential dilemmas, and moments of intimate reflection, she delivers melodies that oscillate between sweet and striking. Her lyricism balances sharp wordplay with unflinching vulnerability, underscoring what sets her apart as a songwriter. The record stands as both a milestone in Andrew’s artistry and a glimpse of what’s ahead.
“I think ‘HOW TO SING FOR MONEY’ offers a clear view into another dimension or chapter of myself,” Andrew says. “It reveals who I am and what I can do if I have the tools and the opportunities.”
One of the opportunities that helped make this record happen was Andrew’s 2024 win in CBC Music’s Searchlight competition, which earned her a recording residency at Calgary’s National Music Centre. Before heading west, she spent a month in Toronto writing and preparing with longtime collaborators Carleton Stone and Kyle Mischiek. “That month helped reignite the magical creative environment I’d been craving,” Andrew says. Their close-knit history—Stone is her partner, Mischiek her ex, and both are frequent collaborators—made for especially fruitful sessions. With the exception of one song, the HOW TO SING FOR MONEY EP emerged entirely from that period of writing.
On HOW TO SING FOR MONEY, Andrew moves fluidly across sounds and themes: the gauzy synths of “Emotional Touchdown” capture the emptiness of a jet-set life; the title track’s grinding guitars mirror the exhaustion of the music industry; and the hazy melancholy of “Unfinished Business” explores the ache of chasing someone still caught in their past. The EP’s focus single, “Did You Cry,” erupts into distortion-fueled catharsis, while “Father Figure” pairs acoustic strums with reflections on growing up and transcending her past. She denounces the idea of a big bearded guy upstairs with the buoyant, folk-leaning “If God Was Real,” before closing with “Fall Like a Feather,” a stirring anthem of resilience.
Alongside the EP, Andrew unveils the cinematic video for “Did You Cry,” directed by MOOSECANFLY. In it, she embodies a runaway bride escaping a toxic relationship before it’s too late. “I wanted to conceptualize the aftermath of a breakup,” Andrew says. “When you’re with someone and think you’re in love, it’s easy to make promises. The video represents running away from something—or someone—who turned out to be no good. By contrasting stillness with chaos, it captures the wreckage that comes from having your heart broken.”
Call it alternative pop, or call it something else—Andrew’s music resists labels, but its constant is clear: “I embrace my flair and attitude; I don’t give a fuck about external pressure when I’m making music,” she says. “My voice is the thing that makes my sound my own, and the elements around it will always shift and change.”