Debut EP from ANDI – Exploring the many facets of mental health
The upcoming debut EP from Tallaght musician Amy Kelly, 30, who releases music under the name ANDI, explores the many facets of mental health and her time spent visiting hospital wards and clinics from a young age.
The Kilnamanagh woman is a familiar face to many in the Irish indie music scene, having previously fronted local band The Stoney Brokes and provided backing vocals for The Hot Sprockets and This Other Kingdom.
In recent years Amy, past pupil of St Paul’s Secondary School in Greenhills, has focused on developing her skills as a solo musician, and will release her debut EP, ‘Cedar Ward’, next month.
Amy told The Echo about what it was like to grow up in a musical household, her time spent fronting The Stoney Brokes, and how being creative helps her mental health.
What inspired you to become a musician?
I grew up in a very musical home. My dad played harmonica and sang around the house 24/7, as well as playing in a traditional/covers band.
Growing up, in my teens, my older brothers always had a wide variety of records playing in the house and were bashing drums out in my parents’ back garden, which was hard to ignore.
They both went on to play in a band called The Hot Sprockets, releasing many albums and playing all of the top festivals and gigs around Ireland and Europe.
So the second I got the chance to play in a band, I jumped at it without hesitation.
You previously fronted The Stoney Brokes, what was that experience like for you?
Performing with The Stoney Brokes was unreal. I definitely had some of the happiest moments of my life with that band.
They were and still are my best friends. I grew as a musician and learned so much from them. I had some singing experience from the stage school I attended growing up, but that was mainly musical theatre.
Learning to push myself by singing in an alternative rock band definitely made me the diverse singer I am today. I had my first studio experience with The Brokes.
Recording our first EP and album, and learning to add extra layers of harmonies and backing vocals, made me fall in love with the whole recording experience.
How do you feel about being a solo musician, and what prompted that decision?
It feels strange, but I guess the decision to go solo happened over a couple of years.
The Stoney Brokes had all gone their separate ways and we were all busy working on new projects.
I had been touring and gigging with bands as a backing vocalist, and trying to earn some cash singing in cover bands, which was great fun, but I felt I had a lot more to say and express creatively through my own original music.
I honestly never thought that I would have the courage to do my own thing. After giving birth to my second daughter, I knew if I could get through that then I had the strength to do anything.
Why did you decide to record your solo work under the name ANDI?
It’s really not a cool rock’n’roll origin story. Basically, two of my mates from The Eskies called me Andy and Andrew instead of Amy – I have no idea why. It never caught on with anyone else, but I always told myself that if I ever went solo that I would go by ANDI.
Your new single ‘Giving Up’ sounds like an intensely personal song, how did you feel about releasing it?
I always felt so vulnerable performing
‘Giving Up’ live, as it was written when I was at a really low point in life when I felt like I didn’t fit in anymore with my creative circle. I had given birth to my daughter and that
‘self-sabotage voice’ told me that mothers can’t be the next big thing, but they absolutely can.
It took some convincing, but I am so glad I finally released the single because I’ve had a lot of people reach out to tell me that they were feeling the same way and really connected to the song.
Your upcoming Cedar Ward EP deals with your experience of growing up visiting hospitals and clinics from a young age, what was it like to explore those experiences through music?
Some of the songs were written during the early stages of lockdown, like ‘Cedar Ward’.
I was taken aback by a tragic story on the news. It really affected me, so I found myself furiously writing my feelings down and coming up with fictional and non-fictional scenarios, which were influenced by growing up visiting mental health clinics, which then formed the song and whole EP.
We are all living in very hard times these days and it is so important to get that message out there, that it is okay to not feel okay and to reach out for help.
When I feel really low or very strongly about things, I like to pick up the guitar and write how I am feeling. It’s very therapeutic.
Sometimes it ends up sounding like pure tripe, other times I might be lucky enough to get a solid tune from it, but the main thing is I feel a lot better afterwards. We need to mind ourselves.
‘Giving Up’ is out now on all streaming platforms, while the Cedar Ward EP will be out on October 22.
For more information, visit andi3.bandcamp.com or follow @andi_songs on Instagram, @ANDI_music on Twitter or ANDI on Facebook.
