Nicholas D’Andrea
Musician / singer / songwriter
“The blessing of music is how enjoyable it is to create it with other people. It's unique in that way, and I think something that helps make music so universal.”
Artist Bio
Nicholas D’Andrea began a career in music in 2013, starting the band Nick D’ & the Believers. They were active from 2013-16, toured regionally and had songs featured on television shows. During that time he also worked as a freelance songwriter with music licensing, and publishing companies.
In 2016 he co-founded the band Doc Robinson. They released their first ep Golden Daze in November 2016 and went on to release more than 60 songs, and open for national tours.
In 2019 he left Doc Robinson to focus on his growing family, and to work full time as the executive director of We Amplify Voices, an arts nonprofit. In March 2021 he released Aslan, his first album as a solo artist, followed by Shine Out EP's Vol 1 and 2 in 2022. D’Andrea is part of the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s 2023 Navigator team and has received individual artist grants, while We Amplify Voices if funded in part through Project Support grants and received an Arts Excellence Award from GCAC in 2022.
“The blessing of music is how enjoyable it is to create it with other people. It's unique in that way, and I think something that helps make music so universal.”
Artist Links
Artist Gallery
Artist Q & A
How do you describe your art and art making process?
Writing songs has become a consistent practice of self-reflection since I was 16. It helps me process life, and anything I’m going through or struggling with. I also love collaborating with other musicians and songwriters, and putting our heads together to tell stories through our shared experiences. I usually start with music and humming word shapes until something solid emerges. Sometimes a song comes in an hour, sometimes it takes months or years. It never happens the same way twice.
How do you recharge and/or refine your process?
For me there are seasons of creativity that happen based on what’s going on in my life, when one chapter ends another starts, and it usually helps to take some creative rest in between to let new inspiration soak in from life.
What do you love about your art and/or art making process?
I love how collaborative it is. The blessing of music is how enjoyable it is to create it with other people. It's unique in that way, and i think something that helps make it so universal.
Does the Columbus arts scene impact your art making? If so, how?
Yes definitely! It is so collaborative in a really rare and unique way. Thanks to a long-time spirit of collaboration and community from things like ComFest and the Doo Dah Parade, we have good bones as a community when it comes to collaboration. I've always tried to work with as many different artists as I can, and it can be a really refreshing thing to learn from and be inspired by other artists.
What is something people may not know about you?
My faith in God is very important to me, and I try my best to keep it at the front of everything I do creatively.