Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
Andrew Cushin has a rare gift for writing songs that carry depth and honesty. His lyrics are deeply personal while also touching on the realities of modern society, and he delivers those powerful themes through anthemic tracks that invite crowds to sing along. His talent has earned him a growing fan base, including support from Noel Gallagher, who produced and performed on Andrew’s earlier single “Where’s My Family Gone.”
Andrew’s artistic journey takes another step forward today with the release of his fourth single, “Memories.” In this track, the 20-year-old musician reflects on the meaning of masculinity in today’s world with a sense of vulnerability that feels both raw and courageous. That same emotional openness has been at the heart of everything he has shared so far.
Music News sat down with Andrew to talk more about this powerful new release.
Tell us about your new single ‘Memories’.
“Memories” was written in lockdown at a time male-mental health was seemingly worsening! Suicide rates were rising drastically and I think every male had a duty of care for each other, I recall asking my mates if they were okay on a daily basis, it was a frightening time.
The lyrics “what is a man and what can he do” was symbolic to the fact that us as men don’t know what we are really capable of. The duties we have to provide financially and emotionally for our loved ones are things that aren’t taught to us but are things that we somehow should already know. The sooner the pressure is taken off men in these scenarios I think we will see a huge decline in the suicide and depression rates.
Do you find it easy wearing your heart on your sleeve?
No it never really bothers me to be honest, I’m very thick skinned when it comes to taking criticism, nothing in that respect bothers me .. in terms of writing and performing I think if you don’t put that emotion forward then the songs aren’t going to be received as well
Noel Gallagher is a fan he played on and produced your last single, ‘Where’s My Family Gone’ how did you manage that?
Noel had been working with us behind the scenes for some time, we needed a producer for the next single “Where’s My Family Gone” and asked Noel if he could recommend anyone, to everyone’s amazement! He said he’d do it.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I can take inspiration from anything I think it’s definitely a good thing when you can do that. I wouldn’t want to be one of these artists that can only sing love songs, or heartbreak songs ... I can write and sing about virtually anything.
You’ve been working with Richard Woodcraft (Radiohead, Michael Kiwanuka, Paolo Nutini), how did that connection come together?
A contact in the music industry introduced us. Richard was great, a proper geezer. We worked on two songs together, they’ve both came out great! (Memories being one of them) he also looks like Martin Freeman. I’d happily work with him again!
Will there be more material released from that session?
Like I say we have another tune all finished just unsure on what to do with it, the song is Chris Dobey’s walk-on song .. which you can hear live at any of the televised darts competitions.
When can we expect an album?
An album is probably a little way off at the minute .. I’m going to say 2023/24
You will soon play the 1000 capacity Boiler Room in your hometown of Newcastle, are you looking forward to that?
1200 tickets sold to watch me! It’s absolutely mind blowing .. I try not to think about it too much as it totally freaks me out. The people of Newcastle are great for all of their support .. as well as that EVERYONE who’s purchased a ticket for that gig has no idea the effect it’s left of me ... I can’t wait to perform for them all x
When did your love of music start?
I suppose I’ve always enjoyed listening, I was brought up on a menu of Oasis, Paul Weller, The Who, The Beatles .. as I got older I discovered Bob Dylan and Donovan .. then by the time I started playing guitar, I was hooked.
Who do you listen to for pleasure?
I listen to a variety .. listening to a lot of The Kooks again at the moment .. there’s also a song by “She Drew The Gun” called “Something For The Pain”
Great, thanks!
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Matt Berry hardly needs an introduction. He’s been a familiar face on British television since the early 2000s, captivating audiences with his bold personality and deep, commanding voice in cult comedies like Toast of London, What We Do In The Shadows and The IT Crowd. What many might not realize, though, is that Berry has also released ten studio albums throughout his career.
Music has been a constant in his life, and his upcoming album Heard Noises, out on 24 January 2025, is another milestone in his journey as a multi-talented artist. His work in music has brought some unexpected achievements, including contributing guitar and vocals to the Strictly Come Dancing theme song. Yet his path to becoming a musician was almost cut short before it truly began.
Berry’s passion for music started when he was young, but things took a turn at school. His teachers refused to let him study music as a GCSE subject because he couldn’t read sheet music. Instead of letting that stop him, he decided to prove them wrong and eventually succeeded. Looking back, he considers that rejection to have been a hidden gift, sparing him from turning something he loved into a chore.
Berry at the Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny premiere in London, 2023. Image: Fred Duval/Shutterstock
“I wasn’t even given the chance to spend any time at school doing music, even though it was obvious to all these teachers that it was the only thing that I was interested in and yet it was the only thing they wouldn’t allow me to do,” he recalls.
“I think it’s very different now. You can spend time at school doing music and not have to learn theory, which is fantastic and how it should have always been. If you’re a teacher that’s worth anything, and you spot that a kid is interested in one thing, then that’s what you should allow them to do while they’re under your care.”
Over the years, Berry has explored a wide mix of genres, from folk to Northern soul to psychedelic rock. One of his most playful projects was his 2020 release Television Themes, a collection of his takes on iconic tracks such as the Doctor Who and Rainbow theme songs.
With Heard Noises, Berry is taking a different approach. In the past, he followed a specific vision for each album, creating strict creative boundaries. He compared it to an artist limiting themselves to just four colors on a canvas. This time, though, he’s letting himself use the entire spectrum. “That kind of discipline pushes you to do things that you wouldn’t have done before. That can be interesting if you give yourself restrictions,” he says. “But with Heard Noises, I didn’t do that. I did whatever I wanted regardless of style or genre.”
The result is his most personal work yet. The album cover itself reflects his life, showing a table set with meaningful objects, each one representing a different part of his story. Among those items are Lazlo Cravensworth’s teeth from What We Do In The Shadows — the hit comedy series based on Taika Waititi’s vampire film, which wrapped after six successful seasons.
Berry usually keeps his acting and music careers separate, but this show was such a big part of his life that it inevitably bled into everything else. “It needs to be noted, not in loads of detail but that was that, here’s the evidence and let’s get on to the next thing,” he says. “I’m not a nostalgic man. I don’t ever look back at old stuff, once I’ve done something I tend to lose interest and can only think about the next thing.”
That “next thing” has included lending his voice to the acclaimed animated film The Wild Robot, alongside Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal and Bill Nighy. The film tells the story of Roz, a robot who finds herself stranded on a deserted island and learns to adapt to its rugged environment, eventually becoming the adoptive parent of a gosling. Berry was drawn to the story as soon as he read the script, but it was when director Chris Sanders showed him a ten-minute preview that he knew it was something extraordinary.
“[Chris] turned all the lights off and we played it in the recording studio and, honestly, [I realised] that this is what I need to be doing. This is something that I need to now fully concentrate on because I knew it was going to be exceptional.” On the day this interview was published, The Wild Robot received an Oscar nomination — a well-earned recognition.
Heard Noises will be released on 24 January through Acid Jazz.
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