Meet Andrew Marshall

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Marshall.

Hi Andrew, I am so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed with your story and how you got to where you are today.
I am a 24-year-old singer-songwriter from the north of Boston. I was diagnosed at 16 with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, which sent my life into a tailspin that lasted 3.5 years. It was incredibly shocking as a teenager that I went from going to school and trying to set myself up for college to hospital clinic rooms 2 to 3 times a week. Occasional inpatient stays that sometimes lasted close to two weeks. 

I had always known I loved music and wanted to pursue it. However, the community that I grew up in kind of scoffed at the idea of pursuing music; it felt “irresponsible,” but the role music played in my recovery led me to make it my career. When my body grew too weak to sing or play, I just listened. I’d put some headphones on after a long day in the hospital and put on some John Mayer, usually, either his “Where The Light Is” album, where I’d picture myself shredding some guitar solo to thousands of people, or I would listen to his “Born And Raised” album and feel like for once I wasn’t alone. 

My treatment followed me through high school into a significant portion of my college career. Before I turned 18, my doctors and nurses approached me about filing for a Make-A-Wish. At the time, my perception of MAW was that it was mostly for young children, and I felt that filing for one (despite being eligible) would be taking an experience away from a child who I felt needed it more. I spent so many days in the clinic as a pediatric patient, and though what I was going through was tough at times, it hurt more to hear/see the young children suffering and not understand why. 

That feeling followed me into my decision. I felt like I could understand and endure what I was going through, but those families and kids deserved it more. However, my doctors and nurses insisted I follow through, and before I knew it, I had volunteers at my house asking me what I wanted for my wish. I still was a bit timid and mentioned maybe a family vacation, only to be encouraged to think bigger, leading to my eventual ask of meeting and play with John Mayer. They went to work, and after nearly a year, I was told that I would be, in fact, meeting him. I was terrified, I thought we would hang out, I’d show him my songs and he’d be like “wow nice song cancer kid” and then it would be over, and I would probably quit making music. 

But it was so far from that. He immediately kicked everyone out of the room, and it was just us two. Before I knew it, our guitars were out, and I was showing him one of my original songs. We talked about music, improvisation, relationships, and songwriting. I found that within the hour we were together, he helped me work through things that I had kept hidden for so long during my diagnosis and encouraged me to keep writing, as it was that type of depth I wanted in my writing. As we went our separate ways that day, we said goodbye, and he called out my name. I’ll never forget what he said next; he called me out and told me, “You’re world-class, genuinely world-class.” It’s the moment in my life that I live rent-free. 

It’s a moment that lives rent free in my head and keeps me going is when I feel like this dream is too big or that the weight of the world is crushing me. And it’s propelled me in so many ways, including getting recruited to be on Season 20 of NBC’s The Voice, where I finished as a quarter-finalist, moving to Nashville to pursue my music, and now my involvement with Make-A-Wish, where I’ve been able to share my story to numerous events all over the country, helping raise millions of dollars. In fact, I’m currently hosting my fundraiser to fund a wish with the release of my song “Rescue Myself,” which I have played at every gala and event I have done with MAW. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
– Diagnosed at 16, initially a false-negative test for Leukemia, was tested for every disease under the sun (TB, Hepatitis, mono), and eventually, my doctor called for one last leukemia test yielding fairly low (10-15%) leukemia cells, a diagnosis that was realistically caught two years early. 

– I think the mental toll it takes on someone in their teenage and young adult life is definitely one of the hardest aspects. Lots of isolation, missing school, maturing faster than those around you, feeling sad/angry/depressed, all while your body is changing and rejecting the chemo, making you unrecognizable to yourself. 

– It was always scary if I had a low grade temperature” and finish with “due to a potential infection in my port. 

– Multiple procedures, including an unsuspected blood patch due to spinal tap surgery not going perfectly. 

– Really, I think the relationship aspect is always the toughest, and was the toughest. People my age didn’t really understand it all, love was hard, and I looked normal for the back half of my treatment, but under the surface, I was on medication and chemo that made me feel gross, and at times very up and down with my emotions.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a singer-songwriter here in Nashville! I have been steadily releasing music for the past year in hopes of developing my artistry. My experience as a survivor shapes a lot of what I do, and I try to write what’s on my mind and synthesize it as much as possible to hopefully make someone listening feel less alone and or just feel good, much like Mayer’s music did for me and still does for me to this day. 

I do extensive work with MAW, performing and sharing my story across the country in places such as Denver, Seattle, Boston, NYC, Oklahoma, Houston, DC, and more. As much as I love my music, I know that my mission to help others is greater than that of my own personal music. I’ve learned more and more that you can make a difference at any level of your career, and I hope to just continue to grow and nurture that into the future. I love the likes of Mayer, Harry Styles, LANY, James Taylor, Hall & Oates, the Bee Gees, and many more. 

I do know that I work as hard as I can to push my songs to whoever can hear them, but I’m grateful to be making a living doing what I love despite it being extremely crazy sometimes. At the end of the day, I’m just a person trying to be the best version of myself and treat people with kindness and love as much as I can. Life is hard, and I know that firsthand the many obstacles I’ve been through, there’s no reason to be unkind if we can help it. 

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I think Nashville is just such a melting pot of talent. You never know who you may meet and rub shoulders with. It can be daunting, but it is thrilling to meet and be surrounded by people who are better and more established. It helps push the envelope on what I can do as a musician and person. 

There are so many genuine people who care about people regardless of how far along they are, and that’s the type of person I strive to be. Obviously there are people unlike that, but we don’t need to talk about them. There’s always something to do in Nash, and I just love the freedom of driving into the city and, again, just coming across people working hard to pursue their dreams. 

I do wish the traffic was better, and the drivers here could use an additional driver’s ed course potentially, haha! 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andrewmarshallofficial.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewmarshallofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewmarshallmusicofficial
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/awmmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL3Ab7_Mc-OHjroCPU–NpA
• Other: www.massri.wish.org/andrewmarshall

Image Credits
Cole Hammontree, Dorian Mode, Isaac Macdonald, and Terri Diamond