Spotlight: Andrew Swift

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🎤 Artist Spotlight: Andrew Swift Talks “Get Lost,” Songwriting, and What He Wishes People Would Ask More

Australian country artist Andrew Swift has a knack for writing songs that hit you right in the heart. With his new single “Get Lost”, he leans into themes of freedom, escape, and reconnection — all delivered with his signature blend of raw storytelling and polished sound. We caught up with Andrew to chat about the new track, the evolution of his music, and the question he thinks more interviews should include.

How did you get started in music?

I started writing and playing guitar as a way to express myself in my high school years as a way to cope with depression, but it wasn’t until some friends at school told me that they were starting a band and that I was in it. In hind sight it gave me the push to take music a little more seriously than I had until that point. I was the guitarist and backing vocalist and playing music with my friends was my favourite thing in the world to do.

Eventually, the band came to an end, I started to write more and after years of trying to work out my sound and where I fit musically, I eventually found the country music scene and immediately felt at home.

First things first — tell us about “Get Lost.” What inspired the song and what story were you trying to tell?

A good friend of mine wrote this one, everyone now and then I find a song that I connect with on a level that it feels right to record it and that was the case here. I love being on the road, it’s one of my favourite parts of what I do, I love getting away from towns and cities and seeing somewhere new.

So when I was doing some writing with Blake Dantier and asked if he had any songs kicking around that could be a good fit for me, the moment I heard ‘Get Lost’ I was all about it, there was an immediate connection, it was like Blake had been in my head when he wrote it.

When you listen back to your earlier material, what do you notice most about how you’ve grown as an artist?

I can definitely hear an evolution in the sound. I feel like the new stuff is more polished and probably more radio friendly. Mind you I wrote the majority of the first album on my own and with each album there’s been more and more co writing so there are other influences and ideas coming into the writing sessions, so there’s always going to be a difference than when there’s one writer.

What was the creative process like for this single? Was it a solo write, a co-write, or something that evolved in the studio?

The sound is something that definitely came together in the studio. I took the acoustic demo that Blake sent me, then after learning it and making it a little more me, I took that demo to my producer, Matt Fell, and from there we made some more tweaks to the composition of the song before sending it from his studio in Tasmania to the drummer we use in Sydney, the guitarist in Nashville and the fiddle player in Queensland while we built up the acoustic instruments, percussion and bass in the studio. It’s always interesting to see how the remote session players interpret the song and what they’re going to add to it. Sometimes we give them an idea of what we are going for and other times we give them free range and that’s always my favourite. It was a very fun song to record from start to finish, every time we opened up the session to work on it, it would put a smile on my face because I knew we were in for a good time.

Are there any lyrics in this song that really stand out to you — maybe one you’re especially proud of?

I love Blakes songwriting, and in ‘Get Lost’ I love how the verses are so conversational. I think if I had to pick a favourite line in this one it would be “what you do son, is get a bag packed, put your foot on the pedal don’t look back”. It’s a fun line to sing and sums up the song really nicely.

Over the years, how has your approach to songwriting changed?

On my album ‘Call Out For The Cavalry’ I wrote the majority of songs on my own, but the thing is, you can take your time with a first album. There’s no deadlines or pressure to constantly have new music out, so when those pressures started to come I found myself hesitant but in need to start co-writing.

These days there’s more songs than not on a record of mine that has been a co-write. Also, my goal posts have shifted since that first album, the reason I started writing songs was to express myself, especially when processing my feelings, now there are songs that I write in the hope that they’ll play well on radio or at festivals, and make people feel happy, lift them up rather than drag them into a world of why I might be feeling down. I still write those songs to express myself when I need to and they often make it onto a record, but I’m also a lot happier these days, I get to do what I love for a living, I have a loving partner, a nice home, two great step sons and a beautiful baby daughter. The sad songs don’t come along as often.

Who are some artists who’ve helped shape your sound or inspired your evolution?

There have been so many over the years across different genres that I’m sure have had an influence on my sound. As kids we listened to a lot of pop and commercial radio with my mum, like Jenny Morris, Crowded House, Shania Twain and the Corrs. Then while my friends were into grunge, I was discovering Van Morrison, Cat Stevens and Live, the pop punk band that I was thrown into introduced me to Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, The Gaslight Anthem and upon finding country music I was immediately drawn to Chris Stapleton & The Steeldrivers, Jason Isbell, Brooks & Dunn and Miranda Lambert.

I feel like the combination of all those influences somehow creep into the music I write and record and I’m ok with it.

You’ve performed on some pretty incredible stages. Is there a show or moment that’s stuck with you over the years?

The one that comes to mind straight away was the Gippsland Country Music Festival in 2021. I’m from Melbourne in Australia and we had 2 years of strict lockdowns during the pandemic. Somehow a 5000 person festival managed to go ahead in April of 2021.

When the pandemic hit I had just been starting to get some great momentum with my music career and then we had to put a hold on everything, I was lucky enough to have started work on my next album before things shut down and had managed to keep releasing singles while I was stuck at home. Without performing in front of people I was worried that maybe that momentum had disappeared but when we stepped on that stage and people were singing every word to the new songs, even through the down pour in the middle of our set, not only was it a huge moment of reassurance but just a pretty incredible moment.

What are you most excited about creatively right now?

’m so excited to share new music with people, the next album is so close to being finished and as I’m hearing the mixes come through I’m just so keen to show people. This might be the most excited I’ve been for the release of an album, I feel like there’s a solid collection of songs, some very fun ones and some extremely heartfelt ones. I feel like there’s something for everyone on there.

Who plays you in the movie of your life?

Chris Pratt, for sure, he might need to be a little less ripped and have some more facial hair, but if anyone’s going to pull off a light hearted, fanta faced country artist I think he’s the man for the job.

What’s one thing you think should be asked in an interview that isn’t asked enough?

Who should play me in the movie of my life. That was the easiest question so far, and I don’t think I’d been asked it before. Biopics are in, we should dive deeper and start naming the whole cast.

If you had to introduce your music to a brand new fan, what is the first song they need to listen to?

Oh, this is a very good question and a hard one. I think it depends on the person, if they’re a fun person that loves a road trip song, play them ‘Get Lost’ or ‘Head Full of Honey’, if they love a drinking song go for ‘You & Me & a Bottle of Whiskey’ or ‘She Loves To Get High’ and if they’re a sentimental person that likes a heart string being pulled play them ‘King of the Sky’ or ‘The Question’.

What are some of your next milestones you are aiming to hit?

There’s always new milestones I’m aiming for, currently it’s learning how to navigate being a dad, introduce myself and my music to Canada and hopefully make a wave or two and to get this next album out in the world, I’m always hoping the next album will do better than the last, no matter how well it went.

Thanks for tuning in to this Spotlight: Andrew Swift, where storytelling and sound come together in one unforgettable musical journey.

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