Courtney Marie Andrews

Lore & Background

Courtney Marie Andrews was born on November 7, 1990, in Phoenix, Arizona. She began playing guitar and writing songs at age 13 or 14 and started performing at 15. In 2009, Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World asked her to sing on a live cover of "You and I." She recorded backing vocals for Jimmy Eat World's 2010 album Invented and toured with them as keyboardist and backing vocalist through 2011. That year, she relocated to Seattle, Washington, and began playing electric guitar in Damien Jurado's band.

Andrews' fifth studio album, Honest Life, was released in 2016. The songs took shape while she lived in Belgium for four months playing with Belgian star Milow. Written from heartbreak and homesickness, the album was produced by Andrews at Litho Studios in Seattle. It reached No. 1 on the Official UK Americana Chart and the Independent Album Breakers Chart. She performed on Later... with Jools Holland in April 2017.

Her sixth album, May Your Kindness Remain, was released in 2018 and produced by Mark Howard. Recorded over eight days in a rented house in Los Angeles, it received critical acclaim and won Andrews the International Artist of the Year award from the UK Americana Awards. She made her US national television debut on CBS This Morning Saturday in March 2018. Her seventh album, Old Flowers (2020), earned a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. In 2021, she published a poetry collection, Old Monarch, and performed at the Newport Folk Festival. Her eighth album, Loose Future, was released in October 2022.

Reader's Guide

Courtney Marie Andrews emerged as a significant voice in Americana and country music with her 2016 album Honest Life, which garnered critical praise and chart success in the UK. Her subsequent albums, May Your Kindness Remain and Old Flowers, solidified her reputation for emotionally direct songwriting and nuanced storytelling. Andrews' work often explores themes of heartbreak, homesickness, depression, and the struggles of ordinary people, drawing comparisons to artists like Joni Mitchell and Lucinda Williams. Her 2020 album Old Flowers received a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album, marking a career milestone. Beyond music, her 2021 poetry collection Old Monarch demonstrated her versatility as a writer. Andrews' ability to blend confessional lyrics with country-folk arrangements has made her a respected figure in the Americana scene, and her performances at venues like the Ryman Auditorium and the Newport Folk Festival underscore her standing as a live performer. Her legacy lies in her consistent output of critically acclaimed albums that resonate with listeners seeking honest, reflective music.