Watt

A versatile New York-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who specializes in melodic, guitar-driven hard rock with deep hooks and bluesy swagger, Andrew Watt has been honing his chops both on-stage and in the studio since he was 16. Watt got his start after sneaking into a Roots soundcheck; he became their gofer, and eventually was allowed to jam with them. His playing impressed the band, and through them he began to build up music industry contacts. He began a course of study at NYU's Clive Davis School of Music, but dropped out to tour Europe with singer/songwriter Jared Evan. Returning broke from Europe, he made ends meet by playing in the Bowery store of fashion designer John Varvatos -- former home of legendary punk club CBGB -- before landing a gig with pop star Cody Simpson, touring the world opening for Justin Bieber. He and Bieber became friends, and soon he was writing and producing tracks for the star and other pop artists. In 2013, he co-founded the hard rock power trio California Breed with Glenn Hughes and Jason Bonham; the group issued a well-received eponymous debut LP the following year before disbanding. In 2015, Watt inked a deal with John Varvatos Records and released his debut solo EP, Ghost in My Head, which featured drum work from Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Joey Castillo (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, Danzig). Over the next two years, while working on his own material, he continued to write and produce songs for numerous pop artists including Selena Gomez, Bebe Rexha, and Hailee Steinfeld. The first fruit of his impending solo album, the bluesy single "Burning Man," featuring Post Malone, was released in 2017 under the name Watt. © James Christopher Monger & John D. Buchanan /TiVo