Andy Grammer

Andy Grammer got married to singer-songwriter Aijia Guttman in July 2012. The couple announced on March 1, 2017, that they are expecting their first child.

He witnessed how his mother passionately helped women and fought for equal rights them. Inspired by his late mother, he launched the KathyGramm campaign in 2013, partnering with the Tahirih Justice Center, an NGO he has been involved with for several years.

Andrew Charles Grammer was born on December 3, 1983, in Los Angeles, California, but was raised in Chester, New York. His father, Robert Crane "Red" Grammer, is a Grammy-nominated recording artist known for writing and performing songs for children, while his mother, Kathryn Willoughby Grammer, was a women's rights activist.

The first instrument he learned to play is the trumpet, which he started playing when he was in the fourth grade. He later learned to play the guitar and the piano, and also mastered making unique sound in his mouth with “lots of practice in the car!”

He started writing songs, at the age of 15, when he was in the ninth grade. He was also interested in sports during his early years and played for his high school basketball team. He even had a letterman jacket representing his varsity.

After graduating from Monroe-Woodbury High School in Central Valley, he enrolled into Binghamton University in Vestal, New York, but left the university after a failed audition for the Binghamton Crosbys a cappella group. After moving to California, he completed his bachelor's degree in Music Industry Studies at California State University, Northridge, in 2007.

At the age of 20, Andy Grammer moved to his birthplace, Los Angeles, California, with the goal of pursuing a music career. However, he had humble beginning, working as a booker for the Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard, where he also performed occasionally.

He used to write songs in his spare time, and later decided to perform on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. During this time, he was in a musical duo for some time, released a short EP, and finally self-produced a Live CD with the best of his songs that far.

He started selling his Live CDs on the streets between his performances, and managed to sell seven to eight thousand copies of the album. He first experienced success in 2007 while opening for Tyrone Wells and Emerson Drive in front of a crowd of thousands, following which the demand for his CDs increased.

After he failed to sell enough CDs one day, he wrote his breakthrough song, “Keep Your Head Up”, which became an instant hit. He met actor Rainn Wilson via his roommate, and created a music video for the song featuring the actor, which was an iTunes Video of the Week, in 2010.

He later released an interactive version of the video on his website, in which the viewers could send him into "goofy scenarios". He also performed the song on 'The Rachael Ray Show' on November 17, 2010.

The lead track, “Keep Your Head Up”, of Andy Grammer's eponymous debut album, was certified platinum by RIAA, selling over 1 million copies. The album peaked at 105 on the US 'Billboard 200' list and topped the 'Billboard Heatseekers Albums' chart, subsequently earning him the top spot on the 'Billboard New Artist' chart.

The single, “Honey, I'm Good”, from his second studio album, 'Magazines or Novels', became his top charting single at number 9 on the 'Billboard Hot 100'. It also received triple platinum certification from RIAA.