Exclusive: Maggie Andrew Showcases Her Past in Her Music Video Trilogy
On June 18, singer-songwriter Maggie Andrew released “ILMIHM,” the second part of her music video trilogy. The three-song series takes inspiration from Andrew’s own life. With the trilogy, Andrew reclaims past trauma and encourages fans to overcome their own hardships. Following the release of “ILMIHM,” Showbiz Cheat Sheet emailed Andrew some questions about her creative journey with the trilogy.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Maggie Andrew based the trilogy on her real life
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: You are now in the midst of releasing your ongoing music trilogy that draws a lot of inspiration from your real life. What made you decide to want to create this trilogy of interconnected songs?
Maggie Andrew: Believe it or not, this project actually started out as five songs that got condensed down into three — which is where the Trilogy came from. At the time that we were writing these songs, I was going through a lot in my life. Riley Whakaio and I spent five days together and made a song a day. I wanted to make these songs about my life because I wanted to find a way to tell part of my story and making these songs really helped me do exactly that.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: What has the creative process been like for the trilogy? Do you find it is natural to draw upon your real-life experiences, or does making music this way bring you challenges?
Maggie Andrew: I started making music because I needed to talk about my life and I needed to make songs about the things I didn’t want to talk about. I definitely tried to write “happy” songs like the ones you hear on the radio. I really struggled trying to do that because I felt I wasn’t being honest with myself, I wasn’t experiencing a plethora of happy times or good moments, so how could I write something real about a reality that wasn’t mine?
‘Honda Civic’ is the first song of the trilogy
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: “Honda Civic” is the first part of the trilogy. What did you want fans to take away from the song?
Maggie Andrew: That it’s OK to walk away from things that no longer serve you. That it’s not okay to be treated terribly by someone who says they love you. People like that don’t do those things because they love you, they do it because they want control, and they want to have power over you. It took me a long time to figure that out for myself and I wish I had someone to tell me that back then. I want my fans to know that they are VALUABLE and that they MATTER. When somebody is making you feel powerless for so long — remember that you can get that power back.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: How does “ILMIHM” connect to “Honda Civic” story-wise?
Maggie Andrew: “Honda Civic” shows me stuck in an abusive relationship, finding my way out, and leaving that life behind. In “ILMIHM,” you see glimpses of me in my high school bedroom, playing guitar and writing songs, working at a job that I hated and felt stuck at. I finally quit my job to pursue music. These videos together show pieces of my life that I had to leave behind and things that may have felt “comfortable” to me, I had no future in, I had to change my environment to see my potential.
Maggie Andrew on the message of ‘ILMIHM’
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: What message did you hope to send with “ILMIHM”?
Maggie Andrew: No matter where you go in life, you’ll always still be you. You can be so successful and still feel empty at the end of the day, a good life is finding balance. Nobody can be happy all the time, that would be crazy. Feel your feelings and fuel your joy — whatever that means for you. People want money, fame, and success but forget that at the end of the day, none of those things mean anything if you don’t love yourself.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: Do you have any favorite moments from the “ILMIHM” music video?
Maggie Andrew: I really love the paparazzi scene with all the luxury cars, I loved that my twin brothers played my security. That scene was really fun for me because a bunch of people had actually gathered around the hotel and were taking photos. I also loved doing the scene in the pizza shop because I got to throw pizza boxes around and drink a bunch of cream sodas.
Maggie Andrew previews the final song of the trilogy
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: So far, the trilogy has explored a theme of feeling stuck in life, which is something people can relate to at any age. What advice would you give people who are feeling stuck where they are, whether it is creatively or physically?
Maggie Andrew: Write about it and write a lot. Manifest the things that you want and write down your goals. In 2019, I started writing every single day, sometimes even twice a day and I know for a fact it helped shift my mindset. It helps to have all your thoughts in one place. My brother told me that everything is just a moment in time and it won’t last forever — it’s true.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: What can fans expect from the last part of the trilogy?
Maggie Andrew: Tears. Lots of tears!
