Welcome to Why Not Me? Embracing Autism and Mental Health Worldwide. Hosted by Tony Meehator. Broadcasting from the heart of Music City, USA, Nashville, Tennessee. Join us as our guests share their raw, powerful stories. Some will spark laughter, others will move you to tears. These real-life journeys inspire, connect, and remind you that you're never alone. We're igniting a global movement to empower everyone to make a lasting difference by fostering deep awareness, unwavering acceptance, and profound understanding of autism and mental health. Tune in, be inspired, and join us in transforming the world one story at a time. Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to Why Not Me? Embracing Autism and Mental Health Worldwide. Joining us today is Andy Anderson, a dynamic artist whose passion for music has carried him from a challenging childhood to international stages. Overcoming bullying and insecurity, Andy found his voice through music, competing on Idol and Belgium, as well as Britain's Got Talent and Belgium's Got Talent. He released a 2014 cover of I Am What I Am and his new single, I'm Unstoppable, a powerful reflection on his journey of self-acceptance. Andy continues to inspire with his message of hope and resilience. Let's dive into his incredible story. Thanks for joining us today. Thank you for having me. Oh, it's my pleasure. So if you would, give us a little information about yourself. Well, why do you want to know? Because it's a whole story. I think that your story starts that you as bullied as a child in school. Yes, as a child, pretty much from six years old till like about 16 years old, I've been bullied in school and not only verbal but also sometimes physical. So that left me with no self-esteem whatsoever. Yes, that can be very tough. So what did you do from there? I worked really hard on myself. Yeah, since I was six years old, I was always dreaming about singing and being on a stage. I took what happened with me and instead of going under, I took it to grow and to become the person I am today. And I wanted to reflect in my music and to inspire other people as well. I think that's really good that you want to use your platform to help others. So tell us what you learned going through your early years and then through your formative years. Then ultimately getting out of school so that you could use what you went through to help others. Wow, that's a good question. It's hard working on yourself physically and mentally. Physically, I was overweight, so I started dieting and eating properly, but also mentally working on yourself. And that's a little bit the spiritual way, as I say, like meditating, like following courses to get and to build self-esteem, to get things together to resolve traumas from your past and stuff like that. So that's basically that, yeah. So did you get any professional help at all? Sometimes you can make changes as far as weight and diet and all that, but you need to get some outside help to handle the thought process of everything. So basically physical looks can be changed relatively easily over a period of time, but that deep-seated mental thought process sometimes takes some other help. How did you approach that? Well, I read a lot of self-help books and I went to a lot of courses like meditating courses or like more workshops and stuff like that and tried to figure it out what works for me. Sure, that makes sense. What I can say is like I always compare it to a scar on your skin. It fades with the years, but it's still there sometimes. People always think of me when they see me performing, when they see me they always think like, oh my God, he has so much self-esteem. But sometimes that little kid that has been bullied is sometimes still there. It's constantly every day working on yourself and improving yourself. Mentally, it's not that easy. You can say it like you say it like physically, you can work out and you can change and that's pretty much easy. If you do the work every day, you go to the gym and you do your workout and you stick to your diet, it's pretty easy. But mentally, that's a daily challenge, I must say, but I think a lot of people, especially today, are dealing with those things. So that's why it's so important for me that when I do a song or when I put music out, that there is a positive message in it because I want to inspire people. Like I'm in it today and still today, even today, I have to work on myself and I have to, not every day is like a walk in the sunshine. You have cloudy days as well, but it's not important how many times you fall, it's important how many times you get up again and show some resilience. That's a great point. Never give up, just keep getting up. You said you wanted to do music at an early age. What age was it that you actually started doing your music? That was pretty much after high school because I was like five, six years old and I was already singing and in school plays and stuff like that. But then because of being bullied, I get pretty much into myself and I didn't have any self-esteem to get on a stage and to sing and to perform. So it started pretty much after high school. Slowly I was losing weight, I was working on myself and slowly step by step, I picked it up again and I started taking singing class and vocal coachings again. Then I entered some singing contests, local singing contests. I started locally and then came television shows and from so on I worked my way to today. That's great. That's a good way of building. Now I understand that you started out doing some of those contests in Belgium. Is that correct? Yes. First there was in 2001 there was a show called Popstars where they were searching for different kind of people to put up a band. And then in 2003 idols came on television like pretty everywhere in the world. I entered a competition and I went through to the live shows and to the last 20 finalists. So that was a big thing because suddenly overnight I was recognizable on the street. It was very crazy because it was the first time they aired that show and it was a very popular and successful show. From that time on I had a lot of gigs and performances and I worked with several producers and stuff like that. But big, big, big, biggest success wasn't there yet. Yeah, it takes time to get where you want to go. So how long was it after that that you went on Britain's Got Talent? Britain's Got Talent was in 2016 I guess. I want to do something big and I want to do a television competition again but I want a big competition. So I thought, you know what, I'm going to enter in Britain's Got Talent. And to my surprise there were a lot of pre-selections harder than in Belgium I must say. But I went through to the television shows and through in front of the famous Britain's Got Talent jury. So that was quite an experience. That's great. So how far did you go into it? Did it go well for you? Unfortunately, I think Simon wasn't a big fan of me. So it ended there. But for me it was a big, how can I say it, it was really quite a big experience for me. It was a nice experience for me and I learned a lot from it because there were tough selection rounds. Well, that happens for sure. Sometimes some of the very best things that happen are those things that don't happen because you get to learn from it, you get experience from it, you move forward with a new outlook because of what you went through on that show. So being on it, learning from it, that's really what you was meant to get from it. So that's a good thing. Yeah, that's true. That's true. So what's next? You've learned from the shows, you've gained more experience. What are you doing now? What's on the horizon? Well, then after that, pretty much I stayed busy with music. I was working here and there with the producer or songwriter, someone who has a song and I recorded it but for a few likes on social media it wasn't worth anymore. So I was in a time that I didn't even know it anymore. I was like, what else can I do to stay involved in music and to pursue my dream? And I was pretty much in a sort of music burnout a little bit. I was like, I always said I'm never going to give up on pursuing my dreams but if I admit I was almost giving it up. I was like, I did a lot of things independent as an independent artist but what people doesn't know is that for putting one song out there, it takes a lot. People always were asking me, oh, why don't you put a new sale out there? And I was like, okay, I have to do everything. I have to arrange the video. I have arranged to Joe, a producer and I had to financially pay for it all. It's a lot for one song out there. So I was like, it isn't worth anymore for a few likes on social media. Then at the end of last year, I was at the party and I've met Carolina Giulini and she was the brain and the force behind the 90s girl band, Dev Dim's Dope, who were huge here in Belgium. And I knew she was involved in music and she knew that I was involved in music. So we started talking to each other, how things goes and stuff like that. And I was telling her my story that basically I didn't know what to do, what's next and stuff like that. And a few weeks later, I got a call from her and she was like, what do you think if we work together? So I have a record label and management label. So I want to work with you. And so the journey started again. A new fresh positive energy entered my life and she arranged everything like the studio. She contacted the producer, Seymour and it clicked immediately. And I had those lyrics from my song written about 10 years ago. And that song is basically very autobiographical and with a positive message that I'm unstoppable. So I talked to Carolina like, look, I have those lyrics from 10 years ago, still from 10 years ago. And the producer Seymour liked it too. And says like, hey, we can work with that. And so 10 years later, the song came to life. Here I am today, promoting the single I'm Unstoppable. That's a really good thing to hear. If you talk with anybody that's made it in this music business, they will always tell you that it was an overnight success 10 or 15 or 20 years later. So here you are 10 years later with your song. How did it feel you've been through all these emotions and now you're in the studio, you're working on your song, it's all coming together. And now you're out here promoting something. So how did that feel? What was your emotions? Yeah, that's crazy. You know, it's like I had those lyrics. I had those lyrics in my head and those melodies in my head. Over the years, I tried to contact some producers to make something out of it, but it wasn't just that. It never felt that good. It wasn't what I wanted. And the producer Seymour came with an arrangement. I found it pretty cool. And so it was a little bit surreal that like lyrics that I wrote 10 years ago became suddenly my new single, you know, and I was also surprised that as well as a producer, as well as Carolina were really supportive and behind that message of that song, you know, this message has to be heard. So they were really supportive as well. So that's important for an artist like me who has a message to tell. I can be myself as an artist, you know, that was very important for me that I have to say in it and that my lyrics finally get some recognition. Yes, absolutely. Let's dive into your song just a little bit. Yes. If you would expand to the listeners and give them the meaning behind the song that you just recorded. Well, you literally hear my story from early age on. People have been bullied. You hear this literally in the song. I've been bullied. I've been oppressed, but also like people are very judgmental. If you want to pursue your dreams and you go for it, then get easily a lot of criticism of other people. I was like, you can criticize me, but did you already looked in the mirror? You know, you are not perfect as well. And we're all human. We're all human and we all want to do our best and try to do our best with what we have. So basically the song says like, you can judge me. You can bully me. You can bring me down, but take that. And instead of going under, it makes me stronger and it makes me more determined to be unstoppable and to pursue that dream and to show the world like what I've built up from. So in closing, what would you like to tell people that are listening to this? Tell them about you, what you think. It can be about music, about your life. What do you think is very important that they should hear about what you're doing? Well, I hope for me that the lyrics and the messages of my songs are most importantly for me. I grew up and my idol was Mariah Carey. Mariah Carey is also a great songwriter. If I hear a song, I listen first to the lyrics. Mariah Carey had a lot of songs with positive messages to be strong and to overcome things. And her music literally saved my life when I was a teenager. You know, those lyrics put me on and she inspired me to be an artist like that. I literally want to inspire people everywhere who have a rough time in their lives. You're not alone. Everybody's having some rough times sometimes. Get up and fight for it. Fight for your dreams, fight for your life and make something out of it, you know? Let's all get together. I love also to bring like positive lyrics with a good dance beat because I always say when I perform, I always say like be nice to have a good time together and to dance and to party together than bringing each other down. Be positive, be open-minded and let's all celebrate life instead of supporting each other instead of bringing each other down. And I hope that my messages reach people and can inspire people to do that. I think that's a really great way of looking at things. You've got a really good platform. You can help people with your lyrics. You've got lived experience, so you're very relatable. Yeah. I think you're doing everything the right way. No, tell us, what do you see in your future? What's the plans for the next three, four, five years? Whoa, that's a big question. If I have a say in it, I aim for the moon and higher than that. I've learned to take things step by step. So for me, this is a new beginning. It feels like a new beginning, like a new single, a personal one with a personal message. But we are already talking about a second one. And from there on, we see how it goes. If I can dream big in five years, I tour around the world and inspire a lot of people and bring a lot of joy with my music. And I've learned to take it step by step and building on the next step, you know? Building a foundation. And then from there out, we're going to the next step. And from there, we see what's the next step. Sometimes life isn't that predictable, you know? So... Yes, absolutely. Life can definitely be upside down at times. So with that said, let's take a brief moment here and play part of your song for everybody to hear. Here's Andy Anderson. I'm unstoppable. I can take it because I'm a women. Here I am standing after all these doors. Yet still I rise. Here I am standing after all these doors. Yet still I rise. I'm unstoppable. I'm unstoppable. That's Andy Anderson's song, I'm Unstoppable, one that he wrote 10 years ago. Great song, I really like it. So again, if you would, expand on the meaning behind that song and why you wrote it. What was going through my mind? Oh my god, like, why are people so cruel? I'm always being a gentle being, you know, and I can't understand why people do such things to each other. It's like, why, why did they do that? And even because it was not only with words, but verbal, but also sometimes physical. And even then, I didn't want to fight back, I didn't want to hurt someone, it's really crazy how I felt at that time. But yeah, what was going through my mind? Like, why do people such thing? You know, it's like, I can't grasp it in my mind. Yeah, I get that. So with everything that you're doing, you must have people at times that will come up to you and tell you how your music or your lyrics or what you're doing has inspired them to change their lives some. Yes, yes, that's a beautiful part of it. Yeah, that's a beautiful part of it. Like, I can remember when I was performed a few years ago on the Pride in here in Belgium in Antwerp. I always end my set with my version of I am what I am, because that song tells it all. Afterwards, a young guy to me was 17, and he came to me and he was all in tears. And he said like, you know, I was thinking of taking my own life tonight, he said. And I saw you performing and you are such a force on the stage, you're free, you express yourself and you had such a strong message, and you gave me hope again. And I was like, oh my God, I was in tears too then. I was like, I didn't know that. And I get sometimes several messages from other people too. That's very special. That's the main thing why I do those things, you know, to inspire someone that's the most beautiful thing there is as an artist. So now in closing, if you could, tell people how they can find you. Well, it's very easy. It's Andy Anderson music. So on Facebook, it's Andy Anderson music on Instagram. It's Andy Anderson music. But I think with underscores, but it's always Andy Anderson music. Well, this has really been good. I appreciate you taking the time to come and join us on our show today. I'm very grateful for that. It's been my pleasure. Thanks again. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to listen to our show today. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. If you know someone who has a story to share, tell them to contact us at whynotme.world. One last thing, spread the word about why not me. Our conversations are inspiring guests the show you are not alone in this world.
