It’s my absolute delight to welcome Andrew Roach to Hitmakers Exposed today. Andrew and I go back a, a long way, way before he became an esteemed member of the Order of the British Empire, which I think allows him to heard Sheep through the centre of London. but I’ve loved his music ever since the early days of Cuddly Toy and Family Man. and, he has an amazing career and still sounds amazing how, how the, you, you, you’re like the Dorian Gray of the music business.

You don’t get any older, first of all, welcome. And second, I Dunno about that. What’s your secret? Oh, I don’t have a secret. I, I mean, I just get on with it. I think a lot of people, have the preconception of how they’re supposed to be at each time in their life. And when I get to this age, I’m supposed to be there. I just sort of live in the moment and, just get on with it.

And I, and I’m, you know, my love for music, my passion for music is what drives me. You know, no matter what else is or isn’t happening,  once that fire and that passion is there, I’m good. Yeah. I, I remember very fondly a night where after we’d been at my local pub, we’d sat up after night listening to Sly and The Family Stone and just going, oh, this was, this was real music. what, who, who would you cite as your, your biggest influences in your music?

I mean, you named one of them for sure, you know, and, with Sly and the Family Stone, sly Stone was also inspiration, philosophically, spiritually. I mean, every time he says something, I’m like, I’m like, listen, any interview, even now. And he’s like this crippled old bent over. But every, it’s almost like Confucius say, every time he opens his mouth, there’s a, there’s a gem, you know? And it’s so subtle. so yeah, I think the people that have been an inspiration to me musically have always often been also an inspiration to me on other levels.

Like Stevie Wonder, of course, you know, he’s a big sort of, advocator of, you know, acceptance, you know, other people, other religion, other races. And he’s, and he’s so sort of ahead of his time in a way he was. And, I really love that about him. Everything that he does  in his music comes from a good place. It comes from the heart, you know, I’m not saying he is a perfect human being, but  where the music’s coming from and what it says to me, I relate to and I resonate with.

And that’s, again, so all those guys, Al Green and all the Motown guys, Marvin Gaye, I really, it’s that same thing that you just resonate with them as people. And you reckon that, you know, if you were to have the honor, I mean, you know, Marvin Gaye’s gone now, but just so sit around the table talking to these guys that you, you, you would have a lot in common, you know, in how you see the world.  You, you talk about philosophy in this way, and, you  know, it makes me wonder, you know, when you make the music, have, have you got,  have you got a message?

Have you got a cause that, that you are, that you like to bring into your music making?  Definitely. I think, I mean, it’s not even, you  know, when I was younger, it wasn’t even conscious in a big way. It wasn’t like I sat down and thought, right, I’m gonna write a song. But if this is the message I wanna put, I just wrote songs, you know, I love music and I love, playing with phrases and words, but most of the music, if not all, that I, the cause, ’cause I normally start with a chord structure  and melodies, it tend to evoke that same feeling of, empathy and, and, and emotionalness, but in a very empathetic kind of way, if you understand what I mean.

Like, that’s the driving energy I believe of soul music, you know? a lot of people think that soul music is born out of like the blues out of pain, which there is that element to it, but it’s also about beyond the pain, you learn empathy.

’cause you know, when you, when you have been through it, you understand, well, everyone is going through it. And so generally my music has got, that’s the thread. It is wherever I’m singing. ’cause I sing a lot of love songs and everything. But if you look a bit deeper,  it’s not just love on a sort of cute, you know, partnership, boy and girl, whatever it is, it is, it’s also on a deeper level, it’s, it’s about the heart.

I love that. And  no, well, you know, me, Andrew, it’s like, you know, we’re both coming from the same place when we write. It’s like, let, let’s make it have a reason for, for being here. And at the very least, you know, even if it’s doesn’t become a hit song or even released, you’ve still got a great legacy to leave behind, haven’t you? Something that you’re proud of, Ex.  Exactly. I mean, with you, I always found that was one of the things that I loved about you as a songwriter, is that the person beyond the songwriting is the same.

You are just as passionate and heartfelt in your, what you say as you are in the songs outside of it. It’s the same person. And so it’s very, it’s you, your music is an extension of you.  You know, it’s not just like some songwriters, it’s, it is a technical exercise, and then they go home and put on their actual real person, if you know what I mean. But some of us,  there’s no, there’s no separation in that way. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. so when did you first know that you had a voice?

Oh,  now that’s a, see, you know what? I started out as a, a piano player. ’cause my mom was, graceful enough and, and I guess wise enough to get me a, a private tutor. So I started doing classical music. And then my, my mom’s family, is like, she’s one of seven and most are musicians, you know, and they were boys. And so she had a lot of brothers that were gigging around.

And, three of them lived in, well, two of them lived in London. And so the house that I grew up in had music. And so I was playing and I started getting into my uncle’s sort of jazz stuff a little bit. I was very intrigued by the jazz and the blues. So I started playing the piano and I play every day. And I loved singing  along to what I was playing in my own private space. I had a piano in my bedroom. And it was like, I,  I just loved the resonance again and the feeling of it, but it wasn’t something that I would wanted to do in public.

But then one day my uncle heard me singing, and I must have been about 13. and he was like, oh, you got a good voice. yeah, I think  one day you’ll have to be playing with me in my band. But he meant like one day in about a year’s time.  And, he taught me, Rachel sung Georgia on my mind.  And I was thinking, there’s no way I’m gonna sing this in public. I like learning it with him. And then we got a gig, he had a gig down the road, and he was like, right, you are on  and talk about dropping you in, in the deep end.

But my uncle was kind of a scary man, let’s him, and you didn’t say no to Uncle Bill. You just didn’t say no to, to, to Willie Roach, but you just didn’t do it. And, so I had to do it. And  then the reaction that I got, I think I was 13 or 14, 13, 14.  I thought, wow, maybe I’ve just got the, the kid, the child vote. ’cause I was cute, if you know what I mean? Sweet. And, but, I slowly start to realize that people got something from my singing.

And so it wasn’t just me, but people actually felt something. I never really considered myself like, oh, I’ve got the best voice ever. I just knew that I could put, I put my whole self in it.  Yeah. I think there’s so much to be said for that, of just like, just living the song, isn’t it? And you know, I I, I think that’s what I love about listening to you sing, is that I believe every f*****g word that you sing, and it’s not just me talking as a friend.

It’s like, I’ve seen you plenty of times. And, and there’s just,  there’s a difference between, you know, you talked about, songwriters that are technical. We both know singers. Yes, they’re technically very good, but  leave you feeling very little. and it’s, it’s not about the technical ability, although you have that by, in, in, but,  but, but that ability. Thank you. I mean, you know, I also,  I think, I, I, I thought of it the other day and it’s like, one of the differences is there are singers that are  like me, immersed in the music and immersed in the lyric, but they were immersed in it.

And then there are singers that are kind of more immersed in themselves, if you know what I mean,  and the public. But the, the, the people listening can feel the difference,  the person that’s like right in the emotion of the music as opposed to the person that’s sort of just trying to impress people with what they can do.

And I always say that I’d rather move people than impress people. I’m not interested in impressing people. I want people to feel something and feel what I feel. And if I can. And if I, and I’m thankfully, I have the ability to,  to translate that through the air and transmit it. I don’t know how, because you can’t, I can’t teach that to another singer. You know, you can’t teach it. It’s like, it’s just something about how you express yourself, you know? And, and if it happens to be through the medium of music, which it is with me, then that’s how it comes across.

Yeah.  Did your folks income then to move into the music business other than Uncle Willie?  Yeah, my mom. I mean, you know, when I went to school  that I wasn’t great at school, I mean, I really, my joke was there was something about maths that just didn’t add up to me. I know it’s a terrible, it’s a terrible joke.  Bring on the dad jokes. I love them.  Yeah.

The dad jokes. Yeah. and so I think I was getting on the nerves of the teachers, and, but in the meantime, I was at home learning, you know, grade six and grade, you know, whatever. And, and so my mom knew that I was serious about music. She knew that I just, I wasn’t one of those kids that was like, I wanna be a pop star. I actually really wanted to excel in what I was doing. And, and, so when my math teacher, had a meeting with my mom and said, get him to stop  play music for a couple of years and take his exams, and then, you know, then maybe he can start back music.

My mom was just like, that’s not gonna happen. You know? She knew that my life was already as far as where I was heading, was already destined to be in music. and started gig with my uncle at 14. And, you know, I was actually, it was kind of, it was illegal because I was working in all these seedy nightclubs in Soho. I mean, there were strippers and everything. It was pretty nuts. but I was getting, like, I’d get paid, I’d get paid. And so I was getting paid before I left school.

I couldn’t tell any of my mates because it was a bit dodgy. but, people picked up on things ’cause I was falling asleep in every class. ’cause finishing work at 4:00 AM and then going to school in the morning, it was nuts. But basically, yeah, my family were like, well, Andrew’s gonna be, you know, grand grandmother was just like, you know, she was so proud. They were sitting there. My grandmother, I’d go to Barbados and she would get all of like the aunties and the great aunts, and  they would sit and watch me play.  And, you know, it was like having an audience.

And this is my family. So I couldn’t get more encouragement than that from the family, really. Yeah. While we’re on Barbados, you had just mentioned it, how important is it for you, because I know that you go back there quite a lot. How important is it for you to, to get your feet on the ground there?  Oh, man. I  mean,  it’s so, it’s, it’s, I can’t even find the words because, you know, obviously I was born  in London and I grew up in, in the uk and I feel very much  British, but I also feel very much Caribbean because of the home culture that I had growing up.

Even in the UK it was like, I grew up in a West Indian household, if you know what I mean. and so summer holidays and Christmases were mostly spent in Barbados growing up  and all the family there. And, over the years, obviously people have passed and whatever. And  all of my, like the elders, my uncles, my aunts, my grandmother, grandparent, they’re all buried out there.

and even my, my dear brother’s, ashes are out there. So going to Barbados feels like another home soil, if you know what I mean. Yeah. And it’s very grounding as well, because the memories that are there is incredible. Yeah. So family’s a a big thing for you then?  Yeah, I think so. I think I was lucky enough, you know, some of my  mates  were,  you know, distanced from their family through one reason or another.

And I know that family isn’t just about blood. It can just be your, the right mates around you. You’ve got a family. I was lucky enough that I grew up with, quite a close knit family that for the most part got on. So Christmases were a nightmare.  And, also my, I was, I had, my one brother, just me and my brother, but a lot of people say they couldn’t work with their siblings. And I worked with him for many years, and we were kind of always together.

And so my family were all, all also my friends. And that’s quite, a nice thing to have. Yeah. And, you know, we should absolutely mention what a lovely man your brother was as well.  Yes, yes. Yeah, my brother was, I mean, people say that obviously when they lose close friends and family, that, you know, my brother was special and everything, but he was, a lot people were used to say about him when he was around.

And, in life. He just left, left his impression on people because he was a non nonsense guy. Very straightforward, very honest, and ingenious with in so many ways. And that’s why he was my manager. And then he became on to be my guitarist. I mean, he was like a, an eight man team in one person. And I, and you know, now I have different management and all that, but I’ve had to replace him with a bunch of people rather than one person, you know, because he was, he was like super human Yeah.

The way his mind worked. And so, yeah. you know, the behind most success stories, you know, there’s a bunch of people. There’s never one person, is it, you know? Yeah. I treat a lot of my success to him. Oh, I love that. Yeah. so you’re doing the nightclubs, while you’re, while you’re at school. and, and it was in 1987 that you formed the band Roached.

So what was the sort of the gradation from, from doing the nightclubs to suddenly going, we are gonna do a band. and and you know, you get signed and suddenly become in the nineties, your Columbia’s Columbia records, biggest selling UK act for 10 years. so what was that, what was that process?  That process was, you know, what that bit, I mean,  seemed to happen when you, it’s almost almost like when you’re not trying, things happen.

And I think I was, you know, walking around for a year with my tape trying to get signed. And then I kind of didn’t do that. And how it kind of happened in the end was someone was drinking in the bar that I was gigging with my uncle, you know? And luckily, because I’d been making these, four track these demos on, you know, the Porter Studio things, I’d been learning how to, to write and put music together and stuff. And the guy came up to me, he was working with Island Records at the time, and he says, I like your voice.

It’s, you got any songs that you do or you record. And I had the cassette in my hand  and I gave it to him. And then I didn’t hear from him, from him for a while. He had my number and everything. And then one day, yeah, I got a ring and he was just like, oh, I’d like you to come down to, and it was then, it was Island Records, and how it works,  how it worked back then. Anyway, was that once there was a bit of a buzz about you, like one major label was thinking of signing you, the other labels start to get interested.

’cause they’re like, well,  there must be something and they want to get in. And so all of a sudden I had like a and m at the time records. and there was  CBS, which became Sony. and then there was this sort of like, it was almost like a bidding wall, you know? And, and, and then next thing I knew, I  was scientist Sony, and  thinking, okay, what do I do now? ’cause, I really just wanted to record an album in a big studio.

That was my ambition, right. And I couldn’t afford to do it by my own means. And now I could record  my albmy songs that I got on my Porter studio in a proper studio with my band.  And, I could get the equipment that I needed. ’cause I, I was doing it quite crudely, but then now I got a proper drum machine. I had like, proper microphone, and that was kind of for me already. I felt like I was successful. I’d made it. ’cause I, all the things I used to, I used to walk past the music shops and go and, and kind of drool over the, like, the microphone and the drum machine go, oh, one day.

You know? And then here I was, I had it in a nice keyboard. And, and so yeah, it was about that. And then all of a sudden I realized that it was gonna go to the next level because I was with a major label. And, and they were like, well, you know, you, you’re gonna be a pop star now. That’s what, you know, that’s, that’s the next level. ’cause that’s how they make their money. You can’t just, you know, continue just touring around universities. They want you to be  huge, you know?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely. Let’s talk about the Pop Star life. And of course, it sort of like really kicked off with Cuddly Toy. which, I, I, I believe was like an in-band, a a band in joke, wasn’t it? so yeah, talk me through this fabulous, bloody record cuddly toy.  Well, I, I can, I can start by saying this. I mean, I’m gonna name Drop, but it’s, it’s a, it’s an interesting story. It’s like, I was invited to a Billy Joel El concert.

We were the same label and stuff. And I, and I was sitting there with my, bass player Derek, before the show in Wembley Arena. and then this bodyguard guy comes up and he goes, if you’ve got a minute, Billy Joel, I’d like to meet you. And I was like,  me? He’s like, yeah. So I got marched off to the dressing room, me and my, my mate and, Billy Joel’s just sitting there by himself, by a mirror. And he turns around and he says, nice to meet you. Did you write that song? Cuddly Tight? And I went, yeah.

And he was like,  why did you go to those changes on the chorus? What made you think of going to that, to those change?  And I remember like, going, I don’t actually even know what he’s on about, you know, because  I, I think I wrote songs quite instinctively back then. And Cuddly Toy was an afterthought because we recorded in my album and Cuddly Toy wasn’t even written. And the album was actually packaged without cuddly Toy. Curley Toy didn’t exist. And then I thought, oh, for the live set, I want another uptempo track that we can have fun with and sort of jam it out for like 10 minutes.

’cause I was listening to Jane Ground and I thought, right, I’m gonna get a groove and I’m gonna get,  you know, just a song together really quickly. And at the time, my keyboard player was like, handsome devil. And he used to chat, chat out women all the time when we were on the road, but his chat up lines were the most awful things you ever heard. But he’d get away with saying anything because of the way he looked.  And, so what one day, I mean, it’s a bizarre story, but, my manager  was involved in the merchandise for Garfield.

I hope you can stay with me for,  and there was this big stuffed Garfield. And my manager was like, right, what? You take that on the road, like a mascot? And we used to have it on the stage. And by the end of the gigs,  the women, the girls used to try and steal it, only the women, the guys weren’t interested, but the girl and my keyboard player was like, oh, women like cuddly toys. And so he got himself a little cuddly to, he used to walk around with it and go up to girls and go, oh,  I’m so lonely.

Can I get a hug? And we’d be in the background going, they’re gonna tell him where to get off and where to go, but they would always give him a hug. And he was like a hundred percent success rate with his little cuddly toy. And I just thought, I got a a, I gotta put that in a lyric.  And then when I did, when I presented the song, to the record company, they loved the song. Well, they actually, I didn’t present it. I was playing it at the gigs, and they heard it, and they were like, what is this song that you’re playing at the gigs?

It’s not on the album. I went, oh no, that’s just a, it’s like an in Jokes song that we play live. And it was, they were like, no, this has got, you gotta record it. So we had to like, quickly record it and  go to New York, mix it. I mean, the whole thing was really nuts. And, and in the end when it was done, it sounded amazing and it definitely sounded like a radio song for whatever that was, that I knew at the time. But the, the head of a and r said, you can’t call it Cuddly Toy. He goes, you have to be kidding me.

And I went, well, no, if I don’t call it that, then the joke gets lost. ’cause the song’s very tongue and cheek and, and you know, we fell out for about, he didn’t talk to me for two weeks. And then one day I got a phone call, fine, you can call it Cuddly Toy, but it is never gonna be a hit now. Wow. And that was his famous last words. And, yeah, I mean, I won’t mention his name. but that was, that’s how it was back then. I, I think as well, I think being,  being a black guy and, and the band, all the members were of color band.

And I think a lot of times people don’t think expect you to be  tongue in cheek. They take, you take it very literal. And I think a lot of people look and they took the song very literal, but got very confused by it, but liked it anyway.  The lyric had people kind of going, I like it, but I don’t have a clue what he’s on about.  Yeah. And musically, and you know, mu I, I love that story, by the way. I love it when record people record company paid.

People say, no, that’s never gonna be a hit.  Those are my favorite stories of all of them. but,  but you know, musically you weren’t making, you know, the typical music that would’ve been expected of you at the time. Were you, it was like, you know, this kind of rock pop vibe thing going on. Do you think it helped getting you signed because it was something different?  Well, it definitely helped getting me signed. I got signed on the merits of a song that ended up on my first album called Kathleen.

And it was so unique in,  in whatever genre it was, you know, it was almost like an Eagles type song. It did not sound like a typical kid from South London, black kid from South London. I mean, when I was at school, you know, some of my mates would call me weird because of my  musical taste was so diverse, you know? and then growing up I started getting into the blues. I loved the earthiness of the blues, and it wasn’t typical of someone of my generation.

it was actually very, very rare  that loved guitars so much, you know? but the weird thing was is that I’m a keyboard player. So the demo for Cuddly Toy was all done  with Simps, and no guitar on it. It didn’t have any guitar on it. and it kind of frustrated me ’cause I felt like it, the chorus could have a bit more oomph to it when I took it to the band, as I did. That’s how I normally write songs on a floor track, port studio, and then take it to the band.

As soon as they started playing it, the guitarist just had that sound.  And we were like, that is good, let’s roll with it. And that’s basically how that came about. You know? I didn’t have any sort of preconceived ideas of what we can do, what we can’t do musically. You know, if it’s a rock guitar and it works, it’s in,  you know, but the only thing then is that, because that’s the first that people hear of you, then they go, right, well, you are this, you know?

Right. And you get sort of, it’s like getting as an actor and you get scared that you can’t come out of what people perceive you as. But actually, as I’ve gone on through my career, I realized that you have to challenge your, your fans anyway. ’cause eventually they’ll, you, they’ll get bored of you ’cause they’ll, you be so predictable, you know? So I, I’ve given myself that freedom. And actually nowadays, music, younger generation are allowed to be more eclectic in their music than when I was, when Company 12 was coming out.

It was pretty much, this is what you stick to, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you still love it? Because the, the, the issue with, and I say issue, it’s an issue for some people of, of writing a monster hit song, is that if it is a monster hit, you’ve gotta sing it for the rest of your f*****g life. and so you’ve gotta still enjoy it. I guess this is the one song that everybody is expecting, you know, towards the end of your, your, your gigs now.

Do you still love playing it? Yeah,  Yeah.  I love playing it. Now. There was a, there was a  maybe a two year period back, way back when after I thought, surely people don’t wanna hear me play that again. And I, I kind of stopped. And it wasn’t even in the, it wasn’t even a live set. And, interestingly enough, when I play in Germany and outside of the uk, certain countries don’t know that song and they have a completely different perception of me, which is interesting.

but as far as the UK was concerned, I think when it kind of dawned on me was like a couple of gigs that I went to back then. I went to a, prince gig and it didn’t play Purple Rain. I was really disappointed. and then went to Stevie Gig and he did do Superstition, but  it dawned on me how many times must he have played that song, you know? And I was so chuffed that he did it, you know, for me it was the first time I heard it live. And, and then I kind of woke up to, well, you know,  song like Cuddly Toy.

For some people that’s like their, that psych there, that was when they were at college. That’s a big memory for them, and it’s a nostalgia and whatever. And it’s, and it’s done me so much good that how could I not like to play it? And thankfully, because I’m a musician and I do improvise, none of my performances are exactly the same each time, different mistakes.  But, yeah. And so it keeps it,  it keeps it fresh for me, like the fact that  we play the songs in the moment.

Yeah. and I realize that it’s not personal, everyone. I mean, when I’m singing with Mike and the mechanics, you know, I have to do the living years and over my shoulder, and that’s just how it works, then that’s what people want. You know, if I was in Poco Harum and I didn’t do white, I should have pale. It’d be what Yeah. You know, wrong.  So you’re still getting, strongly. Are there territories, are there countries that have been particularly good to you that, that you know, are absolutely your go-to, you have to tour there?

Yeah, definitely. Around Europe, for example, like, Germany was always, they discovered me after the Cuddly tour, so they discovered me on the second album. And just, they’re real loyal crowd. And they love music. They really love music, beyond the fad, so they don’t get phased when things are going in and out of whatever, the, the fads or whatever they, it is, it is quite, it’s a bit more constant.

I mean, you know, unless they’re 19 years old, but, you know, my fans are of a certain age.  But yeah, no, it’s, and then going to around Switzerland, Austria, those parts. And then, on a side thing was Australia, when I did my third record, permanent Shade of Blue, it just, it, it went crazy over there. It was like, it was like, I was the number one artist out there for a couple of years. I remember going there and,  you know, there was people like Madonna had records out and mine was out selling hers.

And it was just, it, it is just like, it’s a long way to go though. But yeah, there’s a lot of love there. A lot of love. And, you know, you go where the love is and, and, I love traveling anyway, so it works.  What, what was the life like in, in the nineties then? You, you’re Columbia’s biggest selling act for, for 10 years and,  and you know, you’re touring the world. What was it, do, do you look back on it fondly? Or do you think, oh my gosh, that was, that was tough. What was, what was it like?

Tell me.  I do look back on it fondly. I, I obviously understand that I was a lot younger and  I was learning a lot. You know, I mean, it was a big learning curve, everything. I remember when the, the first album came out and like, cuddly Toy, you know, you, once you do top of the Pops a couple of times in the UK back then, you are a celebrity, you know?  And so everything can change quite quickly. And literally walking into the local supermarket, as I always did, all of a sudden became a different experience.

You know, I was like, white people staring at me, and even the checking out and the woman checking out is kind of smiling and grinning and, you know, we’ve got something stuck in my team, what’s going on. And it took me a while to kind of get my head around. Things are different now,  you know? and then actually for a while it freaked me out a little bit ’cause I remember getting messages saying, oh, I saw you in the club last night.

And I’m like, I didn’t even know people were seeing me and watching me, you know? So then I started getting a bit paranoid, stepping outta my house. I remember once, I stepped out of my hou I still lived at my mom’s when came out  and I came out the house and this car turned on the ignition  and  screech past me, and the guy ran down the window, went roach for this s**t. And then he drove off. And it was like, he had to have been waiting there all day  to do what I call a slag by. It’s like a drive by. But  I, I was,  I Waited there for hours.

Oh man. And I, and know, there were certain things that happened where you realize that there were people watching the house. And,  and I wasn’t as happy about that part of it, but there was a lot of  great works. And just being able to tour the way I love touring and having a crew, and, you know, it was just, I mean, it was quite excessive. At, at one point I remember going, people going, well, what do you wanna take out on the road?

And I said, well, I want my keyboard, and yeah, but what else? And so I started go for a joke. I’m like, can I get three full-sized space in beta games? And, and they were like, yep. What else?  And it was just like, the, the, the dressing room just looked ridiculous. ’cause it was just like, imagine you are in your twenties and that you’ve been asked anything you want in there. And it was just like random rubbish in there, you  know? So did, did, I had an arcade, a full size arcade in the dressing room.

Did you actually?  Yes.  Yeah. We took the full size machines on the road because you could.  Wow. And, I thought, wow, okay, I can, and no one’s wincing. They were like, yeah, what else? And I was like, really? Is this this how it works?  Wow. And so, yeah, it got a bit crazy for a while. And, you know, and then went to America and that was something else. That was a whole another learning curve as well. ’cause America’s a different animal,  you know, but Cuddly Toy was getting heavily rotated on, heavy rotation on MTV.

So again, it’s like  people knew who you were and, musicians were really getting, ’cause I was like a musician’s musician apparently in America. And, you know, the perception was kind of different in a way. ’cause in, in England cuddly to, was perceived very much as  the pop star, the way Bross was, if you know what I mean. Whereas in America it was a bit more like, yeah, you know, he’s a, he’s a musician man, you know, and he can really, those guys can really rock, you know?

Yeah. sounds a lot more, grown up in a way, which was interesting as well.  Did you, I mean, obviously with  Yes, in terms of the, the, the ADE games, but did you get swept up in, in any of the, the excess that comes with with celebrity? I think I did a good job of keeping my feet on the ground, because I could see how when you’re younger,  everyone’s telling you how brilliant you are all the time can make you lose the plot a bit.

You know, you can really lose the plot and, and start believing the hype.  But I think one of the things that kept me grounded was, well, partly ’cause I’d been gigging long before I’d had a record deal. I was a season already a seasoned musician by the time I was in my late teens. So I was like a seasoned, hardcore road traveling musician. And number two guys who were in my band were always around me.

And they knew me before, before all that kicked off.  And they just saw me as well, Andrew. And they really kept me grounded because the way they spoke to me. And they were like, you know, well, you are still Andrew to us. And so, yeah, I think being in a, an environment of people that didn’t change, that kept me grounded as well. Yeah. That’s, that’s good to hear. And it, yeah.  Yeah. And it wasn’t all about that for me.

I, I wasn’t one of those kids that was hell bent on, I have to be famous, you know, I just wanted to make great  albums. I I loved all the, the music that I loved and Stevie Wonders and the, you know, the Motown records. I was like, I wanna do, I wanna do something great like that. And that was what I was always, I still am striving for. and the, the, the fame thing was like a side, it was almost like a, a side thing that came, came with it. Yeah. And I kind of went, wow, that’s kind of nice, you know?

And you  of course, you, you, you love it, you like,  in the right way. People recognizing you when you’re on the street and, and if they’re, if they’re nice, you know, and, just that, you know, getting the better table in the restaurant and really fickle things like that. But at the same time,  it was about always being about the music from you.  Yeah. Do you have a, what we call a, a high that you can’t buy, you know, one of those moments, that you just always remember, oh, by the way, before you answer this Mm-Hmm.

Can I just tell you that  one of my massive highs that you can’t buy was sitting in the box at the Albert Hall waiting for, Mike and Mechanics to come on stage. And the first song that Mike kicked off with, with was The Road, which I wrote. And of course, you were singing and you didn’t know it, but I was sitting up in a box watching weeping because my song had opened a gig at the hall. So you were, you were, oh my God, the high that, that I Part of it.

so what about you? What are, what are the highs that you can’t buy? what, what are those, that have happened to you? I  mean, there’s been so many highs that I couldn’t buy, from  like, from opening, we, we opened for In Excess at Wembley Stadium. And we, when we went on, it was packed.  And can you imagine? And it was daylight, it was summer, I think it was summer in Excess.  And, my mom was there as well.

So my mom’s there. I’m, I’m on stage with the stadium  and  all the people from Sonia there, Elton John’s there, and he literally having a go at red company going, you need to work harder on this guy. ’cause he, he is the fu you know, I mean, he, he was such a big fan. and, and I got to meet him as well. That’s a whole nother story. But that was a high, I mean, and then I, I thought, lemme put up my hands and do the capping thing and see what happens. And you do that and 70,000 people hands go up. You go, oh my God.

I mean, the first time I’d played to that,  that many people, you know, and I’d always had a reoccurring dream about it before then, interestingly enough. And then when I was on stage, like two songs in, I went, this is the dream, isn’t it? This is, there’s that moment on that whole summer’s day. and, there I was, and that was amazing. and obviously meeting Stevie Wonder, I met Ste Wonder a couple times, and the first time I didn’t actually expect to meet him. And, I just, I got a tap on about, I was in a party, which was like a, for a film called Jungle Fever.

And Stevie had done the, the soundtrack to it, but I didn’t know that he was in the after party. And I was about to leave, I was with my brother. I was like, let’s get out of here. It’s too crowded. I felt a tap of my back. And there was a guy with Steve Wonder, and Steve Wonder had his hand stretched out. And, and I was like, I was in so much shock that I went, what? And I didn’t actually make the connection, the physical connection that you, you have to do with a blind person, or they, they don’t even know what’s happening. And then I re then I remember that he was blind, and then I grabbed his hand and, and I just was just like walking home after that going,  wow, did that just happen?

Because I mean, I can’t express what that man has meant to me musically growing up, you know? And that was just a crazy moment. Yeah. A high,  yeah. It, this is what I love about the music. Yeah. I mean, there’s been so many. Yeah. I, this is what I love about the music business, Andrew, is that you go into it and with, you know, you innocently, like for me, grabbing a guitar and singing on the street and for you, you know, singing in the clubs, and you never expect that you’re gonna meet the people that you grew up listening to.

And, and again, bi bizarrely for, for me, one of them was at Fisher Lane Farm when we were cutting the, the rope album with Mike and Mechanics, right? One morning I found myself standing there talking to Mike and Tony Banks about orchestration and holding a cup of coffee.  F*****g hell. Hold on a minute. When I was seven years old listening to, to Windham weathering the, all the genesis albums and no idea that this was gonna happen later.

And you just kind of, I don’t know, like say, I love the fact that you just go from one experience to the next, and these things just happen, don’t they? Yeah, of course. I mean, I, they, they just, they come with it the whole game and the whole business, the music business, because it’s so closely knitted in that way. So the, the chance of these things happening are quite high. the first gig that I did with Mike and Mechanics, or one of the first gigs was, princess Trus at Albert Hall.

And I had to share a dressing room with Phil Collins. And when, when I got introduced to him, I walked in, he had his trousers done by,  and I was just like,  wow. If he’d have told me this 30 odd years ago, I  would’ve, I would’ve not believed There’s Phil Collin’s ass.  Yeah. It was so surreal. It was, I mean, it was one of those moments he went, wow, I’m actually, I’m just sharing a dressing room.

Me and him and, and Mike, you know, getting naked together. Brilliant.  So what’s, what’s the difference then, while we’re, while we’re on the, the mike and the mechanics? so what’s the difference for you when you’re performing your stuff and when you’re performing Mike? Is there, is it a different roach for Di we’re seeing?  Well, I think, I mean, I have massive, massive respect for, all the, you know, Paul, Paul Carrick and Paul Young, the, the original singers of my mechanics.

Yeah. Because they set the bar really high and it’s beautiful thing. obviously when I joined Mike in Mechanics, I had to find my space in it.  And it took me a while to sort of go, okay, this is, how I land in this thing, you know? because I’ve come from  the more sort of, I guess, rhythm and bluesy sort of free kind of feel. And Mike, and mechanics is a bit more like, live is a bit more set, you know?

And I think when I was in the first rehearsals, everyone’s come looking at me going, why is he improvising? What’s going on with that? Because I, I just, that’s how I, I come from that world. And, but then I managed to  find that balance of still keeping it, me still keeping it free to a point. But obviously  the songs that I wa I wasn’t involved in writing still sort of respecting what they are and, and, and making that work for what it always has been.

but it’s, yeah, I had to sort of really, it took me a while to make, find my place in it. Yeah. it’s still the same Andrew, but it’s definitely different challenges vocally of what Mike likes to hear. So I, I’m using parts of my voice that I might not use with my band, you know? my band is more about the whole thing. The music and everything is kind of all on the same thing. Whereas with Micromechanics, it is about the big voice at the front, you know?

and so yeah, that was a, a different kind of challenge, but I like challenges. ’cause then you grow through them. Yeah, completely. so talking about your voice then, how do you, how do you look after your voice? How do you keep your vocal health?  Well, that’s a, that’s a very interesting question. And, and I think it’s important as well, because when I, because of the way that I got into singing, I got into singing as almost like a side thing to my piano playing.  I never took myself seriously as a singer.

So I didn’t go  to learn about singing. I didn’t learn about warming up or, and through the, the early days of Roach Finn quite, quite a long time. I never warmed up. I never, I didn’t have a clue. I was just singing, you know, it was just an extension of, channel playing and music. So, yeah. but then I realized that if I wasn’t careful as I got older,  I was going to maybe develop problems. And I did get, a, a period where I did have a few problems. And, it was made aware to me that, you know, you kind of have to train.

You know, it’s like Usain Bolt can run fast. He’s got a natural gift to run fast. Doesn’t mean if  if he doesn’t train it, you can still win, races. He can’t. He has to train. And, if you want longevity as a singer, you have to be aware of what you can do and what you can’t do and how you can do things. So I started quite late in life. I mean, not that long ago, to sort of  explore that. And, you know, I have a vocal coach that I work with every now and again, which I would’ve never thought I’d do.

I I thought that meant you can’t sing,  you know, the old me. But now I’m like, no. I mean, vocal coaches, not necessarily great singers. You know, they, it’s a different kind of thing, technique, and being able to really move a crowd of two different things. And so, yeah, I think that’s part of it. It is just sort of going, okay, learning the technical side of what you do. Yeah. You know, I never, I would never imagined that Stevie was such a technician.

I always thought he was like me, that he just gets up outta bed and starts singing. and now I know that that’s not true at all. He’s very trained and he’s very disciplined. I mean, discipline is a hard thing for a rock and rolling like me, you know, I’d like to think that I could just have a couple of beers and walk on stage and start singing. But as you get older as well, you’ve gotta be a bit more careful.  Yeah, yeah. You know.  Cool. so, talk to us about your, your newest album because you’re still making great music.

and tell us about that, if you would.  Yes, thank you very much. I mean, you know, I think the thing about the new albums is that I’m always trying to, grow. So when people go well, is it as good as this album is good as that album that you did in the past? I don’t look at it like that. I look like I’m trying to be better.  I’m trying to explore and, and use the stuff that I’ve learned along the way as a singer and as a songwriter. and this albis basically, it’s kind of a mix of two things.

There’s new tracks on it, as if there’s about four, there’s four or five new tracks on it, but there’s also Reworkings and Revisited some of the old hits that I’ve had. And that was quite interesting to me because I, I’m almost feel like I’m a different person in a lot of ways. Now I’m the same guy, but I’m different because I’ve learned so much along the way. And hearing the younger Andrew on the older recordings, especially when I started to sort of rerecord them, was, was an eyeopener for me, really eye-opener because I was like, wow.

I was really what was in my head back then. Different things, you know, you have a different perspective.  So these songs are, the old songs, but with the new head on, if you know what I mean. And my singing voice has changed dramatically, you know, as it does your speaking voice as a human being. You know, things get, you know, worn in and you have more depth and you have the, the depth of what’s come from your journey, you know?

And that’s the most important thing. I mean, like Joni Mitchell’s touring now, she’ll be touring. her voice is like a octave lower now, but  you would think, how would that work? But actually in some ways, I prefer her voice now because there’s that  wisdom that’s in the voice. And I think that, goes a long way, if you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah. And what’s the album called? It  is called Then and Now. Ah,  there you go. and if people were, were listening to this that haven’t heard you before,  and what would be the one song of yours that you would love them to, to start their Andrew Roach for Journey with?

Oh my God. I mean, wow, that’s a good question. I mean, the other day someone posted, their ballet school in New York was doing a routine to my song Only To Be With You.  And I think Only To Be With You has got a lot of the elements of then and now in that one song  I was working with a, oh, I’m getting a bit blurred there.

I think it’s ’cause it’s getting dark. I was working with a songwriter who’s quite, Do you wanna switch a light? Put the light on? Yeah, yeah. Yes, I will actually, excuse me for a sec. That’s alright. Right. I’ll can edit this bit. there  we  go.  Any better? Am I still blurred? I’m all, oh, no, that’s better. Yeah, there You go. Perfect. That better. Yeah. You  know, that’s what I was saying is, that he said to me, he, he didn’t really know my music, you know, he was just like 20 years old, you know, 21 years old kid.

And, so he was googling me and listening to my stuff and he came across only to Be with you. And he went, when was this done? And I went, oh, that was in nineties. And he was like, he couldn’t believe it ’cause he said, it sounds like it was done now.  And I think there’s something about that recording  that really is  timeless. And I think that would be a good introduction, on many levels because it’s, you know, what I like about that song again is it’s a, it’s a love song, but it’s got soul, but it’s also, the verses have got that humor that, was quite big part.

Well it is a big part of who I am as well. There’s, there’s a tongue in Cheekness on the, in the verses that, I think it’s like, well, this is a serious love song, but I’m not taking myself too serious at the same time. You know? Yeah, yeah.  The music business has changed a lot since you and I both went into it.

how are you finding it navigating the music business now? It’s a completely different animal.  Oh yeah. I mean,  one of the big things is social media and, you know, I  I, it’s weird. I’ve got a weird love hate thing with social media. I get it. And, you know, I’m one of the old fogies that’s been around before the internet, which sounds weird, you know, you say that to someone who’s like, 18, you go, I was around before the internet. I remember when this was All Fields mate.

You know, it kind of freaked people out and the fact that you had to sort of get your music across by actually going out there. And, and we, we used to  go up and down the motorway and gigging in universities and wherever would take us. And that’s how you got, you know, in a little transit van. That’s how you got your message across. and I quite loved that time. And now it’s a bit of, you know, the emphasis is in a different place, but the thing about life is that things are constantly going through evolution and change and you gotta embrace it and get on it, or it just leaves you behind.

And so  I accept it for what it is.  And, and on another level, on a positive level, there’s so many of my friends who are musicians or great musicians that couldn’t get major deals. And so they didn’t know how to get their music, to an audience. You know? I mean, they couldn’t get, on the radio. ’cause very, you know, radio like a playlist is like 20 odd people and the rest of you can p**s off ’cause there’s not enough room in the inmate, you know?

So the good thing about social media is that you can,  you can build your own, following your own crowd and, through other means without having to rely on,  you know, major labels and million pounds, you know what I’m saying? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it’s good for that, you know? Yeah. And you can discover stuff. I mean, I can discover stuff on YouTube that  might not normally come my way, you know? And, I find that’s a good thing. And even like for younger up and coming musicians, the tutorials that are on YouTube now, for singers and for guitarists, and I wish I had those kind of, you know, I mean, you know, back in the day you’d have to find some pounds to, to pay a, a teacher.

and it was a rich man’s game in the sense that to have a vocal coach, I mean, who could afford that when you come from, you know, working class family in South London. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It’s a really interesting, a really interesting thing. I I, I was saying yesterday to someone that it, the, the great thing about the internet is that everybody gets a chance to release their own music.

And the worst thing about the internet is that everybody gets their own chance to release their own music, you know? So, you know, what I find interesting, I’ve heard is a different matter, isn’t it?  Yeah, yeah. I mean, but then, you know, you have to, ’cause I say that there’s a lot more people,  because anyone can make music, you can get a laptop and an interface and you are away. So obviously I would think that there’s a lot more people making music.

So there’s a lot more music out there, but there’s not a lot more better songs being written. It’s not like there’s loads more sort of, you know, big tunes out there. There’s pretty much the same amount.  So yeah, I, it just pushes me to sort of make sure that what I do is of a certain  level and I believe that I have the capability to do that. That it’s, people are gonna want to hear it. Yeah. And that’s the thing. I mean, you have to keep pushing yourself and go, well, if I don’t come up with the right thing,  people aren’t gonna be interested.

And there’s, there are those people making records, but on another making music, but on another side, you know, it pushes you to come outta your comfort zone and make those big tunes, you know? Yeah, Yeah, yeah. Definitely. At, at, at the Center of Everything. I believe success in the music business now is a bloody good song. You know, just have a great song to start with. It’s not, you know.  Yeah, yeah.

Anyway, don’t even, I could, that Hasn’t, that hasn’t changed.  No, no, no. True. Yeah. So, we, we have to talk about the MBE and I will let you go shortly, but 2019 you got an MBE, which for anybody outside of the uk it’s a member of the Order of the British Empire. And every year the, the, the Royal family gives out these special awards and medals to people. what was your MBE for and how was that experience?  My MBE was for services to music, which was a massive honor to me.

’cause I mean, that’s a big statement in itself. and I remember a letter came through the door as it does apparently, and, I looked at it and I first thought, this looks like a massive bill.  And I left it on the table because I wasn’t in the mood.  And I think it sat there for a couple of days. And then I opened it and I realized, and it’s, it said, the Prime Minister, and it was like, these big names, like the Prime Minister has, gone to the Queen or something.

And, and, and I, I started and I had to read it a couple of times going, what? And then I realized that I’d been, put up for an MBE, and I don’t know  by who or who, I, I still don’t know to this day. but I was really sort of  really chuffed, you know? And, and then,  yeah, you get getting invited to Buckingham Palace to get your medal and, it’s the most surreal thing.

And the beautiful thing was, is that I had my family with me when I went. Oh, great. And, yeah. my brother drove me and it was a beautiful sunny day. And I remember getting to the gates of  Buckingham Palace and there was all these tourists around the gates, and they were looking like, where’s he going? You know, it’s so funny. And, and at that time I had a song out called Love Remedy, and we would, as we drove into the palace, we had the radio on, and it just came on the radio. Beautiful. Sunny day, sunny morning.

And there I was, with my brother who literally weeks after that passed away. So it was a very, very special, day on so many levels. my mom was there,  and, you know, my mom worked two jobs at one point, and she’s a single parent. I don’t know how she did it to make sure  that I got private tuition with the piano and everything. So for me, that  accolade, that award was as much for my brother who had so much to do with my success and my mom, the, as it was for me, you know?

and I felt like, wow. And for my mom as well, she, she’s from the Caribbean, which was a big, big part of the British Empire, you know, people, her generation from the Caribbean felt as British as anyone that was from  England, you know? Yeah. Because they felt like it was their history as well, and the queen. And the whole thing about Buckingham Palace, for her generation is taken  super seriously.

That’s it. You know? and so for my mom, it was just,  I mean, it was, it was hard not to shed a few tears that day, if I’m really honest. And when I think about it still, it makes me emotional, obviously. and some of my school teachers got in touch with me because they also felt, you know, I mean, I had, my music teacher was a big, supporter of mine, and I had a, I did have a few teachers that really did support me. And so, you know, the success goes down the line. It’s like, it’s not just about you, is it?

And it’s about the people that helped you along the way. Yeah, there You go. Yeah, but f**k the math teacher, right? Yeah. But the math teacher. But you know what, to be fair to my math teacher, when I started getting the songs on the radio and stuff, she got in touch with my mom and said, I’m so glad you didn’t listen to me. Oh, great. I was wrong. Okay, well, hug goes there. So she Said that she had the front to say that. So, you know, that’s brilliant. Big props to her. But you know, that the, the NB story, I, I was, I was getting emotional, just listening to you talking about that.

I can only imagine what it’s like being there with the people you love the most, getting such an amazing award. But how weird is it that your song comes on the radio as you’re driving through the gates?  Yeah, I, I can’t, I, I mean, what, I don’t know what the odds are, but it literally, the gates were opening, we had the radio on, and we just drove slowly in, we, we were ushered in and the song came on. Like, it was like, it was like our, our theme music.

I mean, we drove in and I was just like, wow, this is not happening. But it is happening. But it’s almost like you, you, you dreaming,  I felt like dream. Yeah. It’s like your own personal fanfare to, to, to go in there, isn’t it? Yes. Wow.  That’s, you know, what, if that happened in Hollywood movie, Andrew, everyone would go, that’s a load of s**t. Yeah,  exactly. You, it like the Bodyguard or something like that never happens, you know? But it happened.

And you know, and another thing that’s quite humbling is going in and there’s the other people about to pick up their medals and, you know, one of them’s like, fought in the last sort of Middle East War and young, you know, someone’s like a midwife. And, and I was thinking, well, I feel like I’m not worthy here. ’cause all these people have done so much, you know, in the health industry and the NHH. But then they were all coming up to me and they were going, oh my God, you are like, oh, I know. They, a lot of them were fans. And so it was kind of like, they were like, wow, we’re up here with you.

And so it was a weird sort of  perspective for, for all of us, But Andrew, you know, as well as I do, how healing and good for  the, the universe, everybody in it. Music is, I mean, there’s, there’s nothing that can come close to it, you know? And, and I say to everybody that comes through the academy, I remind them of how special they are because they can affect the planet for the rest of time. and everybody in it, if they do, if they put in work.

And that’s where it all comes down to, you know what, you’ve done the work and you’ve still got the passion for it, haven’t you?  Oh man. I mean, how can you not, I mean, I can’t count, I really can’t count. Amount of times people come up to me and go, you helped me get through my cancer treatment, or My son was having treatment for cancer. or someone said I was contemplating suicide and your song ride the storm, help me through that period in my life. I get it all the time.

And you kind of go, wow, that’s kind of what it’s about. That’s what it’s about. Yeah. You know, for me anyway, it’s just like, well, when you hear that,  it’s ridiculously humbling, you know? And I get it a lot. I get letters all the time, people, like, just other day, someone said to, to a husband has just gone through  to like operations, he’s like hip operations and he’s having difficulty walking and he is getting depressed, but it’s like big fan of your music. And if you could just say hello on a letter or something, it would just make his life.

And it says those, it’s just those things that, you know, your songwriter, that your, your pupils, whatever you they’re called that, that they don’t really, you don’t always realize the true power of a song that it can have and how it can permeate and the world. You’ll never, you will never know, you  know? Yeah. And that’s your legacy right there, isn’t it? Just creating amazing music. Yeah. absolutely. I’m, I’m, I’m still getting quite emotional here, just thanks for talking about this.

what advice then would you give to, new people, new emerging artists, in the music business?  Don’t do it. I’m joking.  Yeah. Never lose your sense of humor. That’s it. That’s another thing. It like, but emerging in er,  well, I mean, I’ve always said as well that  firstly, and for Foremostly, what gets you through is that your passion is about the music. If you are just passionate about, being famous or getting a, a big car, I dunno if that will carry you through.

’cause it’s, it is a rollercoaster. It’s gonna be some days when you feel like you’re the best thing on the planet. And other days when you think, oh my God, I’m, I’m not that good. You know, it’s just, it’s just how it works. You get tested, but if your passion is in the music, you’ll always be writing. and the the way to come, for greatness is to practice. You keep writing and keep writing and you keep learning. so I just say, you know, as long as your passion is in the music, everything else will fall into place.

You’ll get through, you’ll have longevity. That’s brilliant, in my opinion. And what a fabulous way to end this. brilliant words, mate. Thank you so much for joining me. thanks Martin. Any day, man. You are, you are the man. You are the man.