“New York was very frightening and very overwhelming, and I didn't really know anybody. My sister had some friends there, and I stayed with them, then I moved in with a friend of a friend. I was very outside my comfort zone. Then again, I was pretty uncomfortable in general - but I knew it was where I was supposed to be.”

American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and motivational speaker

Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier, known professionally as Andrew W.K., is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and motivational speaker. He emerged in the mid-1990s and became known for music that blends rock, metal, and pop, along with a public persona built around high-energy celebration. Raised in Michigan, he played in several local bands before moving to New York, where he made his first recordings under the Andrew W.K. name. His work is especially associated with anthemic songs about partying and with a style that treats exuberance as both subject and performance.