Born and raised in Steubenville, Ohio, 28 year old LGBTQ+ country-pop artist Andrew Mitch is building momentum in Nashville’s buzzing music scene.
Mitch has gained notable social media traction as an up-and-coming artist with a flair for heartfelt and emotional song lyrics. He has accumulated nearly 6,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 14,000 followers on Instagram since his relocation to Nashville a few years ago.
Growing up, Mitch was surrounded by music. He fondly remembers his father and his grandfather singing and playing guitar in his childhood home, consistently “mesmerizing” him.
Mitch became involved in Steubenville’s music scene at a young age, leading vocals for his church and performing with a youth group, in an area of Ohio not known for being super LGBTQ-affirming.
After teaching himself to play guitar while saving up a stash of money from a summer job, Mitch bought his first recording equipment. His passion for music continued to grow, but college was right around the corner.
He pursued a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Dallas, graduating in 2022. Though he was offered several opportunities to pursue a graduate degree, his heart continued to pull him toward music.
After some consideration, he had an encouraging support system behind him when he decided to relocate to Nashville as an out LGBTQ+ artist pursuing a full-time career in the country music industry.
“These past three years in Nashville I’ve been working to find where country, pop, singer, songwriter meets… and being queer in country music has added another fun layer” he says.
A recent Billboard Pro piece reflects the tricky terrain of being an out queer artist in country music:
“As country has become more popular, its fan base has become more diverse, allowing a number of gay artists to be out and make their living fully from music. It has been tough at radio — no openly gay artist has had a top 10 airplay hit after they have come out — but that hasn’t prevented them from making connections with fans through streaming. The landscape seems to be in an upward transition for queer country acts, even if it’s an uneasy period.”
Mitch is pleased that he has felt uplifted as an out LGBTQ+ artist, and he too believes that the country music scene is becoming a more accepting, welcoming space for queer individuals.
Hoping that his music facilitates positive human connection and exploration of identity, he bridges emotional country and modern pop music tendencies – producing vulnerable, sincere lyrics.
Mitch released his first single, “all in my head,” in September 2023. His debut album, “feeling outside the lines” was released in 2024. His newest release, an EP titled “the reimagined sessions,” came out last June.
His newest EP is likely his most vulnerable work yet. “I’m a sucker for happy songs disguised as sad songs, and just sad songs in general. I went through and took a few fan favorites and some of my personal favorites, stripped them down and sang them over piano tracks… it was a lot of fun,” said Mitch.
Mitch’s music is diverse, focusing on themes related to embracing queerness, returning to a hometown with a romantic partner for the first time and leaving unhealthy relationships with courage and confidence.
He is set to release more new music this summer, in addition to a new album in 2026.
“I’m not trying to stomp on anybody’s cowboy boots, especially in country music,” Mitch emphasizes. “I’m just trying to convey a message of being yourself and being happy, and if people don’t like who you are then that’s their problem. You shouldn’t be anybody but yourself.” 🔥
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- Check out Andrew Mitch’s music on Spotify or Apple Music.
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