Ever wonder what lawyers do in their spare time? Do you think they golf a lot? Maybe play a few rousing games of Parcheesi before hitting the hay around 8:30?
How about making some great electro-pop? Did that possibility ever cross your mind?
Enter Andrew Mancilla: lawyer by day, musician by night. We were lucky enough to snag a slot with Mancilla to chat about work-life balance, future plans and more…
Could you tell us a bit about the writing and recording process?
I took a new approach with writing this song. Normally I develop a melody then develop the chord structure to fit it. It Wasn’t Me was originally a completely different song that I brought to my producer Dominic Fallacaro. Dominic and I began tinkering with the chord structure and rhythm of the tune and together redeveloped the song’s DNA. I took what we wrote and rewrote the verse and chorus overtop. Simply put, it was a complete rewrite. Dominic asked me about the feel I was looking for and I pointed at Peter Gabrielle’s Sledgehammer.
We love the hip hop elements on the song. How did you decide to feature Decora on the track?
Decora and I have played together since college. He is not only a client of mine and one of my favorite hip hop artists, but I couldn’t be prouder to call him one of my friends. Putting him on this track was a very natural decision. The bridge of this tune needed to shift gears and pop. Decora was our first choice and his execution delivered.
It has to be tough being both a lawyer and musician. How do you manage to perfect that balance?
I don’t. There’s almost never a balance. My law partner’s mother once told me that balance is torture, because you never get your fill of each. Music is always part of me and I create it everywhere I go, I just I’ve been very law heavy over the past few two years growing my legal career so its time to pivot a bit. Fortunately, I’m now in a position where I now have quite the team and I can focus my time on writing and performing as a musician and less with sales/marketing.
What’s the best part of being a completely independent artist? The worst?
The best is I do whatever I want musically. My last record was a rock opera about a serial killer. This record is pop. After my last record my brother dared me to write a pop album. I took the challenge and had the time of my life making this record. Music should be fun, being independent helps. The worst aspect about being independent is I feel like I’m constantly fighting to compete with the power of money. Then again, I’d rather be young, scrappy and hungry than complacent.
What’s next for you?
Playing at Cannes film festival, summer tour in August, and lots of shows in NYC.