From the opening keys and Josh Jacobson’s initial soulful words, Andre demands all your attention and leaves you immobilized. Inspired by a friend of Samuel Proffitt’s, “The story began when Samuel studied in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2012 and soon became friends with an incredibly talented, smart, and driven student and musician from Angola named Andre. A few months after Samuel left Russia, during the first semester of his Senior year, he received a message that Andre had passed away. The circumstances of Andre’s death and Samuel’s last conversation with him left a lasting impression,” Proffitt explained in an email. “A few years later, the demo was one of several that Samuel sent over to Josh after talking late one night. Josh was drawn to ‘Andre,’ writing a melody and lyrics over the instrumental and sending back an initial version almost immediately. Over the next few months, Samuel and Josh collaborated closely on the writing and production.”
Andre is melancholic and sincere with a sense of longing as Jacobson’s airy falsetto flutters over the sombre gentle production. Whether you’ve experienced something similar or not, it’s a humbling song and it sounds like Andre will not be forgotten.
Look out for Proffitt’s upcoming Grey Notebook EP which will also feature Andre.