Music / Press & broadcasting
Andrew W.K.
born 1979 · singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, motivational speaker
Ann Arbor–raised rocker who cut his teeth in Detroit punk, metal and noise bands before his anthem “Party Hard” made him a star in 2001.
- Born
Stanford, California
age 47- Birth name
- Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier
- Also known as
- Andrew Wilkes-Krier
- Detroit years
- 1983–late 1990s
- Field
- Music, Press & broadcasting
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Andrew Wilkes-Krier moved to Ann Arbor at age four and began piano lessons at the University of Michigan School of Music the same year. As a teenager he immersed himself in the Ann Arbor and Detroit underground, playing in punk, metal and experimental groups such as the Pterodactyls and Lab Lobotomy and working with the noise scene around Wolf Eyes; his early cassette appeared on Nate Young's Hanson Records. His first publicly released recording came out on a compilation from the Ypsilanti label Westside Audio Laboratories. Around 1998 he moved to New York, where he began recording as Andrew W.K. After the EP Girls Own Juice (2000), his debut album I Get Wet (2001) and its single “Party Hard” turned his relentless, euphoric blend of pop, metal and piano into a brand. He has since hosted television shows, written an advice column and become a motivational speaker.
Highlights
- Debut album I Get Wet (2001), with “Party Hard”
- Early work in Detroit-area punk, metal and noise bands
- Collaborated with the noise group Wolf Eyes
- Albums You're Not Alone (2018) and God Is Partying (2021)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · 1983–1990s
University of Michigan School of Music
He began piano lessons here at age four.