This article appears in our November print issue. You can pick up a copy on newsstands around campus, or at our newsroom in room 520 in the University Center.
From balancing an independent music career to completing schoolwork as a CoPA and Lang student, singer-songwriter Andrés Volkov is immersed in almost every creative facet of The New School.
At 22 years old, Volkov is working towards a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at Lang and a fine arts degree in Jazz Voice at the College of Performing Arts, all on top of playing for The New School’s Club Soccer team, being a Director of Student Advocacy & Engagement on The University Student Senate, and consistently releasing new music for his growing international fan base.
Volkov is in his second year at the New School, and at the core of his many activities is his passion for music. The Mexico City native participated in children’s orchestras as a kid, learned to play guitar at eight years old, and began writing his own music at the age of fourteen.
“I mostly write [music] in Spanish,” he said. “When I started, I wrote songs in English, because I had a high school rock band and we’d just write whatever. After high school, I realized that I had to explore. I also went through a break up and I was really sad. I used music as catharsis. I started writing a lot and tried to explore many genres.”
Volkov’s music merges Latin rock with various genres, from bossa nova to folk. “There’s probably ten songs up on my Spotify right now, but I have so many more than that. It just takes so much time to produce and release, but I like to explore a combination of funk or funky sounds and Latin American genres.”
The most important part of Volkov’s creative practice is writing lyrics. “I want lyrics to not necessarily send a message, but to be creative. That kind of thing may be cheesy, but it feels honest. Like you tried to say it in the most creative way instead of, ‘Roses are red.’ I’m looking for creative language.” Volkov said that he can trace all of his songs back to specific events, because he pulls from personal experiences when writing.
Volkov told the New School Free Press that one of the many benefits of moving his artistic practice to New York and The New School is that it’s been much easier for him to find places to perform.
“Back home, I had a lot of trouble finding places to play. I’d sign contracts that said I would get paid 2000 pesos. I never received a cent. I’ve only had one nice relationship with a bar back home and it’s the only one that I play in,” he said. Volkov finds it much easier to play in New York, where he says the scene is friendlier to musicians.. “It’s very easy to get a gig, I also play a lot in parks. I go busking, that’s very fun. There are like 20-25 places I could name that are letting 18-22-year olds come in and play,” he said.
Volkov is constantly releasing new music, including covers on his social media accounts or original songs on streaming services like Spotify, which he is very vocal about his feelings on. Last semester, he gave a presentation about streaming at the Dean’s Honor Symposium.
The independent musician said that while he recognizes the benefits of streaming services, they impact artists negatively as well.
“You’re putting your music out there and nobody will ever listen to it. Their editorial playlists, if you get put into one of those, you’re done. You will get a shit ton of money. Getting into the algorithm though? I have no idea how that works. One of my songs is on one and I still don’t understand how it happened, or how to make it happen again. It feels like walking in darkness, hoping that people will listen to me,” he said.
His most popular song, “Con Cuidatito,” has over 100,000 listens on Spotify, but Volkov told the Free Press that it’s only generated $200 over the past year. This amount doesn’t cover the cost of renting the recording studio for his upcoming 9-song EP, which was $400. “I’ll take it, but it doesn’t even out,” he said.
While the current dynamics of the music industry may leave other independent musicians feeling hopeless, Volkov stays positive through the support of his loyal fanbase. “I think the most affirming and coolest thing that’s happened to me is having people from Spain, Peru or Colombia, Spanish-speaking countries that I haven’t been to, where I don’t know many people, have messaged me saying, ‘Oh I love this song! Thank you so much for writing it.’ People have even messaged me saying they made covers of my songs,” Volkov said.
Volkov is releasing an EP titled, “(Des)ilusión,” in late November. In the meantime, Volkov can be found performing at the Lunchtime Concert Series at CoPA’s Glassbox Theater, or online via his social channels and Spotify. His latest music video for his song, “Conflicto de Interés,” is now available to watch online.