Andrew Cedar (IM, ‘09) graduated from Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) as an up-and-coming jazz pianist, not realizing he would someday find success in a different area of music. Now, Cedar is an established, Grammy and Golden Globe award-nominated pop writer and producer for many of today’s chart-topping artists.
Following his time at OCSA as an instrumental music student, Cedar dabbled in pop music while he was studying jazz piano at UCLA. As he started to explore more opportunities for a career in music, he began an internship with Warner Music Group (WMG), where he quickly built connections with professional producers and writers, including Sam Martin—a songwriter who has co-written music for Maroon 5, Jason Derulo, Nick Jonas and many others—and record producer DJ Frank E, who later became his mentor.
Cedar jumped into his work at WMG and his willingness to learn allowed him to make the successful transition into the pop music world. He garnered even further attention and respect because of his talent as a piano and guitar player, and his ability to contribute ideas that writers could use for songs.
After developing his skills as a producer, Cedar was offered a publishing deal through Artist Publishing Group (APG), an independent record and publishing group for entrepreneurial artists and songwriters. Cedar said though APG was his official welcome into the world of writing and publishing, he still had to put in a ton of effort to learn and grow before he’d make his first hit.
“It was more like in the trenches, working a ton of hours and perfecting the craft—it was putting in your 10,000 hours. Then 2014 was the first time I really had a song where I was like ‘Wow, this is a song that people might actually hear,’ and that was this Pitbull song called ‘Celebrate’ that was featured in Penguins of Madagascar,” Cedar said.
Following the release of his first song, he began working with more notable artists, including Flo Rida, Thomas Rhett, Astrid S, PartyNextDoor, Jason Derulo and many others. He reached number one on the pop charts in 2015 for the song “See You Again” featuring Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. This song also led to Cedar’s first Grammy (Song of the Year, Best Song Written for Visual Media) and Golden Globe (Best Song Motion Picture) nominations.
Cedar said taking his mom to the Grammys has been the highlight of his career so far.
“I think that’s number one, for sure, and it was an easy pick. In 2016 ‘See You Again’ was nominated for Song of the Year, which is the one that producers and writers really shoot for. So yeah, I got to take my mom and we sat right behind Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Bruno Mars. It was an awesome experience,” he said.
After all his success, Cedar is ready to make his return to OCSA this fall as guest professional for this year’s Master Artist Series. He will work with Popular Music students, teaching them more about songwriting and production.
He said he is looking forward to working with the students, but also anticipates a bit of nostalgia as he returns to the campus.
“I think, for me, OCSA was all about meeting other like-minded kids who are as passionate about the arts as I was because that was something that I hadn’t come across yet. It was a realization, like, ‘Oh wow this is cool! There are all these other kids that are here pursuing their passions, working super hard and are super motivated to get better. I think just being in that environment was probably the highlight and definitely an eye opening experience,” Cedar said.
In his master class, he wants to shed light on the world of pop music to give students a head start into the world of writing and producing music. Cedar said he is also looking forward to seeing what the students will bring to the class.
“As a pop writer and producer it’s important to know what the next generation is enjoying musically and listening to. So honestly, I’m going to get as much inspiration from asking them what music is currently inspiring them or what they’re listening to as, hopefully, I give them,” Cedar said.
He said he hopes that through this experience, he will be able to share the wisdom he has gained throughout his nine years in the business, adding that learning experiences like these allow students to have extra knowledge that can help guide them in their careers.
What is next for Cedar, professionally? Striving to create more innovative songs and finding the next inspiring sound.
“How can we reach forward to find something that sounds really fresh, but also make it so that you would like it, and I like it, and your aunt likes it, and somebody’s five year old daughter likes it? Because at the end of the day, pop music is about music that’s popular—everybody likes it,” he said.
To learn more about Cedar’s process behind the hit song “See You Again,” check out this Song Spotlight interview.
For more information about OCSA’s Master Artist Series and to see a list of guest artists, click here.