Today I’m excited to introduce everyone to singer-songwriter, Andy Koh, who is stepping out on his own after many years in playing in Alt Rock band Coloring Tunes. Today, Koh is launching the news of his debut LP called Taking The Long Way and the lead single/lyric video for “Everything.” “‘Everything’ is what I think of as a hybrid song,” Koh shares, “The chorus was written in my youth, but new and more developed musical ideas and lyrics, shaped by decades of experience, finally brought it to completion. In many ways, it reflects where things eventually landed rather than where they started.” If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider supporting Andy Koh here.
“Everything” began with a chorus you wrote in your youth and was only completed decades later. What was it like revisiting that younger version of yourself, and how did your experiences as both a musician and pediatric oncologist shape the song’s final
form?
“Everything” started as a song about falling in love. Most of the songs I wrote when I was in my twenties were about love: falling in love, unrequited love, or heartbreak. But I was never happy with the lyrics or the melody of the verses. When I revisited this song decades later, I felt I hadan opportunity to make the song better. So rather than trying to get in the headspace of younger me, I decided to let the older one finish the song. Over those years, medicine has profoundly changed the way I view people and relationships. As a pediatric oncologist, I’ve learned that some of the most meaningful things we do aren’t about fixing or curing. They’re about listening, showing up, and walking alongside someone going through the most difficult times in their life. I think that perspective inevitably found its way into the song. In the end, Everything became less about the excitement of new love and more about something quieter and more enduring: reminding someone that they are worthy of love, even when they struggle to believe it themselves.
Taking the Long Way spans nearly forty years of songwriting. Were there any songs that surprised you when you returned to them years later—either because their meaning changed or because you finally understood what they were trying to say?
Honestly, most of the songs meant exactly what I thought they meant when I wrote them. Revisiting them was more about reconnecting with the person I was at that moment in my life. Each song became its own little time capsule. There were definitely a few moments that made me smile—or cringe a little. Some of the lyrics are exactly what you’d expect from an eighteen- or twenty-year-old writing about love. A few sentiments feel a little too familiar or a maybe a bit too earnest. But that’s who I was at that time. I wanted to preserve that. What surprised me more was how well some of the music held up. “The Test” is a good example. Harmonically it’s a very simple song. But I think the vocal melody still holds up after all these years. I’m still a bit surprised that I came up with that melody. I don’t think I’d be able to do that now. I guess you can’t recreate those early musical instincts. So the project became less about rewriting the past than deciding what deserved to stay. Some songs needed very little change. Some tracks needed very little change, while others required a fresh perspective. My job wasn’t to make them sound like songs written by the person I am today. I wanted these songs to become the best versions of the songs they were always trying to be.
Working with players like Sean Hurley and Jake Reed, along with Grammy-winning engineers Darrell Thorp and Michael Romanowski, helped bring these long-held songs to life. How did collaborating with such accomplished musicians influence the way you heard and understood your own material after carrying it with you for so many years?
John Fogerty has this great quote where he explains the difference between writing a good song and making a good record. A song is really just the blueprint—the melody, the lyrics, and the chord changes. A record is everything else. It’s the performances, the sounds, the dynamics, the production, and all the little decisions that create a living, breathing musical experience. That’s why I surrounded myself with exceptional people who could do all the things I can’t. I can come up with a serviceable bass line, but Sean Hurley is one of the greatest bass players around. He and the other musicians brought ideas, feel, and musical instincts that elevated every track. Darrell Thorp made mixing decisions that blew my mind, choicess that I would have never thought of on my own. And Michael Romanowski gave the finished album a warmth and cohesiveness that tied everything together. One major lesson I learned is that great collaborators don’t change your vision. They help you
realize it. Everything was done in service of the song. The songs are still unmistakably mine, but they’re far better records because of everyone who contributed. That’s exactly what I was hoping for.