Mayer Hawthorne

About

Also known as: Andrew Cohen, Andrew Mayer Cohen, Haircut

Mayer Hawthorne, born Andrew Mayer Cohen in Ann Arbor, started out as a hip hop DJ who began recording his own Motown style tracks specifically to dodge sampling fees. He sang and played every instrument himself, and when label head Peanut Butter Wolf at Stones Throw Records heard the results, he pushed Cohen to turn them into a proper album. That became A Strange Arrangement in 2009, a record that leaned heavily into classic soul and orchestral pop with funky bass lines, drawing on influences ranging from Curtis Mayfield and Holland Dozier Holland to J Dilla and Public Enemy. Beyond his solo output, he is one half of Tuxedo alongside producer Jake One, a project built around slick 80s synthesizer funk. He also records as part of Jaded Incorporated. His solo catalogue runs through five studio albums, with Rare Changes arriving in 2020. Along the way he has landed a Grammy nomination, had his music placed in shows like Masters of Sex and Dear White People, and even got a song into the video game Forza Horizon 3.