Andy Quan was born in 1969 in Vancouver, B.C., a third-generation Chinese-Canadian and fifth generation Chinese-American with roots in the villages of Canton.  While he is an established writer, his music is not widely known.  he is the author of a collection of poetry, "Slant", and of short fiction, "Calendar Boy" and was the co-editor of "Swallowing Clouds: An Anthology of Chinese-Canadian Poetry".  he is an alumni of Persaon College, Trent University, York University and Canada World Youth.  After livng in Toront, London, and Brussels, Andy currently lives in Sydney, Australia and works for the Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations.

"Music is a magical way to touch people and express oneself and I feel lucky to have songs come to me, and grateful whenever I have the chance to share them.  Pop music is sometimes accused of being formulaic these days, and produced with too much instrumentation and sound effects.  My songs, by contrast, are pure and unadorned.  They combine the poetry of folk music, the immediacy of cabaret, and the catchiness of pop songs.  As a literary writer, I've a keen interest of how the words fall together, and then how they relate to the music.

Listeners tell me that there is an aching, romantic quality to my music, and while my songs do not diretly address the experience of being Chinese-Canadian, I believe that the themes that emerge in my songs are clear: a desire for community, an awareness of "otherness", the journeys of someone who knows what it is like to be "different".

Some find it unsettling to hear songs without slick modern production values.  To hear a simple song with only voice and piano demands more of the listener - to be quiet, to pay attention, to hear the words, and engage with singer.  I hope that's what people can do when they hear my music: to be transported to an intimate performance in a private setting and hearing songs of love, loss , longing, and celebration."  Andy Quan