Mandi Goldman

Who is Mandi Goldman?

Hi, I’m Mandi! I am a 20 year old university student from Fishers, Indiana and I have loved music for as long as I can remember. I have been singing since I’ve been talking and I started playing piano and taking lessons when I was 7. I probably started messing around with writing music when I was 14, but my real start was during the fall of 2020, my freshman year of college.

If you had to describe your sound using just five words, what would they be?

Romantic, warm, acoustic (for now), genuine, and storytelling

Who are your biggest influences musically?

Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, Joshua Bassett, Niall Horan, Lizzy McAlpine, Lauren Daigle, and The 1975.

What’s your songwriting process?

I find inspiration from so many things but I usually write about a certain event, a memory, or a particular feeling. So, if I’m going through the end of a relationship or had an amazing night with a friend or even read a really good book and it makes me have lots of feelings, I really like to write about that stuff. I tend to write a lot in one moment and then build on it after the fact. I could sit and write a whole song in 30 minutes in the middle of the night or I can come up with one line or a core idea and it might take me weeks to turn that into a song. I write music when something happens that makes me feel so strongly that I don’t know how to talk about it. When words don’t feel like enough for me, music always does.

When you were younger, what was the first album that blew you away and you remember putting on repeat non-stop?

High School Musical. Not gonna lie. But the first real album that I learned every word to and played on repeat was ‘Fearless’ by Taylor Swift. Honestly, it still hits the exact same. So does High School Musical when the moment is right.

As a performer, what’s your biggest claim to fame so far?

Honestly, probably making my solo live performance debut in London while I study abroad here. But other than that, I would say having my music played on my college radio station was a really big moment for me. It honestly was — and is — a dream come true that my voice plays on the radio.

If you could go on tour with any current band or artist, who would it be and why?

I think Joshua Bassett or Niall Horan. My first instinct would be to say Harry Styles or Taylor Swift but I just don’t think I would be able to function around them, much less perform on tour with either of them. Talk to me again in a few years though, hopefully I will be over that and I would be more than happy to tour with them then. 😉

If you could put your dream team band together consisting of any musicians from the past or present who would the band members be?

Sarah Jones on drums – Harry Styles drummer

Kelsey Ballerini on acoustic guitar and vocals

Mitchell Rowland on electric guitar  – Harry Styles guitarist (Are you noticing a theme here about his musicians and how much I love them?)

Billy Joel on keys (obviously)

John McVie on Bass

How would you describe your live show to someone who has never seen you perform before?

I think it’s very laid back. It’s kind of like we are all best friends and I am telling you a story about my life or something I’ve gone through and then sharing the song that goes with it. I really want my live shows to be a safe space where we all talk about our feelings like self discovery, change, personal growth, while singing about how boys suck sometimes and real friends are the best. It’s kind of a big group therapy session that hopefully makes you feel good! I’m all about treating people with kindness, telling people that you love them, and making the world a happier and better place, so I hope my live shows make people feel that way. 🙂

Do any of you have any pre-gig or post gig rituals? If so, what and why?

I almost always workout on the day of a show and make sure to eat fruit and warm up my voice. I have a musical theater background with that level of vocal training so my warmup includes singing a lot of scales and other exercises that help make my voice feel warm and flexible. I definitely need a piano when I warm up because I need to warm up my hands and body too, so I like to sing songs that I’m not playing at that show. Usually I’ll sing a show tune I love or a pop song, just any music that gets me hyped up, feeling confident and happy. I also always get a medicine ball from Starbucks … the best drink ever! I’m probably like 60% medicine ball at this point, never underestimate what tea, lemonade, and honey can do.

What would your ultimate rider be if you could have anything without being accused of being a diva?

I would want to have a bunch of cold water in my bright pink Stanley cup and unlimited fruit and tea. I also love fresh flowers, and sunflowers are my favorite so some sunflowers in a little mason jar vase would just make the vibe complete. Maybe a nice bottle of tequila with limes and salt to top it all off. I love a good tequila shot.

If we were to browse your music library what is the most embarrassing song we might find? Or your guilty pleasure artist?

I would classify myself as an underground theater kid, so in terms of a music guilty pleasure, look no further than my Broadway playlist. I love singing every song on there, which includes stuff from Wicked, Hamilton, Anastasia, West Side Story, Waitress, Phantom of the Opera, and so many more. But the song that is probably the most embarrassing is ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen the Musical. There’s just something about that song. You have to sing it at full volume when you feel the vibes. And I feel those vibes a lot.

Tell us one thing your fans would be really shocked or surprised to hear or learn about you?

I have never had a long term boyfriend. So I write a lot about love but I’m not sure if I have ever actually been in love. I think sometimes when you’re young and experiencing things for the first time you think you know what love feels like, but as I’ve gotten older and gained some perspective, I don’t really think I have felt the real thing yet. But I’m happy to wait for it. Complete side note, another thing that might surprise people is that I really like to listen to rap or rock music when I work out, so you never know what I might be listening to!

If people want to check you out online, where is the best place to go?

You can find me on Instagram and TikTok where my usernames are just @mandigoldman, and on Spotify, Apple Music, and all other music streaming services where you can find my self-titled debut album.

Finally, What does the future hold for you as an artist?

I am hoping that in my future as an artist I will be doing many more live performances when I’m back in the states. I can also guarantee that I will be doing even more writing and I would love to get into the studio again and release my newest unreleased single ‘Just For Tonight.’