Best known as the co-founder, key songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist, and backing vocalist for the Grammy-nominated, multi-award-winning band INXS, Andrew has carved out an enduring legacy in the music industry. He is the creative force behind a slew of songs that have become anthems for generations of music fans worldwide. With INXS, he has achieved ten Australian Top 10 singles, seven U.S. Top 10 singles, and a plethora of awards including three Grammy nominations, a BRIT award, five MTV Music Awards, and seven ARIA Awards. The band itself has sold well over 90 million records and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. INXS worked in over 50 countries touring throughout their career, and have influenced many younger bands such as Matchbox 20, The Killers, Train, Walk the Moon, and The 1975.
For 40 years Andrew Farriss has written, produced, and performed music all over the globe. Andrew’s versatility as a songwriter extends beyond the stage. He has spent time in Australia and Nashville writing not only for his projects but also for other artists. Andrew Farriss has written for or produced various other acts, such as Yothu Yindi, Yirrmal, Tom Jones, Alisan Porter, Tania Kernaghan, and Jenny Morris. His songwriting has earned him ARIA Producer Of The Year, an induction into the Australian Songwriter Hall of Fame, a SESAC (USA) Writer’s Award for his contribution to Dua Lipa’s massive hit “Break My Heart,” and numerous APRA Music Award nominations.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Andrew has also established a remarkable solo career. In 2020, he embarked on his first solo project, the EP Love Makes The World featured hits “Love Makes The World” and “All The Stars Are Mine.” Then in 2021, Andrew’s follow-up self-titled album, Andrew Farriss, received widespread acclaim, featuring high-rotation hits like “Come Midnight,” “Good Momma Bad,” and “Run Baby Run.” The album also gave birth to a Top-40 Billboard Indicator chart hit in the USA, “You Are My Rock.” Also, “With The Kelley Gang” earned a Golden Guitar nomination in 2022 for ‘Heritage Song Of The Year.’ His most recent work, a touching ballad called “Someone For Everyone,” premiered on radio on September 18, 2023, and became available on all streaming platforms by September 22, 2023.
Farriss has also been performing, making appearances at Nashville’s Bluebird Café, The Hay Mate Drought Relief Concert, the Tamworth Country Music Festival, the Golden Guitar Awards, Gympie Muster, and the Groundwater Festival. In 2016, He played on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the opening of the Australia Day Celebration. He has also made special guest appearances on stage with Rob Thomas, Yothu Yindi, Jon Stevens, and many other artists. In 2023, Andrew continued to shine as he joined Don McLean’s nationwide Australian tour, featured as a showcase artist at SXSW in Austin, Texas, and served on the Eurovision Australian judging panel. These achievements only add to a lifetime dedicated to enriching the global music landscape.
In addition to his performance accolades, Andrew has been actively involved in mentorship and education. He received a Coombs Fellowship with the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, where he lectured and mentored students. He has also been an ambassador for Nordoff-Robins Music Therapy, a service supporting individuals with additional needs. In 2020, he was honored with the ultimate Australian recognition, a Member of the Order of Australia, for his significant contributions to the arts.
In his personal life, Andrew splits his time between Nashville and Australia where he shares a broad acre farm near Tamworth, NSW with his wife Marlina that he has owned for 30 years. Andrew has three wonderful grown children, Grace, Josephine, and Matthew.
Accomplishments
- Member of the Order of Australia recipient 2020
- Producer of the Year (ARIA Music Awards, 1990)
- Coombs Fellowship (Australian National University, 2015)
- Inducted into the Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2016)
- Solo artist with a critically acclaimed self-titled album released in 2021, featuring hits like “Come Midnight” and “Good Momma Bad.”
- Golden Guitar nomination in 2022 for ‘Heritage Song Of The Year’ for the gun-slinging historical track With The Kelly Gang.
- Top-40 Billboard Indicator chart hit in 2022 with ‘You Are My Rock’.
- Participant in Don McLean’s nationwide Australian tour in 2023.
- Featured showcase artist at SXSW in Austin, Texas in 2023.
- Eurovision Australian judges panel member in 2023.
Awards and Nominations with INXS
- 10 Australian Top 10 Singles
- 7 U.S. Top 10 Singles
- 3 Grammy nominations (Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, 1988; Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, 1989; Best Music Video – Short Form, 1993)
- BRIT Award (Best International Group)
- 5 MTV Music Video Awards (Best Rock Video, 1988; Best Dance Video, 1989; Best Group Video, 1989; Best Video from a Film, 1991; Video of the Year, 1992)
- 7 ARIA Awards (Best Australian Single, 1987; Best Australian Album, 1987; Best Australian Single, 1988; Best Australian Album, 1988; Best Australian Single, 1989; Best Australian Album, 1989; Highest Selling Australian Single Overseas, 1991)
- Inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame (2001)
- The Very Best of INXS in the ARIA chart for 532 weeks
