Newcomer Andrew Jannakos Goes Viral With Breakout Single ‘Gone Too Soon’ [Listen]
Former The Voice contestant Andrew Jannakos went from his first time performing in front of a live audience during a blind audition on The Voice 2 1/2 ago, to his new debut song lighting up the song charts. There’s no doubt the 26-year-old is hitting the country music scene at full speed.
Since the release of his breakout single “Gone Too Soon,” Jannakos entered the Billboard Emerging Artists list at No.1, and he also debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at No. 65 and the Hot Country Songs chart at No.12.
Jannakos' blend of authenticity and modern country twang float through the song, recounting the long-distance relationship he had with his girlfriend (now wife).
“You come around unannounced / And you leave with the sunlight / Just when it's getting good / You hit me with the goodbye / Same thing every night / I can never get enough time / I want more of ya," he sings.
“It’s about how we just never wanted the time we spent together to end. People have connected to this song in many different ways but that’s exactly what music is supposed to be, subjective,” Jannakos says in a press release. “Some may interpret the song being about ‘the other person’ in a messy relationship, and there are certainly some parallels to that feeling, but to me, it’s about the love of my life.”
Like many artists, due to COVID-19, Jannakos had to get creative with how to get his music to the world without concerts, turning to social media for help.
Jannakos has built quite a colossal following on social media since his time on The Voice. That following was a major catalyst to the success of “Gone Too Soon,” especially when it came to TikTok.
After posting snippets of the number, his followers took it and ran. The preview of the song went viral on the platform, earning in excess of half a million likes, more than 4 million views, and with that traction, gaining more than half a million subscribers to his page.
“It’s incredible to see the way that ‘Gone Too Soon’ has taken off. You’re never expecting something to go viral,” Jannakos notes. “It just kind of happens, but I’m grateful for this experience to get to connect with so many people who this song has spoken to. It’s just made me want to chase this dream even more!”
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