Born in California and raised in Michigan, UMPG’s Andrew W.K. began taking classical piano lessons at age 4. Encouraged by his parents, he continued to play piano throughout his young life, eventually taking up the drums in his teens and playing in numerous Detroit punk and metal bands. He started recording solo material at age 17, and moved to New York City a year later. His early recordings were circulated among record labels with the help of friends. In 1999, Andrew played dozens of shows up and down the East Coast, equipped only with a CD player, keyboard and microphone. Girls Own Juice, his debut EP culled from the early solo recordings, was released on Bulb Records. A year later, his second EP, Party Til You Puke, was also released on Bulb. Andrew continued playing another series of one-man shows including an opening act for Foo Fighters and a stint on a Belgian arts festival--before returning to New York to focus on forming a band. He assembled Guitarist Jimmy Coup, formerly of Minnesota's Coup de Grace, drummer Donald "D.T." Tardy, late of Obituary, bassist Gregg R., and guitarists E. Payne and Sergeant Frank. The crew moved to Florida and Andrew signed to Island Def Jam. His debut album, I Get Wet, was recorded in Michigan, Los Angeles, New York City, Colorado, Minnesota, Florida. In October 2001, Andrew was featured on a special "double cover" for UK's NME magazine, and his first single, “Party Hard,” (Mercury/UK) entered the British charts at No. 14. Rolling Stone named Andrew W.K. one of the “Next Wave Of Artists To Watch in 2002," and gave his debut CD, I Get Wet, a four star review. Island Def Jam launched the US release in March 2002 with Andrew's world tour in full swing. 2002 has been a succesful year for Andrew as he headlined the MTV2 tour, performed on both Saturday Night Live (with "The Rock") and Carson Daly's Last Call. His video for "Party Hard" was an MTV Buzz clip, and his songs can be heard in commercials, films, and video games. Andrew was even a fashion critic on the MTV Movie Awards. Andrew's new single and video, "She Is Beautiful," has already been added to MTV2 and MuchMusic. Andrew continues to tour throughout 2002, with stops at European summer festivals as well as the Ozzfest.