Adam Friedman learned how to play guitar on a miniature electric Fender Stratocaster from Guitar Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona.
But it was an acoustic Olympia guitar that inspired Friedman to pursue songwriting around the age of 12. Compared to the rock sound of his electric guitar, the acoustic guitar’s softer timbre allowed Friedman to create more intimate songs, he said.
“That was actually the first guitar I started recording on,” Friedman said. “I still have it – I still have all of my guitars.”
This year, the 26-year-old pop artist released his debut EP “Green,” performed on the reality television show “The Bachelor” and toured with pop artist Mike Posner.
After graduating from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Friedman moved to California, where he signed a publishing deal in Los Angeles.
Although he originally moved to the West Coast to work as a technical assistant at a studio, he was able to professionally pursue music when his college-written song “Glorious” accompanied the movie “Rock Dog” as its theme song. The publishing deal allowed Friedman to quit his job and write music full time.
“These little things – they’re big moments,” Friedman said. “They remind you and keep that fire burning to keep moving.”
Friedman’s publisher sent “Glorious” to singer, rapper and producer Posner, who heard the song and wanted to meet Friedman.
Posner began to mentor Friedman, writing songs with him and inviting Friedman to perform with him in his tour this year. The song “Lemonade” on Friedman’s EP “Green” features both Posner and Friedman.
“Mike Posner just brought me under his wing,” Friedman said. “He was basically like, ‘I have a career right now – I’ve made my mistakes and I’ve had my successes. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did, but also I’m here because you will make mistakes.’”
Max Snow, Friedman’s manager, has worked with Friedman for the past year and a half. Although Friedman is not currently signed to a record label, Spotify helped promote his career by hosting his songs on its large platform, Snow said.
“Because (Friedman) is unsigned, he’s had a very different experience than most of his peers and his friends,” Snow said. “What it really speaks to is (Friedman’s) drive and determination.”
Friedman’s personal song “What If” currently has almost five million playbacks on Spotify. The lyrics were inspired by a relationship with a girl Friedman fell in love with in Boston while in college.
However, the girl had to go back to her hometown in Brazil for a family emergency, eventually causing Friedman to break up with her after months of weak internet connection and fuzzy FaceTime calls. In a way, the fuzziness represented the instability of their relationship during their time apart from each other, Friedman said.
In the midst of the emotional journey of the breakup, Friedman said he went to the piano and channeled his inner hopeless romantic self. He created the idea of a girl becoming his religion, put it to music and then had a writing session with producer Robopop.
The rest of the words and instrumentals came naturally to him, Friedman said. At the beginning of the song, he sings, “What if I never fell in love last May / What if I did / What if I didn’t.”
The lyrics of “What If” discuss the month of May, which is coincidentally when PJ Roberts, a fan of Friedman, saw Friedman open for Posner in Detroit at Saint Andrew’s Hall. Roberts said he was impressed when Friedman faced technical difficulties during the show and recovered by ad-libbing an acoustic version of one of his songs.
“It shows that he is a skilled and talented artist who is confident enough in his ability to be able to play a song, no matter what happens,” Roberts said.
Fan Lindsey Flagg saw Friedman open for Posner on May 19 in Chicago. Friedman didn’t have a band and sang on stage alone while playing the guitars and drums, giving the concert a contagious energy, Flagg said.
“It was all very energetic, and it shows his talent,” Flagg said. “I can tell that he seems very uniquely invested in his music, and I think that’s really special.”
Although Friedman just finished touring with Posner, he said he would love to stay on the road, perform on bigger stages and write more music.
“You have wonderful days and you have bad days, but when you have a wonderful day it really pushes you to keep going,” Friedman said.
