Confessions of a music nerd and food addict.

Mayer Hawthorne’s Wikipedia page advertizes Hawthorne (born Andrew Mayer Cohen) as a singer, producer, songwriter, arranger, audio engineer, DJ, rapper and multi instrumentalist – all of which is true. And his Twitter account advertises his love of food – among other things.

Hawthorne came up with his stage name by combining his middle name with the street he grew up on. Formerly, he was an aspiring hip-hop artist performing with Athletic Mic League under the name “Haircut.” However, Hawthorne’s retro-style solo music took off after he showed a couple of demos to Stones Throw’s  Peanut Butter Wolf. At the time, Wolf said he thought they were covers rather than Hawthorne’s original songs. The fact that Hawthorne played all of the instruments featured in the songs amazed Wolf even more. It wasn’t long until Hawthorne’s single, “Just Aint Gonna Work Out” was Starbucks’ iTunes Pick of the Week. That same month, Rolling Stone spotlighted Hawthorne in a “Breaking” artist segment. After years of pursing his dream, Hawthorne had finally arrived. Now, with a new album that has received a slew of critical praise and a new hit single entitled “The Walk” that has made it to #45 on the rock charts, it doesn’t seem that he is going to be slowing down anytime soon.

As an Ann Arbor native, Detroit and the surrounding area plays a special role in Hawthorne’s music, with the song “A Long Time” being dedicated to the city’s reinvigoration, and he has made no secret of the city’s influence on his music (his father still plays in a Detroit band). So, what better setting to see Hawthorne perform than the birthplace of Motown itself during his May 15 performance at The Majestic?

Our editor, Amanda Slater, caught up with Hawthorne a while back and got to ask him about his work with the Athletic Mic League, his thoughts on the Michigan music scene and the extent of his “food addiction.” Here’s what he had to say.

I know you’re originally from Ann Arbor, right? How long ago did you move to L.A.?

I’ve been in L.A. for four years.

Back when you were in Ann Arbor, where did you hang out?

I spent a lot of time at the Bagel Factory when it was open, Encore Records, Blimpy Burger, Madras Masala. I’m a food guy. I relate everything to food.

What do you think of the music scene in the area?

Michigan has the most talented artists and musicians in the whole world, hands down. Unfortunately, there is very little music industry there to support them. I think a lot of [people] in Detroit do not appreciate what they have. They don’t understand. It’s like pulling teeth to get people to come out to a show in Detroit. The L.A. music scene is a lot more supportive of their local artists. Even the radio stations in the city place a lot more emphasis on their local artists. But, you know, Detroit’s got plenty of things to work on.

I’ve heard you’ve played with Eminem…

We [The Athletic Mic League] have done a few shows with Eminem.

Where did your Athletic Mic League name, “DJ Haircut,” come from?

The name came from when I was a baby. When I would be taken to get a haircut, I would have a temper tantrum. And [my parents] would buy me records to keep me occupied so I wouldn’t have a fit. I’ve been collecting records since before I could read the labels on them.

How would you describe Athletic Mic League’s sound?

Athletic Mic League is always 10 years ahead of everybody. It’s frustrating because we put out an album, and it usually goes way over everyone’s head. Then, 10 years later, people are searching for it and paying $50 for it on eBay.

Did you ever think you would get to where you are?

I knew that I would get here one day, but I didn’t think it would be through soul music or as a soul singer.

Is hip-hop your first love?

I don’t know if it’s my first love, but hip-hop was the first music that I really bonded with, that I felt was my own and not my parents’ music.

Why did you decide to switch genres?

I didn’t. I wanted to make hip-hop music, and when I moved to L.A., that’s what I was doing. It was even going pretty well. But when I met Peanut Butter Wolf, he kind of flipped out about these soul music demos that I had done in my bedroom on the side just for fun, and he asked me if I’d record a whole album of that material – which is something I’d never thought about doing. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with Stones Throw, a label I really loved and respected. So I said, “Sure, I’ll do it, and then I’ll go back to hip hop stuff.” Little did we know that this project was going to explode.

Now people like John Mayer are giving you props on Twitter. How does that feel?

It’s super surreal. We had a great show in New Orleans, and I was on the bus after the show in the back listening to some records that I had bought earlier in the day. There was a knock on the door, and it’s Mos Def. It doesn’t get any more surreal than that. It’s hard to actually wrap your brain around it.

You’ve been an example of someone who has really pursued a dream. How hard is it to do that and actually see it through?

It takes an insane amount of work and dedication, and for every bit of success that I’ve had in the music industry, I’ve had 20 failures and it sucks. It’s not an easy thing to do, but I’ve always known that I wanted to make music. You’ve got to do what you love, what makes you happy.

You’ve described yourself as being a nerd. How are you a nerd?

Success can make you more famous, but it can’t make you less of a nerd. I’m the kind of guy that would spend six hours in a record store when everybody was ready to go five hours ago. I’m a studio nerd. I like to spend my time in the studio recording. I’m a food nerd. I pretend that these tours are about the shows, when really, for me, it’s about the food. I just want to go around the world and eat.

What kind of food do you like?

I’m an equal-opportunity eater. I love it all. I’m really adventurous when it comes to food. I’ll try anything once. I like to try it all.

What’s the craziest thing you tried?

I tried some crazy stuff in Japan when I was over there – sea urchin and squid and whatnot.

And how did that taste?

Most of it is really good. Sea urchin I was not a big fan of – but that’s how you find out. You never know, it could be your favorite thing in the world.

Anything else you’d like to tell readers?

Follow me on Twitter. I love Twitter. I’m on there all day every day. I give away songs on there. I give away tickets to shows. I put up photos of all my favorite foods. It’s worth your while to follow me on Twitter.

Mayer Hawthorne will perform on May 15 at The Majestic in Detroit. Doors are at 8 p.m. and tickets are $25 (general admission). Follow him on Twitter @MayerHawthorne.