Andrew Hyra

Andrew Hyra (born February 2, 1964), is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is one half of the folk rock duo Billy Pilgrim with singer, songwriter, and record producer Kristian Bush, and one half of the band Smokin' Novas with Atlanta, Georgia guitarist Brian Bristow. Hyra began playing guitar in his mid-twenties in the late 1980s, later performing actively with his sister Annie as the Hyras. After collaborations with Bush on their debut albums, Hyra had Bush tour with him when Annie took a job in Miami, Florida. They later created the album St. Christopher's Crossing, and later Words Like Numbers, resulting in the two being signed on to Atlantic Records; Hyra coined the band name Billy Pilgrim. They released two records with Atlantic, Billy Pilgrim and Bloom, and toured worldwide including an opening slot with Melissa Etheridge, before being dropped in 1996. Momentum with Billy Pilgrim fizzled out by 2000, with Hyra having his solo debut in 1999 with the album Spill, a collection of music. After a hiatus from music and a removed focus from music as his career he released his second solo album Curios in 2011. He formed the Smokin' Novas with Bristow in 2014, releasing the album's Smokin' Novas and Travel Mercies in the following years. Bush and Hyra made plans to reunite following Annie's death in 2019, and released their lost album In the Time Machine in 2020, among other collaborations.