Drew Foust makes music that feels like it’s been lived in.
A natural soul singer, self-taught multi-instrumentalist, and prolific songwriter, Drew makes music that exists somewhere between a juke joint’s last call and the first light of Sunday morning. It’s gritty, spiritual, and deeply human. Southern soul with a modern heartbeat.
Long before the stage lights, Drew’s story was shaped by instability, movement, and resilience. Amid the shifting chaos of his childhood, he found refuge in music around age eleven, discovering artists like Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Al Green, and Buddy Guy in his father’s CD collection before finally picking up the guitar himself around the age of fifteen. His grandmother, a celebrated Southern gospel songwriter, further sparked his interest in storytelling and its accessibility through song. Untethered from religion, he still carries a spirituality that runs through his music.
At nineteen, fatherhood rewrote his life. The rush of failure, responsibility, and hard-earned growth became the foundation of his voice as an artist. That growth also gave way to a deeper appreciation for songwriting and roots music, and the discovery of artists like John Prine, Taj Mahal, Allen Toussaint, and Ry Cooder, among others. Today, Drew balances family life with the demands of a working-class reality and an uncompromising artistic vision. That tension is the engine of his sound.
Backed by The Wheelhouse, Drew delivers a brand of “Southern Soul N’ Roll” built on deep grooves, raw feeling, and unfiltered authenticity. Together since 2019, they’ve played hundreds of shows at venues, clubs, and events all across North Carolina and the East Coast, including stops in Nashville, New York City, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Notably, Drew & The Wheelhouse have performed at nationally acclaimed music festivals, including FloydFest, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, and the North Carolina Folk Fest. They have also been official opening acts for The Wallflowers, Anders Osborne, The Rumble, and Cedric Burnside. Drew has also collaborated in the studio and onstage with friends like Charlie Hunter, Sam Fribush, DaShawn Hickman, Maia Kamil, Jive Mother Mary, and Jay Faires.
His 2022 album Good Thing, released on Charlie Hunter’s SideHustle label, drew heavily from the golden era of Memphis soul.
His latest record, The Beauty of It All, is his most personal work yet - ten songs pulled from a life lived wide open, full of grit, humor, heartbreak, and hope.
Newest full-length release