Andrew VanWyngarden
Co-wrote 'Kids' at age 23, a song that generated over $1 million in licensing fees before MGMT released a debut album.
Born 1983 (age 43)·American musician·Birthday: February 1·Millennials
Biography
Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser recorded 'Time to Pretend' and 'Kids' as undergraduate students at Wesleyan University in 2004. The tracks circulated on MP3 blogs for three years before appearing on MGMT's 2007 debut album, 'Oracular Spectacular.' 'Kids' has since accrued over 1 billion streams, and its video has 450 million YouTube views. The album sold 1.2 million copies worldwide and earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2010. VanWyngarden's lyrical focus shifted from satire to metaphysical inquiry on 2010's 'Congratulations,' which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. He co-produced MGMT's fourth album, 'Little Dark Age,' in 2018, which marked a return to synth-pop and yielded their first Hot 100 entry in a decade. The duo's initial demos, recorded for less than $100, created a template for DIY electronic music to achieve mainstream saturation. Their career arc demonstrates deliberate resistance to the commercial machinery their early songs ironically celebrated.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Andrew was born in 1983, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrew Was Born
The biggest hits of 1983
#1 Movie
Return of the Jedi
Best Picture
Terms of Endearment
#1 TV Show
60 Minutes
Andrew's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1983Born
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1988Started school
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1996Became a teenager
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Could drive
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2001Could vote
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2004Turned 21
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2013Turned 30
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 40
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 43 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- 'Oracular Spectacular' was certified Platinum in the US and UK, selling over 1.2 million copies.
- Performed 'Kids' on 'Saturday Night Live' on February 6, 2010, during the show's 35th season.
- The song 'Electric Feel' won the Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical in 2009.
Did You Know?
VanWyngarden is a visual artist and has exhibited his paintings and drawings in New York galleries.
He is an avid surfer and named the MGMT album 'Congratulations' after a surf film by Thomas Campbell.
VanWyngarden provided the voice for the character 'Mystery' in the 2011 animated film 'The Death and Return of Superman'.
“We were making fun of the idea of being rock stars, and then it kind of happened.”
