A whimsical diversion has turned into a career for Andrew Cohen, the high-tenor soul man known as Mayer Hawthorne. Previously a DJ/beatmaker, Cohen unwittingly launched a long-term pursuit under his primary stage name with "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" (2008), a bittersweet pop-soul single with a dusty and amateurish charm. The multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer/songwriter soon landed a major-label contract that led to Top Ten entries on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop album chart, namely How Do You Do (2011), Where Does This Door Go (2013), and Man About Town (2016). Cohen could have remained strictly a retro-soul stylist, but he has also integrated smooth funk and breezy soft-rock flavors with a modern production aesthetic. At the same time, he has explored other sounds as one-half of Jaded Incorporated and Tuxedo. Since making the third Tuxedo album, Cohen has issued his fifth Mayer Hawthorne LP, Rare Changes (2020).