Some artists chase trends. Adam Hanke built his own lane instead — and gave it a name.
The Oregon, Wisconsin native has spent the better part of 14 years developing what he calls Grove Pop, a genre that fuses melodic electronic and house production with lyrics rooted in personal storytelling. For Hanke, who also competes as a professional endurance runner, the sound isn’t a side project. It’s the other half of a discipline he’s practiced his whole career, on the road and in the booth.
His latest release, “Rewriting Our Story,” featuring “Rivers and Roads,” is out now and available to stream on Spotify. Fans can also follow his day-to-day on Instagram.
A Genre Born From Two Disciplines
Hanke describes himself as signed and under agreement on two fronts: as a musician working through a distribution partner, and as a professional athlete under brand and training partnerships. It’s an unusual combination, but he says the two pursuits have never felt separate.
“Music and running have never been separate things — they’re the same discipline expressed two different ways,” Hanke said. The patience and repetition required to train for endurance events, he explained, is the same mindset he brings into the studio when refining a track until it feels honest.
That philosophy is baked into Grove Pop itself. Hanke calls it a blend of melodic electronic and house influences layered over heartfelt, imagery-driven songwriting — dance-ready production paired with real emotional weight underneath. His influences range from classical composition and orchestration to the melodic sensibility and showmanship of Michael Jackson, giving the sound a wide-reaching, genre-blurring quality.
Collaboration has also shaped the sound. Hanke points to his work with fellow artist Furrow, a labelmate on Green Tea Distribution, as one example of the trade-off that fuels his process — trading vocal features for distribution insight, and building something neither artist could have created alone.
Faith, Community, and the Bigger Picture
Ask Hanke what drives him and the answer isn’t industry success. It’s a clear order of priorities: God, family, country, community, and then the world. He says that grounding is what keeps him consistent even when the music business gets noisy and competitive.
Faith runs through nearly every part of his story. Hanke describes music as a way of working through his own trauma and making sense of his life, with his faith at the center of that process. He hopes listeners walk away from his songs feeling less alone — the same way he says running has taught him to push through hard moments.
That same values system extends beyond the music. Hanke says he actively supports charities both locally and internationally and puts real time into volunteering and community involvement, calling it part of the same values that shape everything else he does artistically.
What’s Next for Grove Pop
Hanke isn’t just building a sound for himself — he wants Grove Pop to grow into something bigger. His goal is for the genre to eventually become a space other artists can build within, not just a label attached to his own catalog.
On the release side, he plans to keep putting out music that ties together faith, running, and lived experience. On the athletic side, he’s working toward advancing further in competitive running, a pursuit he says feeds directly back into his music. For Hanke, growing both halves of his career at once — rather than sacrificing one for the other — is the whole point.
“Rewriting Our Story,” featuring “Rivers and Roads,” is streaming now on Spotify. Follow Adam Hanke’s journey on Instagram for updates on new music and his running career.