13-year-old pop rocker Piper Connolly has found her craft. From a background in childhood acting to her present dedication to music, Piper has emerged as a teen alt-girlie to watch. Influenced by our favorites from the 90s with her own pop spin, Piper is a 2020s Avril Lavigne leaning on her experiences growing up and being an artist to create relatable music for her audience.
Piper’s latest release is an edgy redux of a classic problem: I like them, but they don’t like me back. Rather than taking the stomp-on-their-feelings, sobbing-in-the-bathroom, or if-I-can’t-have-you-no-one-will routes, Piper takes the high road, and she makes it look easy. But we won’t spoil the story for you. Get all the details on Piper’s music and what inspired “muse” in our full interview below.
Showstopper Magazine Online: What is it like to be a teenage pop-rock artist?
Piper Connolly: It’s great—I really love it! You know, I think it’s like any other craft (painting, cooking, or dancing). If you love it, you’ll work hard at it and hopefully, you continue to get opportunities to enjoy it and share it with others. As for the genre, we are moving into an era of music where genres are blending and melding together. Look at Billie’s latest album, as an example and that really excites me. I’m planning to release an LP early next year, and it will be very genre-blurry and I hope my community digs that too!
SMO: Before music, you were an aspiring actor. What led you to change your career path?
Piper: I still really enjoy acting, but it was always “music first”. I still audition for roles often and am most passionate about roles with a musical element, so I wouldn’t be opposed to acting again in a music-based show or movie. As for a career in music, I never strayed away from it even while I was in intensive actor’s training; I kept my musical training up knowing that I would find my way back here no matter what.
SMO: Where do you find inspiration for your music?
Piper: I find my inspiration in my own experiences and stories that need to be told. Shared experiences that we can relate to, sing about, cry about, or laugh about.
SMO: Is there a story behind “muse”?
Piper: Yes….yes there is. I wrote “muse” when I was dealing with a one-sided crush. It was someone I was collaborating with creatively. We collaborated beautifully together (ugh!) so I needed to decide if I was going to suck it up to keep working with this person, or get caught up in my feelings and lose them completely. I decided to suck it up! It wasn’t easy but it was the best decision I could have made….and a great tune came out of it! BTW, I did not write “muse” with this person—for anyone trying to trace the breadcrumbs!
SMO: What’s your advice for dealing with a crush when the other person doesn’t feel the same?
Piper: Well….what worked for me was to focus on the common things that brought us together in the first place and to continue to focus on the happiness in that. I don’t expect it to work 100% of the time, but if you really want to hold on to the friendship, you need to maintain the common ground. I still have a good cry over some ice cream about it sometimes. That’s okay too!
SMO: Are you still making art with that crush?
Piper: I am!
SMO: You also filmed a music video for “muse.” What was the inspiration for the video?
Piper: I did, and it was so much fun! It was super important for the video to reflect me, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. The setting, for instance, for the video is a nod to several things: first, acknowledging feedback that I’ve gotten that my sound doesn’t follow “the most current trends,” sonically. I’ve been told more than a few times that I should try to sound more like “Billie” or “Taylor” because they are more current and, honestly, I just really want to sound like me. And that is absolutely because I am a composite of the music I grew up listening to. Lots and lots of classic rock, UK prog rock, and foundational music that wouldn’t be considered current. I chose 1973 specifically because, from a stage presence perspective, when I’m performing live, I am heavily influenced by Freddie Mercury—and Queen’s debut album was released in 1973. There are lots of easter eggs in the video, of things that are very “me”…my love of polaroids, the retro color schematics and film treatment, the intentional messy “dancing at the club all night” makeup during the performance scenes, and my merch bear “iconic” even makes an appearance! Overall, it represents me really well.
SMO: You have a few guest stars in the video. Can you tell us about your band?
Piper: As a matter of fact, I do. Logane Gerzetich is a fantastic guitarist I met through music school, and he plays the lead guitar in the video. Connor Ross, also a great guitarist who I met through family friends, plays bass for me in the video. Aaaaaand last, but never least, my big brother, Nick Antonucci plays drums. Nick is a wicked talented multi-instrumentalist with a bunch of his own projects on the go as well. I’m honestly super honored to have had them be a part of the project with me.
SMO: What’s your favorite: live performances, recording, or filming music videos?
Piper: My favorite thing in the entire world is performing live. To have people sing along with you and dance and jump around is just amazing. It is as if the crowd’s energy charges me and I love it so much. There really isn’t anything else like it, for me. I love writing and recording and shooting videos, but the electricity of a live show, that’s where it’s at for me.
SMO: Many of your recent music and lyrics videos link to fundraising opportunities for MusiCares. Can you tell us about what that initiative means to you?
Piper: Firstly, thank you SO much for asking about MusiCares! MusiCares is a non-profit that offers preventive, emergency, and recovery programs to members of the music community. Think of it like a safety net supporting the health and welfare of our community. It was founded by the Recording Academy (of the Grammy Awards!) in 1989 to lend a helping hand in a crisis like mental health and addiction recovery services, health and human services. Music gives SO much to us, it’s important to me that I am able to give back a little. Every little bit helps, so if you see the button to donate to any of my videos, I would be so grateful on behalf of my fellow musicians.
