We recently connected with Piper Connolly and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Piper, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Being a performer was never an intentional choice. I always knew it was what I wanted to do, and it’s all I’ve ever done – whether it be acting or music- since my first big live performance.

I started performing when I was 5 and my first big performance was in front of about 150 people, belting out Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row… and I was totally and completely hooked. 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. Near and dear to me especially is performing at First Fridays in downtown Phoenix- having the downtown core just come alive, teeming with people and music. It’s pretty magical and I always really look forward to those hometown moments!

Later, I dove into learning piano and then guitar to help with songwriting. And, you know, when you write something– in the beginning– it’s just for you. Whether it be for healing, or cleansing…. But when you release it to the world, it becomes something special for each person who listens to it and vibes with it. And that’s really cool.

Piper, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Sure! I was born and raised in a VERY musical family- my mother was the frontwoman for a bunch of rock and metal bands in her teens and twenties and, later, a session vocalist, my dad plays everyyything, my oldest brother is a tenured local rock/prog/world musician and my other big brother is into beats and R&B. Suffice to say, there has always been and always is music playing in our home.

It was never a choice to be an entertainer, it just always felt like the thing I would do.

I started singing as soon as I could string two words together and my parents noticed that I loved it and that there might be some potential and decided to try some lessons. I took to them immediately!

I started training at School of Rock Gilbert when I was 5 and have been there ever since, although I no longer train there vocally. I went on to work with a vocal coach at Tara Simon’s (from the “X Factor”) Studio and now I work with Jan Smith Studios (Usher & Justin Bieber’s vocal coach). I still perform with School of Rock and take guitar lessons with my mentor (and one of my musical collaborators), Scott Conti. I take piano lessons at home.

As far as acting goes, I have several amazing acting coaches based out of LA and we train virtually.

I do virtual school to accomodate all the creative work I do, and I absolutely LOVE it! It takes a lot of discipline to be able to commit to it, but I definitely recommend it!

When I am not training and working on school, I travel between Los Angeles, Phoenix, Vegas- wherever the work is, for both acting and music. I love performing live, so I jump on collaboration opportunities for live shows- I’ve loved working with Music Tree Productions, and featuring with Audio Freak, to name a few.

I have spent the last year working on original music with my longtime collaborator, Marvin Fockens. He and I have worked together on all but 3 of the originals slated to drop in the next 12-18 months. He just “gets it” and gets me.

I started releasing my music in February of 2024 and continue to write new music constantly.

I am most proud of my ability to be true to myself creatively, even at this age. It’s really important to me that people are their authentic selves- truly- and that includes me. You’ll notice most of my songs sound dissimilar from one another and that’s because I write for how I am feeling that day or that week. Much like my “look” changes from day to day, sonically I might feel edgy one day and sensitive the next. I’ve gotten feedback that I should try to sound more like “Billie” or “Taylor” because that’s what’s hot right now, but I don’t want to be the next them, I want to be the first Piper Connolly.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an entertainer is seeing how my audience consumes my music and interprets it for themselves. Why I write a particular song may not be how you interpret it for yourself, and I love that we can relate to music, as a community, in our own ways. A heartbreak song for me might be a bounce-back song for you– and I love that! Using that same example, I love seeing half the audience with tears in their eyes and the other half with fists in the air- that’s how I know each person has made it their own.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I’ll start with my opinion on social media- from a young person’s point of view. You might be really surprised to learn that I am “super medium” on the hype scale for social media. Good or bad though, it’s a business necessity today and it can be great because it has the ability to create community BUT it can also be super toxic…. I always proceed with caution and take breaks from it whenever I feel like it’s getting to be too much.

That said, building a community is more important than metrics. Don’t just post to market- that gets old really quickly. I like to learn about my favorite musicians and celebrities. Show me your food photos or “get ready with me” pics and videos. I don’t just want a super curated feed of “perfection”.

So, I post with that in mind. What would “I” want to see? I post the real-real. My posts don’t always land thousands of likes or views or whatever, but I think it lands with the people that need to see it in that moment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hernameispiperconnolly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hernameispiperconnolly
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepiperconnolly/
• Twitter: https://x.com/i/premium
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@hernameispiperconnolly
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/piper-connolly-music
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/39CkOPCSGY7GAFoJka2aih?si=eGRJ0cMiQd2nov7BUqpNfQ
  Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/piper-connolly/1730048124
  YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCEhRUCdMFILEGKetkVKhurQ

Image Credits

Patty Powers Photography, Jim Louvau, AZ Protography, Arabella