It only takes about 30 seconds of chatting with singer/songwriter Piper Connolly to understand that she’s a real-deal rockstar. Your first clue might be the fiery red streaks in her hair (welcome back, Y2K Avril aesthetic!). Or perhaps it’s the fact that her Zoom background features a wall of acoustic guitars and a shimmery green drum kit. Or maybe her effortless-yet-mega-impressive knowledge of classic rock legends is what tips you off.
Either way, you can tell Piper doesn’t just play music, she lives it—and has for nearly her whole life. “I started really singing and taking vocal lessons when I was just five years old,” says the Phoenix-based performer. “The first song I ever covered was “Royals” by Lorde.” Confirmed: Her taste has always been top tier.
She’s been dropping solo singles for about a year and a half, and today marks the release of her latest project, “chameleon”, a sweeping, synthy alt-pop jam about self-confidence (or lack thereof). And spoiler alert, you’ll want to break out your air guitar on first listen…
We sat down with Piper and she spilled the secrets to overcoming your greatest insecurities, styling the perfect retro outfit and penning *the* grunge girl anthem of the summer.
Girls’ Life: Your new single “chameleon” is out now. What do you hope people take away from it when they listen?
Piper Connolly: “chameleon” is all about that relatable feeling of envy. That feeling of wishing you can change your skin and be anyone but you—whether that be for popularity or success or to fit in or stand out. It’s got a message I have to tell myself a lot: Be yourself, and don’t try to be anyone but you.
GL: Any advice for gals who really relate to the feelings of jealousy you sing about on “chameleon”?
Piper: I’ll say it again, as cliche as it is: Be yourself. Not only that, but remember no one is looking at your flaws as much as you are. I’ve had struggles with self-confidence and that’s been something I’ve had to take a moment and learn over time.
GL: What’s your fave genre of music to make?
Piper: I would say “chameleon” is a fun, summer-y bop. I was super inspired by our current pop girlies like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, and I wanted to bring a little more of a rock-y element to it.
As for my sound in general, I want to cover everything. I have some harder rock tunes, some super poppy songs, I’ve even written some jazz, so we’ll see where that goes!
GL: Which instruments do you play?
Piper: I play guitar and keys. Plus, I’ve been teaching myself the drums.
GL: And if you could wake up tomorrow and be a pro at any instrument you’d choose…
Piper: Oh, that’s a hard question. Because I feel like you learn something about yourself when you’re trying to teach yourself a new instrument. I’ve learned a lot about patience in trying to teach myself the drums. There’s been many nights I’ve been up like, “Ugh, why can’t I just play this song?”, but you’ve got to just take a minute. On the other hand—and this is really random—but I’d love to play the saxophone.
GL: What does your songwriting process usually look like?
Piper: For me, it entirely depends. Sometimes I’ll get an idea for a riff in my head. Sometimes it’ll be a lyric or melody that comes to me. Or I’ll write poems and those will turn into lyrics. A lot of the time, my mom and I will collaborate on the lyrics. She’s so great. She seems to always know exactly what I want for a song. We work very well together
GL: Do you have any pre-performance rituals you do before you hit the stage?
Piper: I feel like I always make myself really nervous waiting to get on stage. I jump around a bit. I try to shake the nerves off. I read poetry sometimes to myself to try and calm myself down, as geeky as that sounds.
GL: And how would you describe your onstage style?
Piper: My entire closet is eras. You can look and I dress like different decades on different days. For performing, I almost always wear this frilly collared shirt, a colorful vest and sequined pants. I wear a lot of 70s style clothing these days, but it’s ultimately whatever feels like me in the moment.
✨🎸 A few fast faves with Piper Connolly ✨🎸
Biggest artistic inspo? “There’s a billion I could name. I’m a huge Taylor Hawkins fan. Him, Foo Fighters, The Struts, Queen, Alanis Morisette.”
Dream collab? “Even if my music sounds nothing like them, there’s so many musicians where I’d be curious to see their songwriting process. Like Mother, Mother—I honestly can’t think of another band who sounds like them.”
Musical super power? “I love commanding a stage. I grew up on Freddie Mercury, you know? So I knew a thing or two from a young age about what a good frontman should look like.”
Summer bucket list item? “I just love going to see concerts. Which is funny because here in AZ I tend to overheat. But I love seeing the way other people perform.”
Recently on replay? “Super into Doechii, been loving Raye—all these current women in music are so awesome to see.”
Follow us on IG @girlslifemag for more music recs!
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