Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Kara Connolly

Kara Connolly is a fearless storyteller who’s creating a lasting impact on the world through her craft. The self-supported, independent artist isn’t afraid to do it all on her own, and has racked up countless accolades and performed to sold-out crowds around the US.

This year, she shows off another side of her artistry with the release of “Something More.”

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with this fast-rising star about her career and her latest single.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Kara: That’s a really good question. I’ve always loved music on some level. Even when I was a little kid, I would go to the park and pretend I was in a band and stand on the benches and sing to people that probably weren’t expecting to get that on their daily dog walks. [laughs] I feel like I’ve always been really connected to music.

I loved Shania Twain as a kid. When I went on a cruise ship when I was five or six, I signed up for the talent show. I decided I was going to sing “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by Shania and rip this little clip out of my hair and shake my head.

I think I’ve always had a bit of a performer in me. Some of my friends from back in the day will remind me of songs I wrote when I was in second grade that I have no recollection of. Once they tell me a lyric or something, I’m like, “Oh my gosh. I remember that song.” I can remember the melody and I can remember the song, but I don’t have any memory of writing it. It’s almost as if I’m remembering it as a little jingle on a commercial or something. But I’ve always loved storytelling and creating moments through music.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Kara: That’s a really good question. My parents have had the biggest influence on me. They’ve been so supportive of me and whatever I wanted to do. I have some friends who wanted to do certain things, and their parents gave them a really hard time about it. That’s not to say that they didn’t end up going and doing those things, but sometimes it took years before they were willing to accept that this was what they had to do or wanted to do.

My parents have never been stage parents. When I was a kid, I’d be like, “I want to go to LA” or “I want to audition for this thing.” They’d be like, “Okay, when you get a car, you can take yourself to that audition or you can do that.” They were never the parents that were like, “We’re going to make you a child star.” But they’ve always been supportive.

They were like, “Sure, if you want to go to an acting class, we’ll take you to an acting class. If you want to do this thing, sure, you can do it. If you want to go to college for the arts that can be your major.” They were never like, “You have to be a doctor or study engineering.” I’m really grateful for that because I feel like if you have that type of environment where you’re encouraged to explore and be yourself and aren’t being told you have to be X, Y, or Z, it really allows you to dream and imagine where you could go.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Kara: That’s another really good question. The first thing that popped into my head was my album release show at the Peppermint Club in Los Angeles when I put out my first independent record, Life in Rear View. It was a really cool moment, a culmination of everything I had done so far. My friends from high school came, as well as fans who drove down from Northern California. I had people flying in from Ohio, and people in the industry that I had become friends with were there to support me and help me decorate.

I took over the whole venue and did these themed drinks and had a themed stage with this light-up palm tree and flamingos. We had this little after-party with fans and friends old and new. For whatever reason, that pops into my head out of all the things that have happened over the past few years, from hitting different goals to certain award shows that I’ve been able to go to and the different shows I’ve gotten to play. That moment was a really exciting combination of getting to be on stage and do what I love while having all my favorite people there to enjoy my songs.

PC: Like everybody else, artists have had to adapt to this ongoing pandemic. How were you able to stay creatively fulfilled in the past year? What did you learn about yourself?
Kara: This last year has really informed a lot of what I’m doing currently with my new music. I cut my single “Something More” and dropped a music video for it. I started making this new record right before the pandemic hit, and I realized I could either wait until it was over to pick things back up or I could learn to adapt and try to do things differently. That’s the decision that I made because I was like, “I want to come back with new music sooner than later. I don’t know when this will end. I have to adapt to what’s happening right now.”

I got myself a little home studio and created the songs that I put out over Zoom with my friend, Dan Sadin. We would Zoom for hours. There’s this app called Audiomovers that allows you to hear audio in real time over Pro Tools. That’s how we created “Something More.”

For the music video, we thought about what we could do that would allow for safety precautions and also be in line with the message of the song. We chose to shoot the video in the forest because it was really expansive and that would allow us to follow the safety procedures more easily. The song’s lyrics are introspective and imaginative. The expansiveness of the forest really allowed us to tell the story of “Something More” and convey that feeling of freedom.

PC: You’re an artist that’s been steadily releasing music throughout the years. If you had to pick one of your songs that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Kara: I would pick “Something More” because I feel like it’s a message that I could stand behind through the test of time. I love all of the songs I’ve put out. I have tons of memories attached to all of them. I’m definitely a storyteller, and so a lot of the songs I write come from personal stories and personal experiences. It’s the same with “Something More,” but I feel “Something More” takes on a couple of different meanings. It’s meant something different to me on different occasions I’ve listened to it.

As opposed to certain songs that are more about a single moment, person, or period of time, “Something More” is a song that I could sing forever because whatever that “something more” is is always changing for me. Whatever it is I’m looking for or what I’m trying to let go of is always changing.

Sonically, it’s the latest thing I’ve created. I was really involved in the production process for this one. I was there for every single part that was added over the course of several months. The song feels very much like me, and the message feels very much like me as well.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2021, what can fans expect from you?
Kara: Fans can definitely expect more music. I’ve been continuing to write and produce songs virtually throughout the pandemic. There are more on the way. I would love to do a live show. That’s in the works. My hope is that it can happen sooner rather than later. Those are both two things I’m really excited about being able to do. I’ve been preparing for live shows and new music for a while now.

I’m also excited to see some of my fans in person. If not, then I’ll definitely be doing some more virtual live stream shows. I did some of those during the pandemic, but not to the degree that I know other artists did where they were putting on a live stream show a couple of times a week. I was more focused on producing these songs that are dropping.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Kara: All-American Rejects. I did a cover of “Swing, Swing.” I grew up loving pop-punk music, so I’m really excited to hear that come back. I have a sweet spot in my heart for Warped Tour-era bands.

PC: First album you bought?
Kara: *NSYNC’s self-titled debut album.

PC: First concert you attended?
Kara: That was also *NSYNC. [laughs] I was a big *NSYNC fan. My dad took me to an *NSYNC show. Right after that, I went to see a Britney [Spears] show! We’d either won or gotten row four tickets to Britney.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Kara: That’s such a hard and good question. I’m such an album listener. I love listening to albums from start to finish. I’ll go with Taylor Swift’s Fearless because I know she just did this rerecord and that was a big moment for her, but I grew up listening to Fearless and I really do think that listening to that made me want to be a songwriter. Those songs felt so confessional when I heard them.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Kara: The Hollywood Bowl. I live in Beachwood Canyon, which is a part of Hollywood. The Hollywood Bowl is pretty close to me, and I love going to their summer concert series. It’s just such a magical environment, being outside with the lights and the trees.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Kara: This is random but the first thing that came to mind is handheld facial steamers. Before I play a show, I’ll set up a pot of boiling water and put my head over it with a towel to get some humidity. California is super dry. But when you’re on the road, you can’t necessarily boil a giant pot of water.

To keep up with Kara, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Pick up or stream “Something More” today.