The alternative-pop and pop-rock artist, Piper Connolly, is back with “unapologetic”. Her latest single takes aim at the pressures faced to make yourself more palatable for other people.
Connolly uses the song to embrace the parts of herself that may be considered too loud, too emotional, too dramatic or simply too much.
The Phoenix, Arizona-bred, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter said that "unapologetic" is about finally letting go of the idea that she has to explain, soften, or edit herself to make other people comfortable.
“I wrote it from that place of being a little reckless, a little dramatic, maybe too loud or too quiet depending on who you ask, and deciding that none of that makes me wrong.
“It’s about self-acceptance, imperfection, and refusing to apologise for feeling things fully. I hope people hear it and feel permission to stop overthinking who they are. Perfection is overrated, and I’d rather be real, messy, and completely myself than pretend to be someone easier to understand,” she said.
The song follows “beautiful life”, which brought Connolly’s music to South African radio and reached the 5FM Top 40.
While that song was about rediscovering joy, “unapologetic” turns the attention towards what happens when you stop questioning whether you should be yourself in the first place.
There is a distinctly South African thread running through Connolly’s current run of releases too. “unapologetic” was produced by South African producer Esjay Jones, alongside Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft, with Grammy-winning mixing engineer Nathan Dantzler of The Hit Lab handling the mix.
For the 15-year-old, the single is also part of a bigger introduction to her forthcoming EP, “she’s too much!”, due on September 25.
The six-song project marks a new stage in the Phoenix singer-songwriter’s young career. Still in her mid-teens, Connolly is becoming more assured in the sound and identity she wants to bring to her music, moving beyond experimentation and towards something that feels distinctly hers.
“I’m at the perfect spot, because there are a lot of people my age listening to my kind of music, which gives me that space to be very authentic and honest. My peers understand and feel it, while older people can look back and be like ‘I felt like that, too’,” she said.
That sound leans more heavily into rock this time around, something Connolly said has been influenced by the renewed interest in the genre.
“We’re seeing rock music come back and that’s giving me the opportunity to incorporate that more into my own music,” she explained.
“So, this era is definitely more edgy and rock-based; more sure of itself and confident than it was before.”
The EP brings her love of 2000s pop-rock together with candid stories about growing up. Recorded in Los Angeles, it moves through love, heartbreak, celebration, defiance and self-acceptance, while keeping the energy and melodic pull that runs through her music.
Connolly’s influences stretch across generations. Her parents introduced her to Queen and David Bowie, while Alanis Morissette's confessional songwriting and the pop-rock of Avril Lavigne and Ashlee Simpson also shaped her taste.
More contemporary artists including Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish sit alongside those influences in the music she is making now.
“I’ve always been drawn to high-energy, emotional music. Artists who weren’t afraid to be loud, raw, and real,” she said.
That combination of nostalgia and present-day pop informs “she’s too much!”, which looks at the excitement, uncertainty, romance and ambition of growing up while Connolly is still experiencing it herself.
Her background in performance goes back to the age of five, and her experience in acting has also shaped her stage presence.
She has already built an audience with her music receiving attention from EARMILK, Atwood Magazine and LADYGUNN. She has also performed alongside Police drummer Stewart Copeland and Doors guitarist Robby Krieger.
According to Connolly, “she’s too much!” is less about trying to prove where she belongs and more about capturing where she is right now.
“It’s the perfect encapsulation of everything in my life right now. It’s soft at times and about love, and then you have edgier and sadder songs that are about heartbreak. But all of it is really about being yourself, being loud, and having fun!”
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