Sharp-as-nails Bay-area songwriter Connor Zwetsch first began to get noticed when she was a contestant on Season 13 of American Idol. Her vibrant and heart-felt vocals were one thing, but where she shines best is when she's putting all that emotion and talent into songs of her own making. While the majority of Connor's catalog is dipped into the honey-like substance of folksy acoustic pop, things took a bit of an unexpected pop-punk turn for her newest single "Loud Song FDor Lost Girls", which paves the way for her upcoming debut album. Don't hear it all from us though, check this amazing new song and let our interview with this equally amazing young artist illuminate things for you, and -why not?- brighten your day just as much. Check it out.
Connor, this song sounds 2000’s pop-punk. It immediately took me back to Blink 182 and those amazing groups I used to listen to at that time. It’s great how you take those classics and add your own style. What was on your mind when you wrote the song and what’s the story behind it? Ah! That makes me quite happy to hear—early 2000’s nostalgia was totally the intention. It was that awkward stage in my life when I was figuring out who I was in relation to the world and to other people and that era of music influenced me immensely. I wanted to write a song for young Connor and girls like her. Loud Song for Lost Girls started as a melody I hummed into my phone. I played it for my friend in my living room and we had a finished song an hour later. I just wanted to write about feeling young, misunderstood, unsure, and a bit invisible. Growing up is hard, fitting in is hard, being a human is hard—connecting to music can make it a little easier. How would you describe “Loud Song for Lost Girls” compared to your past music material? Loud Song for Lost Girls is far more “me” than the music I’ve previously released—the entire album is. I wrote my first EP nearly a decade ago when I was eighteen. I had yet to find my voice. I loved writing and performing songs, but I desperately needed some time to learn, evolve, and discover who I am as an artist. How do you connect with the title of this song? I was once a lost girl who found solace in listening and playing music. I’d blast Taking Back Sunday and Brand New and Paramore and scream along. I’d lock myself in my room for hours, playing the trombone, teaching myself the guitar, pretending I could sing. Now I’m a lost woman who finds solace in listening and playing music. The only differences are that my hair is graying, I can sing now, and I can no longer play the trombone. Why did you start making music? The boy I had a crush on in middle school chose band as his elective; then I fell in love—with music, not the boy. What kind of emotions and experiences are you interested in revealing through your music? Rawness, authenticity, honesty. I think it’s clear that I’m not trying to get everyone out on a dance floor. I’m not trying to lead a revolution. I’m just writing songs about my experiences and my feelings and maybe some people will sing along and think “I have felt this way too.” The Girls of My Youth is a narrative. It starts by examining my relationship with myself as a young girl, and then it moves through my most influential relationships that brought me to where I am now. It’s a look back at who I was and the people who—for better and for worse—changed me along the way and helped me become who I am. What artists are on your inspiring list right now? There are too many! Talking Heads, Feist, Bleachers, Simon & Garfunkel, Haim, Jade Bird, Harry Styles, Phoebe Bridgers—I could keep going. In the middle of this crazy world, what does success mean to you? Success is being surrounded by the people I love and having enough time to do the things I love.
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