Holly Conlan

Having met her Kickstarter goal to help produce her new record which will be released this October, Los Angeles native Holly Conlan continues to garner well deserved attention. Already a fixture in Hollywood’s Hotel Cafe scene, her songs have also appeared on hit TV shows, and on her first national tour she opened up for Grammy nominated artist Sara Bareilles. Conlan’s influences in pop, rock, and folk have merged into sweet melodies and sentimental love songs. Premiering her video for the first single, “Stay and Play”, off of her forthcoming album, it tells the tale of a possibly failing relationship. As Conlan tries to get the message across that what she and her guy have together is everything she wants, it’s almost frustrating to watch him not realize what a babe he has sitting beside him. Of course, there’s an optimistic and playful turn of events. Watch the premiere below: - LADYGUNN

Having met her Kickstarter goal to help produce her new record which will be released this October, Los Angeles native Holly Conlan continues to garner well deserved attention. Already a fixture in Hollywood’s Hotel Cafe scene, her songs have also appeared on hit TV shows, and on her first national tour she opened up for Grammy nominated artist Sara Bareilles. Conlan’s influences in pop, rock, and folk have merged into sweet melodies and sentimental love songs. Premiering her video for the first single, “Stay and Play”, off of her forthcoming album, it tells the tale of a possibly failing relationship. As Conlan tries to get the message across that what she and her guy have together is everything she wants, it’s almost frustrating to watch him not realize what a babe he has sitting beside him. Of course, there’s an optimistic and playful turn of events. Watch the premiere below: - LADYGUNN

As she takes the stage with a glass of beer, a cocktail dress and cowgirl fringe heels, the audience doesn’t really know what to expect from Holly Conlan. She’s playing The Satellite in Silver Lake. There’s a dance floor in front of the stage and it’s an unusual venue for her. She’s got a lot on her mind.

“I’m trying to be more free, and not glued to the piano, and move around a bit more,” she says. “And somehow let it be visually interesting as opposed to just musically.”

Lately, Conlan’s been inspired by mainstream pop music, a category she, in the past, has tended to avoid. The decision to embrace it actually had a positive effect. She’s loosened up, inching out from behind the piano. That mindset is on display as she runs through a set list of new material.
“I wanted to step outside the singer-songwriter realm a little more,” she says of her new album, The Sirens. “I did this whole album, and basically when it came time to, ‘We should play this stuff,’ it was like, ‘How the hell are we going to play this stuff live?’”

The Sirens, scheduled for an October 22nd release date, will follow up a previous LP and EP, but it marks the first time she has served as a producer.

Discovering her new, more layered sound required a lot of 3 a.m. writing sessions (“Inspiration seems to hit late at night,” she says), learning new programs, overcoming her perfectionist tendencies with vocals, and toying around with synths. The result of which can already be heard on the first single “Stay and Play,” available today on iTunes. - Stereotude

As she takes the stage with a glass of beer, a cocktail dress and cowgirl fringe heels, the audience doesn’t really know what to expect from Holly Conlan. She’s playing The Satellite in Silver Lake. There’s a dance floor in front of the stage and it’s an unusual venue for her. She’s got a lot on her mind.

“I’m trying to be more free, and not glued to the piano, and move around a bit more,” she says. “And somehow let it be visually interesting as opposed to just musically.”

Lately, Conlan’s been inspired by mainstream pop music, a category she, in the past, has tended to avoid. The decision to embrace it actually had a positive effect. She’s loosened up, inching out from behind the piano. That mindset is on display as she runs through a set list of new material.
“I wanted to step outside the singer-songwriter realm a little more,” she says of her new album, The Sirens. “I did this whole album, and basically when it came time to, ‘We should play this stuff,’ it was like, ‘How the hell are we going to play this stuff live?’”

The Sirens, scheduled for an October 22nd release date, will follow up a previous LP and EP, but it marks the first time she has served as a producer.

Discovering her new, more layered sound required a lot of 3 a.m. writing sessions (“Inspiration seems to hit late at night,” she says), learning new programs, overcoming her perfectionist tendencies with vocals, and toying around with synths. The result of which can already be heard on the first single “Stay and Play,” available today on iTunes. - Stereotude

For her forthcoming new album, The Sirens (due on October 22), Holly Conlan shed any previous fears about how best to define herself as a musical artist. "I let go of being afraid of being considered pop," the singer-songwriter told ELLE.com. "Because although there might be a lot of tragically empty pop music out there, there's also a lot of smartly written pop music. And there's room for more."


The Sirens' standout cut is "X Marks The Spot," a rock-influenced take on love’s wicked games, splayed with loud guitars and equally vibrant drums. You can listen to the track exclusively below.


Conlan described the song as: "a fun and sexy take on when you have that magical and unspoken connection with someone. There's that tension that you're both aware of but you're not allowed to talk about. This song is when you finally say, 'The hell with it. Let's do this. Let's rock the boat!'"


She first appeared on the national stage with her 2007 Bird EP, and then further increased her profile after joining friend Sara Bareilles on a 2010 national tour. "She has such loving and fanatic fans that they came in with an open mind," Conlan said of the tour. "I felt like, 'Okay, I can be me and these people are going to give me a chance.'"


Conlan relied on her fans even more for The Sirens: The singer started a Kickstarter campaign to help finance the album, and she ended up raising over $15,000. "I felt a little funny about inviting people into that process," she admitted. "But I eventually realized that's the way it works now. You kind of have to be an open book." - Elle Magazine

For her forthcoming new album, The Sirens (due on October 22), Holly Conlan shed any previous fears about how best to define herself as a musical artist. "I let go of being afraid of being considered pop," the singer-songwriter told ELLE.com. "Because although there might be a lot of tragically empty pop music out there, there's also a lot of smartly written pop music. And there's room for more."


The Sirens' standout cut is "X Marks The Spot," a rock-influenced take on love’s wicked games, splayed with loud guitars and equally vibrant drums. You can listen to the track exclusively below.


Conlan described the song as: "a fun and sexy take on when you have that magical and unspoken connection with someone. There's that tension that you're both aware of but you're not allowed to talk about. This song is when you finally say, 'The hell with it. Let's do this. Let's rock the boat!'"


She first appeared on the national stage with her 2007 Bird EP, and then further increased her profile after joining friend Sara Bareilles on a 2010 national tour. "She has such loving and fanatic fans that they came in with an open mind," Conlan said of the tour. "I felt like, 'Okay, I can be me and these people are going to give me a chance.'"


Conlan relied on her fans even more for The Sirens: The singer started a Kickstarter campaign to help finance the album, and she ended up raising over $15,000. "I felt a little funny about inviting people into that process," she admitted. "But I eventually realized that's the way it works now. You kind of have to be an open book." - Elle Magazine