We had a chat with exciting rising pop star Connor Wren following the release of his excellent new video for ‘Skyline Heart’
A thoughtful and engrossing rising pop artist who’s personable appeal and the rousing, emotionally charged nature of his writing has seen him begin to make waves as a catchy and memorable rising pop artist, LA based Connor Wren is somebody who looks poised to keep on rising as he continues to establish his sound and style.
The resonating and soaring scope of the artist’s appeal can be encapsulated in his new single and video ‘Skyline Heart’, a track that feels as picturesque and inspirational as the city that it is based on, evoking the spirit and intrigue of LA in a way that feels commanding and fresh throughout. We love the new release and the uplifting feel of Connor’s sound and appeal, and had a chat with the artist to find out a bit more about his journey as an artist and what more he has planned for the future.
Who TF is Connor Wren?
For a long time, I was the guy behind the scenes, singing background vocals, arranging, producing, helping other artists find their sound. I loved that work, and I still do, but there was this part of me that knew I had my own story to tell. Connor Wren is the version of me that isn’t afraid to step into the spotlight to tell that story.
How long have you been making music?
Music’s been around me for my entire life. My grandma started teaching me how to play music when I was 5 or 6. But I started taking music seriously in high school, writing and arranging for my friends and various groups in the school’s music department. I had big Rachel Berry energy in high school, ha, but I calmed down a little in college. After coming out of the closet when I graduated, things really started to change for me personally and professionally. The drive I’d always had started to shift… I went from wanting to be in the driver’s seat to slowly becoming more of a passenger in my own story. With this new album, I feel like I’ve finally found my way back to the driver’s seat.
Why do you make music?
For me, music has always been a means of joy – especially singing. As an art form, as a means of expression, as a way to connect with people… my voice has always been a huge part of my identity. Finding my way into Connor Wren and this shift from solely working behind-the-scenes to putting my story front and center has definitely been scary, but I know there are so many other struggling queer kids and adults who are going through exactly what I’ve gone through, and I hope that my story and my music give them hope and help them see that they deserve joy too.
What are your biggest influences?
I hear a lot of different artists’ inspirations in my music. The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Charlie Puth, Justin Bieber, The 1975…but if I dig deeper, I hear musical inspirations from the artists that I gravitated towards as a kid: gospel artists like David Phelps, Anthony Evans, Wes Hampton, and more. You can take the boy out of church, but you can’t take the church out of the boy. I think that combination: glossy pop production, emotional vocals, and a slightly dramatic sense of spiritual yearning is very much in the DNA of what I make.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
Releasing Second Adolescence has definitely been the biggest moment for me so far. Not just because it’s my debut album, but because of what it represents in my life.
This album feels like proof that I didn’t abandon myself. I spent so many years helping other people tell their stories, and I’m really proud of that, but something was healing about finally putting my own name, my own voice, and my own experiences at the center. Hearing people connect with my songs, especially the ones about grief, queerness, heartbreak, and rebuilding, has meant more to me than I can really explain.
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
There’s something inherently cinematic about my approach to Top 40s pop, probably because of my background in film score music, but I think Second Adolescence has shades of so many different styles: rock, funk, disco, punk, pure pop, dancefloor, and so many more. I’ve spent years as a background vocalist and session singer for artists with wildly different sounds, so my love of variety definitely comes through on this record. The throughline is emotion. No matter how I approach a song production-wise, I try to keep my lyric writing vulnerable and personal underneath it.
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
Look, I think every artist dreams of winning a Grammy or performing on a big awards show, or selling out a stadium. Would any of those things be incredible? I mean, yes, absolutely. I won’t pretend I wouldn’t be dramatic about that.
But more than anything, I want people to connect with my songs. I want someone to hear one of my lyrics and feel like their own messy, complicated life has been understood for three minutes. I don’t know how far that journey is going to take me, but I believe in the power of connection and storytelling. That’s the dream right now: to keep reaching people and to build something real.
We love the new music video for your track ‘Skyline Heart’, what more can you tell us about it?
The video is about the moment I chose to leave my old life behind. I get in the car and drive away into the night, remembering the past while also reaffirming my choice to search for more. It’s not really a “look how healed I am” kind of video. It’s more about that in-between space where you’re scared, heartbroken, and unsure, but you know you can’t stay where you are anymore.
That’s the emotional center of the song for me: not having it all figured out, but still choosing to move forward. There’s a little Easter egg at the very end of the music video too, teasing what’s next… I might not be Taylor Swift or Beyonce, but I still love dropping bread crumbs for the fans.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I’m in the process of getting vinyl records printed for Second Adolescence, which I’m really excited about. In the next couple of months, I’m hoping to have those ready for sale at future shows. I have a few different musical projects in the works that aren’t quiiiite ready to announce, but there are definitely some Connor Wren shows in the works, so stay tuned! Some more music videos, some new remixes and features, and definitely plenty of opportunities to see me live.
And finally, who is your biggest fan right now?
I’m going to risk sounding cheesy with this – but my biggest fan is the kid version of me. There’s this big “healing your inner child” trend that’s been going around social media for the last year, and while I know it can sound a little overused, there’s something very real about it.
That idea actually inspired several songs on Second Adolescence, especially “Your Sunrise Is Coming.” That song in particular is me talking to the younger version of myself: the kid who was singing showtunes in his bedroom, dreaming big, and trying to understand himself before he had the language for it.
For a long time, I think I was trying to become someone more acceptable, more useful and more worthy. Second Adolescence feels like me coming back to that kid and saying, “You were never too much. You just need to keep going.”
So yeah, my biggest fan is probably younger me. And honestly, I know he’s proud.
