About

Kara Connolly has it all: charisma, a commanding stage presence, an emotive voice, and that rare gift for writing songs that are simultaneously heartfelt, sincere and undeniably infectious upon first listen. Despite being a wholly independent, self-supported artist, she’s been nominated for three Hollywood Music in Media Awards (Best Independent Music Video and Best Message Song/Social Impact), included on the first-round GRAMMY® ballot twice for “Best Pop Vocal” album, and ranked in industry insider Music Connection Magazine as one of their Top 4 Unsigned Artists of the year with MC declaring, “When the artist’s voice is this good and her material is both eloquent and commercial, the results are unquestionably label ready.” 

After the success of her first record, "Life in Rear View,” which included rave reviews in a variety of tastemaker publications such as The Line of Best Fit, Popdust, and Hollywood Life, as well as sold-out shows at Los Angeles hotspots The Hotel Cafe and Interscope’s The Peppermint Club, Kara’s devoted supporters (or “Karakeets” as they have so proudly claimed their fandom) had a lot to tweet about. She returned with an even bigger bang––a more developed sound and several successful singles, such as “Magic,” “Roses,” “Something More,” “Over You,” “Emotional Vampires,” and “Build A Dream,” resulting in noteworthy features within Billboard AR, Wonderland, SPIN Magazine, Rolling Stone IN, American Songwriter, A BOOK OF, and an exclusive KTLA 5 News performance. “Something More” and its enchanting music video have received well over a quarter of a million views on YouTube and counting. “Magic” was streamed over 100K times on Spotify alone in only its first two months of release. “Roses” charted on “What’s In-Store Music” via AllAccess for spinning in retail stores across the country such as Staples, Subway, Walmart, and Hyatt around 60K times a week. 

Now, Kara’s back with a brand new album “California Queen” — a cathartic alt-pop record centered around self-discovery. Recorded mostly remotely during the pandemic, in collaboration with a variety of talented producers, including #1 hit-makers David Baron (Lana Del Rey, Shania Twain, The Lumineers, Jade Bird) out in New York, and Forest Glen Whitehead (Kelsea Ballerini, Mickey Guyton) in Nashville, “California Queen'' is a triumphant take on stepping into your own power. Well-respected, independent music journal, Atwood Magazine writes, “A soaring, dramatic overhaul of the self roaring with effervescent sonics, [it’s] an impassioned deep dive into a world of fracture and becoming…a refreshing take on one person’s journey of depression, self-discovery, and healing – full of cathartic release and massive, arena-sized reckonings.” 

It’s evident that Connolly believes fun and vulnerability are not mutually exclusive, and in doing so she’s created a record full of memorable hooks, high energy vocals, dreamy guitars, lush backing tracks, and bold lyrics that simultaneously elicit wisdom while examining her innermost thoughts and fears. Created for the recovering people-pleasers, perfectionists, and anxious workaholics of the world, Kara muses, “I wrote these songs almost as mantras. A California Queen acknowledges their self-worth, owns their power, and embraces magic and wonder.” She continues, “California Queen is a state of mind. There is no King or Queen of California, but you can be one by trusting your intuition and making your own rules up as you go.”

Whatever sort of rules Kara is making should be played by. As a songwriter, Kara has written songs that have been placed on multiple Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music editorial playlists and have received major placements within studio films, network television shows, and ads for Lionsgate, ABC, HBO, Netflix, Showtime, IKEA, NBA 2K and more. Represented by Low Profile NYC for music licensing and Malibu Artists Agency for acting, Kara shows no sign of stopping. She continuously works on new music as she simultaneously auditions for network television shows and studio films.

The graduate of The University of Southern California (USC) within the School of Dramatic Arts was also a Magna Cum Laude and shines beyond the mic as she acts as her own creative director, stylist, and producer on all of her music videos and photoshoots. Her ear for infectious hooks is only complimented by her eye for artistic universes, as she creates compelling stories in unique landscapes as the perfect visual representation of her music. Speaking of their excitement for Kara’s new record, I’m Music Magazine put it best: “Kara’s spectacular new vision further solidifies her as a creative force and one to watch.”