Cleveland, OH native Connor Flanagan is a recording artist known for his authentic stage presence and unique musical presentation. His first full-length album Close To You landed in the top ten on the iTunes charts upon its release. For his sophomore album, titled Mountains, Connor partnered with three-time Grammy-nominated producer Ric "DJ Form" Robbins (Grits, DC Talk, Kelly Clarkson) as well as Hawksilver Productions. That album opened more doors for Connor than he ever could have imagined, including an opening slot on a short run of shows with Crowder in February of 2018.
Connor recently released his third studio album, Skyscrapers and is committed to writing music that resonates with the human experience. His storytelling abilities paired with his hip-hop vibe are what set him apart and allow him to connect with people from all walks of life.
We took some time to get to know this emerging independent rapper who is climbing some of his own personal skyscrapers.
Thanks for taking some time with us today Connor! Your name might be new to many in our audience, so go ahead and tell us what Connor is all about.
Here's a random story that will give you some insight into my life right now. This past year I have been keenly aware of how many people I walk past on a daily basis. Whether it's in the grocery store, on the sidewalk, in the airport, or a number of other places, I probably walk past hundreds, if not thousands of people per week. What if I stopped and asked each one of these people to teach me something? Everyone has a story, everyone has a past, everyone has a success, failure, struggle; which means everyone has some piece of wisdom that they could share.
So that's what I have been doing! From the clerk at the grocery store to the manager at the gas station, I have been asking random people this question; "If you could teach me one thing, impart one piece of wisdom upon my life, what would it be?"
The responses have been amazing! People feel so valued. I have learned so much, and it has given me such a broader perspective on life. I encourage you to try it!
Outside of being about people, their stories, and trying to bring out the best in those that I encounter, I am "about" Jesus, my family, hip-hop, good coffee, Irish culture, and joy. I currently reside in Saint Paul, MN, but I am originally from Cleveland, OH. The fact that people listen to my music still catches me by surprise.
What are some of your favorite artists and music that you listen to and why?
TobyMac & Mat Kearney are consistently two of my favorite artists. I have always enjoyed their message, writing style, and pursuit of the craft. I have been a fan of both since they first started, and it's been super inspiring to watch them grow to be successful artists. The effort Toby puts into crafting his live show still blows me away. Every detail is thought through, every moment of the show is intentional. His example constantly pushes me to be better.
Another artist that I have been really digging over the past five years is Jon Bellion. His creativity and musical genius is unmatched. His authentic, transparent style of writing has really pushed me to be more creative and raw with my own lyrics.
What are you wanting to communicate with your music?
I just really want people to know who Jesus is and to know that they are not alone in life, regardless of their situation. Fear, failure, hurt, pain, joy, accomplishment, success; all of these bring with them the temptation to turn inward and experience them alone. I want to encourage people to look up! Turn your eyes toward God and find out where your hope truly lies.
I am also passionate about helping people find & know joy. Joy that is real. Joy that is eternal. We craft our live performance in a way that allows a Christ-centered joy to break through, and I have seen people's lives changed because out it. Not because I am some amazing musician, but because I do my best to get out of the way and allow Jesus to use my songs and live show to meet people where they are at.
You speak a lot about hope. What are some of the most hopeless situations that you continually encounter out there with your fans.
I am constantly encountering people who have no idea how to dream. They spend a majority of their day on social media, scrolling through profile after profile, comparing their lives to others rather than investing their time in what God has for them. This constant comparison leads to complacency, and complacency leads to death of our spiritual lives. We take time during our live performance to enter into worship, speak against this culture of comparison, and invite God to inspire us, breathing new life into our gifts and talents. It's one of my favorite parts of our show.
If you could co-write or perform with some other artists, who would you want to work with?
I would love to work with any of the artists I mentioned above; Toby, Jon or Mat.
Let's talk about a few of the songs from Skyscrapers. Tell us about "Into the Wild."
"Into the Wild" is probably the most meaningful track on the record. I wrote this song as I was preparing to become a father for the first time. The unknown of fatherhood and all that it entailed really scared me. The fear of the unknown began to cloud my excitement. With a due date on the horizon, I felt like I was running into the unknown, into "the wild," and there was no way to slow it down. Every time I would sit down to pray, the Lord would reassure me that he would meet me there. That He would meet me in "my wild," my unknown.
In Matthew 4, Jesus willingly goes into the wild. He is literally led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted & tried. That got me thinking about how we should be more willing to run full force into the "unknowns" of life, not letting fear hold us back.
The "wild" is where dreams are pursued, a character is formed, and Jesus is found. The first line of the song sums it up: "The wild/ its where my demons lie/ it's where my fears hide/ it's also where all my dreams reside/ just outside my front door/ deep beneath my skin/ will I muster up the courage to explore". I truly believe that if more people were willing to run into "their wild" rather than run from it, they would more deeply discover who Jesus is and who He made them to be, finding both truth and healing.
From a music standpoint, I wanted to create a track that would lyrically & melodically draw people in, drop them in the wild, and leave them with Jesus. I think we did just that. We also have a feature from Robbie Madison (from Seacoast Worship) on this track. He kills it.
What about "Anchor?"
"Anchor" hits close to home as well. I wrote this song three years ago as I was struggling to finish my previous record Mountains. I sat down one night at the piano and just let this song pour out on to the page. It was my attempt to say "Jesus, no matter what happens with this record, or with my music in general, I know you are in this and will keep me where I need to be." Although she is not featured on the track by name, Liz Merck (a good friend of mine here in the Cities) came through with some killer harmonies and backing vocals that really bring this song to life.
And the title track, "Skyscrapers?"
I love the story that "Skyscrapers" tells. My journey as an artist has not been easy, but it has been incredibly blessed, and I am 100% the product of other people's generosity. Through it all, God's hand has been on my career, and that's really what I try to communicate through this song.
What are some victories you've seen out of never giving up?
I've learned that hard work and generosity will take you places you've never even thought possible. The more I dig in, the harder I work, and the more I generous I am, the clearer my vision becomes, and the easier it is to make it through times of discouragement. Generosity always wins.
As a songwriter, there have been many times throughout my last two projects that I have wanted to give up. Songwriting does not come naturally to me. I work really hard at it. The creative process can be super overwhelming, and when I am knee deep in ideas, sounds and lyrics, it can be way easier (and quicker) to settle for something that sounds just okay, rather than great.
Few people know this, but with my last project "Mountains", we scrapped half of the record and started over because the songs were not coming together how I originally envisioned. It would have been so much easier to give up on those songs, put them out, and my fans would not have known the difference. But I didn't. I leaned into the frustration and pushed through the creative roadblocks, and we came out on the other side with a great record that I am super proud of.
This will forever be the tension I live in as a musician and creative. As soon as the process gets challenging, that's when I know my best work is just around the bend... I just can't give up. Even with knowing this, it doesn't make it easier.
What are you working on right now? What's next?
I am currently working on booking the spring leg of the Skyscrapers Tour. I also just finished up tracking vocals for three new singles that will be coming out in 2019. They are some of my best songs yet. These songs were specifically written to be performed live, so I am really excited to see how they connect with people.
How can we be praying for you?
You can pray for my family. We are expecting our second child this spring and we couldn't be more excited. You can also pray that no matter what stages I end up on, my music and message remain authentic. Making music has never been about climbing to the top, but rather, impacting the people that God puts directly in front of us. I always want that to be the mission.
Kevin McNeese started NRT in 2002 and has worked in the industry since 1999 in one form or another. He has been a fan of Christian music since 1991.
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