Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Conner Cherland. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Conner, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
My ability to take risks comes from the example of my parents, and their parents.
My grandpa grew up in the Philippines and took a risk by joining the U.S. Navy in exchange for citizenship. He didn’t know anybody in America, or the Navy, and it sure didn’t help being brown back then. He started a new life which led his daughter to meet my dad in Alameda, CA. My parents took a risk when they moved from Minnesota to Lancaster, CA for a couple teaching jobs (sight unseen). My parents were told there’d be a lake in Lancaster (it’s a complete desert just up the 14 freeway). Their risks were made in order to create financial stability for me and my generation. They wanted me to live a life where I’d be covered financially, loved, and supported by both parents in my extracurriculars.
Around college I started to wonder what was next – like, what’s the next frontier for me now that I’ve been raised in all of this comfort? Probably living as boldly and as authentically as I possibly can…showing the world what it could look like when a well-loved child learns to hustle. Maybe I could prove that lack isn’t the ultimate driver, or maybe I’d show people what it’s like to be happy as you strive for something outside your reach.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Cherland’s ten song album “LAKE” released on October 27th, followed by the album release party in Los Angeles on November 10th.
Cherland’s newest project is equal parts rapturous and refined, its main objective being to plumb the depths of human feeling while showcasing how he’s honed his craft. “I want music to be more of an unconscious act. I don’t just want to be a clever writer — I want these songs to cost me something,” he admits.
And certainly, this album is proof of the lengths Cherland has traveled for his music career. After quitting his tech job to go all-in, he released his first independent, self-funded EP and moved to Los Angeles in 2022. When contemplating what would come next, he kept returning to one of his biggest sources of inspiration: the score of the Cartoon Network series Over the Garden Wall. He casually shot a message to the show’s team, not expecting an answer. Since then, they’ve offered him their mentorship by teaching him music theory and song composition, and their band, The Blasting Company, will be featured on LAKE.
Cherland spent four months taking the concepts he learned from The Blasting Company and tucking them into the folds of fifty songs, an experience he described as borderline religious: “The routine did feel special, because the vision of writing an entire album helped me settle into the act of writing day after day, and the whole time I just believed there was going to be a forest through the trees.”
At the same time, he was facing the extensive costs that go into recording and producing an album. Cherland made a case to his fanbase for crowdfunding, and the response blew him away. Within a matter of weeks, he was able to meet his funding goal.
What resulted is an album that honors the playfulness of Cherland’s signature acoustic style, while incorporating refined technical music components that create rich sonic landscapes. He decided to release two singles prior to the entire album: “Drugs,” and “Rocket,”. Each of these songs explore the power of dreams, the journey of personal loss, and the weighty, ever-present souvenirs of love.
When asked how he approached this project, Cherland thoughtfully muses, “You don’t really get to pick what an album is about, do you?” After experiencing the death of a close family friend, much of his music composition was informed by the process of navigating grief, faith dynamics, and human intimacy. “People almost get to that point of sharing their burden and then won’t let it out. They don’t understand that it’s an honor to bear their pain with them. That’s what life is about — being in it together.”
That’s the ultimate project of LAKE. To give listeners brief moments of presence. To help them break through barriers. To share the weight.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey?
Work ethic, long-term perspective, and prioritization.
I didn’t grow up playing music, so I’ve had to be pretty deliberate about slowly improving as an adult. I would practice new songs during 2-3hr live performances when I was playing empty hotel lobbies or wine bars. Now I’ll take gigs that are a little outside of my comfort zone in order to put pressure on myself to learn quicker. If you don’t have a deadline, you can practice forever and not really improve.
Prioritization is about keeping the main thing the main thing. Want to be a good songwriter? You need to be consistently writing songs, trying on different styles, and seeing how you can blend other disciplines into your authentic writing voice. You need to practice listening to different styles and appreciating where they excel and where they fall short. Take in the good, improve on the shortcomings, and you’ll find some sort of style all your own.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Get good at writing lists, or keeping a journal. Overwhelm and burnout are your body telling you that you’ve gone too far. Try to be in constant communication with yourself. Feeling a little stressed? Take the time to find out where that stress lives.
Musicians often live in an awkward state of “I feel stressed because I’m not where I thought I’d be by X years old”. When that thought becomes overwhelming, think about what a “successful” musician does and has. They probably have promo videos and have a large repertoire, among hundreds of other skills. See if there’s a way you can look more like them today, in a week, in a month, and in a year. Write those things out and take a step today toward that goal. Take pride in achieving a small step, and let that overwhelm rest in the knowledge that you’re making actual progress instead of hopeless worrying.
Contact Info:
- Website: ConnerCherland.com
- Instagram: @connercherland
- Facebook: @connercherland
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conner-cherland-391b3b36/
- Youtube: @itsconnercherland
Image Credits
All Photos by Josie Farrior
