Growing up in a small Kansas town as the daughter of an inspirational top-ten recording artist, Piper Landon was always drawn to music. At 15 she signed her first record deal and went on to star as ‘cKenzi’ on the sitcom iShine Knect. She has since been featured on numerous TV shows, movies, podcasts and blogs as well as performing extensively throughout the United States, Canada and Africa.

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1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?

I grew up with a mom that is a singer for a living and my dad is her manager. My siblings and I would tour with them through the summers when we were off school, and I think I knew from a young age that I wanted to be involved in the music industry in some way.

2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?

I’m not sure who my music truly emulates at this point, but I look up to songwriters like Sasha Sloan, Julia Michaels and Alec Benjamin. If I could be compared to any of them, I would be beyond honored.

3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the kind of songs you write? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a musician?

Oh boy. Signing to bad management when I was eighteen caused me to sign an even worse record deal, where they literally owned my name. I couldn’t play shows without their approval. I couldn’t do anything. I legally changed my name to Piper because of them, and that was a really hard time in my life. I think something that has been hard more recently in my journey of being a full time creative is growing at different paces than the people that you work with, whether that be emotionally, talent-based, or whatever. It’s really hard to know that you have to let some people go and move on to further your own journey.

4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your song-writing and recording process?

I can’t say that I really prepare myself to write songs, I just kind of dive in. Typically I write with a team, and we work together to pick out (or create) a track, and then build melodies and write the lyrics. I have been writing with one of my co-writers, William Lovely, for the last four years and writing with the same person consistently really pushes you to grow as a writer. Will has done so much for me as an artist. My new release, For A Lifetime, was co-written with the BSE guys in Atlanta along with Will as my lyric co-writer. Working with a new team is also something that is so fun and I highly recommend removing yourself from your bubble at a certain point and working with new people.

5.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed?

Something I read the other day was talking about how we put so much pressure on ourselves to release music at the right time, create ‘right’, and do things to get noticed. It was really convicting to me as it went on to say that – the timing like everything in life, is never going to actually be 100% right. Each season brings new possibilities and new setbacks. As an indie artist I think a big thing I’m focusing on right now is just releasing content and new music when I see fit, and the rest will come.

6.) Would you rather be on a major label or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regards to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?

I lean towards both sides. After getting burned by the smaller label when I was 18, I hesitated for a long time before being willing to walk down the label path again. I’d say that I’m open to it – while knowing that the label industry isn’t the same as it used to be. I do think the traditional music model as we know it is dead, or at least dying. Social media has changed everything, in every industry. I don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing.

7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?

I think if an artist has a song that is well known enough, and they (or management) knows how to market them well in other avenues aside from social media, I think that they could survive. With that being said, as a new artist, if you aren’t willing to get into social media, I think that’s going to be a really hard road. Personally, aside from music, I do social media for a living as an influencer. It has only benefitted my career as a musician and I believe it is a huge tool for success.

8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?

I think being a ‘sell out’ is such an odd phrase. That you changed what you’re doing in some aspect to make a living for yourself? Or that you are doing what ‘the man wants’? If an artist truly wants to remain in a certain niche or write about a certain thing, they can make that happen while still making publicly sought after music. I truly believe that.

9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

I think that’s the hardest question yet. ha! I’m hoping to just keep building on what I’m currently doing – touring, writing music, releasing music I’m passionate about.