March 29, 2024
Amanda Pappalardo is a singer and songwriter based in southern California. Amanda has loved to sing since she was a child and has participated in many musical and theatrical productions throughout her life. Pappalardo has performed at venues such as the Orange County Fair and the Slidebar in Fullerton CA. After taking some time off of music and performing to focus on college, Pappalardo decided to pursue music, which has always been her number one passion, once more and she is overjoyed to share her music with the world.

In addition to music, Pappalardo is a freelance publicist and is passionate about Public Relations and the wonderful opportunities it provides. During her college experience, Pappalardo interned at such establishments as NBCUniversal, Persona PR, and Fender. Pappalardo currently has a growing roster of bands and musicians that she represents and she looks forward to continuing to grow her Public Relations knowledge and experience. Pappalardo continues to innovate and create ways to combine her passion for music and performing with her love and knowledge of Public Relations and she looks forward to pursuing her music journey.

Lisa: Hey Amanda! Growing up, how important was music in your life? Can you recall the moment when you decided that you wanted to be a musician? Was it an easy or difficult choice to make?

Amanda:Hi! Thanks for having me! Music has always been the most important thing in my life and it’s something that has been in me since I was born practically. My dad is a musician and would always play guitar in the house so I grew up with music constantly being played and that influence made me want to do what the artists I listened to were doing and I knew from very early on that music was always going to be a part of my life. I remember when I was around 5 years old I used to take a paper plate, some ribbon, and the cardboard insert of a paper towel roll and make a fake guitar that I used to pretend was real and I would put on fake concerts in my room for my family where I would pretend I was performing for thousands of people. I don’t think there was ever a specific moment I knew I wanted to be a musician. I think it was just always something I wanted to do. Music is a part of who I am and it always has been and that made the decision to actually become a musician very easy.

Lisa: When did you start playing guitar? Did you learn to sing first, or play the guitar?

Amanda: I started playing guitar when I was 13 years old and I don’t think i’ve put my guitar down since. My first passion in music was guitar and I wanted more than anything to play guitar in a band and perform for people. When I discovered singing, however, that took over my life and it became my favorite thing in the world. I started officially taking voice lessons when I was 10 years old and it’s been my passion ever since.

Lisa: Your sound has an awesome vibe. How would you describe the music that you typically create?

Amanda: Thank you! I don’t really know how to describe my sound other than saying it’s just me. I grew up on bands like Boston, Cheap Trick, Queen, Van Halen, Tom Petty, and The Goo Goo Dolls and I think those influences have always been very apparent in my music ever since I started writing and playing music. I try to write songs and melodies that are real and that people can relate to. Most of my songs are about real situations in life that we all face and I try to take those topics and put my own spin on them.

Lisa: Do you get creative blocks? If so, what do you do to move past them?

Amanda: Absolutely. When I get in creative blocks I often just sit and jam on my guitar with no pressure or strings attached to it. Usually that leads to a chord progression or riff that I haven’t played before and that usually inspires me and gets me out of my creative block. I also think it’s important when in a creative block to look at situations and things in life that resonate with you and figure out what about those things hits you the way it does and use that as inspiration. It’s super easy in a creative block to put pressure on ourselves to create something great and I think it’s important to remember that nothing has to be forced. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to create when you’re in a block. Take it day by day and create what feels right.

Lisa: You’re latest single “Inside” is awesome. What inspired you to write it?

Amanda: Thank you so much that means a lot! I was at a very pivotal moment in my life where a lot was changing around me and I had a lot of questions not only about the world but about myself. It made me think a lot about how we all go through our own journeys of finding out who we are and often we’re scared to ask ourselves the important questions in life and that inspired “Inside”.

Lisa: How do you nourish your creative side when you’re not working? And how do you avoid burnout?

Amanda:I am always playing and writing even when I am not working or currently creating a project. I always try to improve and become the best musician I can be so I am constantly doing something creative whether that’s writing lyrics, a chord progression, or simply working on a new song in a voice lesson. Burnout is something that I am still trying to manage and it’s something I come face to face with often. I think identifying what burnout looks like for me has been the biggest tool i’ve used to avoid it. I get physically exhausted when I start burning out so when I start to notice that all I want to do is lay in bed and do nothing all day, I know I need to pull back a little.

Lisa: What does your curiosity look like? How do you explore things?

Amanda: I constantly want to understand things and the “why†behind them. I think most of the time understanding the reasoning behind things is what fuels my curiosity the most and that often leads to hours of going down rabbit holes researching things and learning about the reason why things are the way they are. Most of the time this looks like hours of YouTube videos about music theory or how to play certain riffs or things like that but I also tend to spend a lot of time reading articles as well.

Lisa: You also have a growing roster of bands and musicians that you represent. Tell me more about that.

Amanda: So I am currently a Public Relations freelancer and I have had the amazing opportunity to act as a publicist for multiple bands and artists that are actively releasing projects. I’ve had some amazing experiences while getting to help build these artists and I’ve had a blast getting to land press and features for my clients. It’s also been a very cool experience getting to work with clients as an artist myself. I think I’ve been able to bring a really cool perspective to the table when working with clients because I understand where they’re coming from.

Lisa: What is the most useless talent you have?

Amanda: I would say the most useless talent I have is that I can type without looking. I typically don’t have a reason for doing it so it’s pretty useless but it is a fun skill of mine.

Lisa: If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

Amanda: What’s interesting about the industry now is that because of the internet, social media, and singing based competition shows, there are so many ways to get yourself and your music out there and often it can be very hard to navigate that and it can be difficult to know how to stand out among all the people doing the exact same thing as you. Sometimes this can lead to a lack of authenticity in music because everyone is trying to fit a mold or a brand. I wish there was a way or a tool to help artists learn how to navigate that and understand how important authenticity is.

Lisa: What are you currently working on, and what’s next for you?

Amanda: I’m currently working on some new singles that I am planning on releasing and I am just hoping to keep writing and releasing music as much as possible.

Thank you!

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