Meredith O’Connor is an international teen pop star, but from her native home in New York, that’s not what’s on her mind. Instead, she opens the conversation with mention of her recent speaking at a Church Center for the United Nations event. The focus was Kechie’s Project, a non-profit dedicated to empowering girls in underserved communities. This is only one of the extraordinary ways the 19-year-old spends her spare moments.
Downtime, though, is rare these days, considering O’Connor is in the midst of a worldwide tour supporting release of her debut album, “I Am Meredith O’Connor.” The album certainly has star power, having been produced by renowned A&R exec Kenny Ortiz, who brought R&B trio SWV to fame, and featuring a collaboration with actor Garrett Clayton of Disney Channel’s Teen Beach Movie, among others.
Its song tell stories of relationships that work and those that don’t and above all, finding strength in spite of adversity— all of which O’Connor can personally relate being a past “victim of serious bullying.”
As a result, the songstress now strives to be the role model she wished she’d had at 13 and 14—the ages at which she was mocked for the sound of her voice and her so-called “ugly” appearance. The ridicule created confusion for O’Connor, who was in a modeling contract at the time, so when the opportunity to launch into music arose, she jumped.
One night, armed with a guitar, O’Connor played a song— one she had written in just a matter of hours—in the office of her now-manager Rick Galvin. That song became “Celebrity,” and to date, its YouTubeTM video has received more than two million views. She attributes her “entire career to that night,” and there’s no doubt she’s confirmed the maxim of turning “a negative into a positive.” In fact, she’s proven it so much, London’s Lake Edge Productions plans to make a film based on her story. “I wouldn’t have gotten anything if it wasn’t for the things that made me different,” says O’Connor.
This is why she makes it a priority to help people in similar situations “understand that things get better” despite how scary they may seem. To do so, she teamed up with Each Mind Matters, a mental health initiative in California, where she now makes her home in Los Angeles, to share her story and her advice—to “embrace what makes you different.” Each tour stop, O’Connor speaks at an area school because “the message is just so important. I’m very lucky to have this outlet, so I use every opportunity.”
Her tour also presented another channel for her empowerment efforts, when a venue owner introduced her to a homeless, bullied Chihuahua whom O’Connor decided to rescue. Today, her dog, Teddy, is right by her side and accompanies her anywhere her endeavors take her. “There’s no way I’m getting on any plane—anywhere—without him,” she attests. His troubling experience and her love for him have prompted O’Connor to also get involved with worldwide animal humane society, ASPCA®. However, her giving spirit doesn’t stop there.
In New York City this September, she’ll perform at one of the official Fashion Week shows. It will be held at the 9/11 Memorial in support of The Carol Galvin Foundation and The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and O’Connor is excited to sing alongside some of the industry’s power players there. This same month, she’ll be back on the West coast to deliver a “TED Talk” on anti-bullying. The young lady does it all.
Her “all” extends to acting, and O’Connor, who “grew up doing Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and theatre,” says to expect “a lot of surprises” in that aspect next year. Fans can also anticipate a second album in the near future. In the meantime, her current music can be heard on iTunes® and Vevo, and she can be followed in action on all of these great initiatives and more via Facebook and Instagram as Meredith O’Connor and Twitter as @meredithter.
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Jessica Catignani
- Photography
- Alissa Pagels
- Retouching
- Brianna Kish
- Hair & Makeup
- Paula Heckenast
- Styling
- Rachel Jimenez
