Conor Walsh is Taking That First Step

“I want to be the soundtrack to people’s lives like my favorite artists were for me.”

That’s how recent College of Saint Rose graduate, singer, and songwriter Conor Walsh feels about getting back out on the road and releasing new music. Walsh has a big opportunity in front of him to reach an even farther audience to make that dream come true, alongside the release of the first single off his upcoming album.

Opening Act

Walsh’s latest adventure may take him to the west coast to play the Hollywood Bowl. Walsh is a contestant in the Opening Act Competition, where the winner will have the chance to perform at the 9th Annual We Can Survive Festival. Some of the big names from last year’s festival include The Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Doja Cat, The Kid Laroi, Shawn Mendes and Maroon 5. 

“The Hollywood Bowl is such an iconic venue… It would be an absolute dream come true to perform there,” said Walsh.

Walsh feels honored to have made it this far in the competition. He made it past the judges, and now voting is up to the public. Voting started on Monday, July 11th. Each week, the number of contestants decreases. The first week of voting narrows things down to the Top 20, then the next week brings it down to the Top 15, then Top 10, Top 5, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and Finals. People are allowed to vote once for free every 24 hours. You can vote for Conor Walsh at his Opening Act profile here: ​​https://theopenact.com/2022/conor-walsh

“That First Step”

In conjunction with this competition, Walsh released a new song that embodies the spirit of embracing change and progress. “That First Step,” which was released Friday, July 8th, is all about taking chances and taking control of your life. 

Always & Forever

“That First Step” is the first single off his upcoming album, Always & Forever, which Walsh plans to release on September 8th. The strongest theme of this album is loss, whether it be from death, a loss of a relationship, or a loss of oneself. Not to say there aren’t happy songs on the album (ie “That First Step”), but there is an overlying passion that holds the album together. 

“I’m proud of Always & Forever for many reasons. I think that it exemplifies how far I have come as a musician and producer while it offers some of my most complex themes and some of my best lyrics to date. I am so grateful for everyone who performed on this. This process was different than most because everything was done remotely. I had the opportunity to work with most people in person; however, none of the musicians were in the same room with each other at any point. For working remotely through the pandemic, I am amazed at how cohesive this project is, and how well everyone was able to grasp the sound while contributing much of their own ideas. It was a beautiful project to work on, and I am extremely proud of it. I hope people enjoy and get even a percent of the catharsis I had when making it.”