For most college students, the pressures of rigorous academics, demanding extracurricular activities, and a balanced social life hardly leave them with any free time. But Junior Andrea Pappas has managed to add one more thing to the list: a blossoming music career.
Pappas, a 21-year-old native of Oyster Bay, N.Y., is majoring in Theatre at Wake. Her album, Don’t Make Me Wonder, will include 12 tracks that she wrote herself, and is being produced by Cory Rooney. Based in New York, Rooney has written and produced hits with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson and Destiny’s Child.
Pappas, who describes her genre as “jazz-pop,” answered some questions this week about her future goals as a singer, and the challenges she faces in attempting to break into the industry.
HerCampus (HC): Tell me about when you first started singing. When did you decide it was a career you wanted to pursue?
Andrea Pappas (AP): This may sound corny, but I was singing, or rather humming, before I could speak. Music was always a great way for me to learn, and my parents seemed to pick that up pretty quickly. When I first stepped into a recording studio when I was 15, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue.
HC: Working with Cory has added a lot of credibility to your image as an artist. How were you introduced to him, and what is your professional relationship like?
AP: Cory actually found me through Facebook when a mutual friend of ours told him to check out my page. He could have just let it go, but he decided to meet with me to see what I was all about. The first thing I told him was ‘I am not looking to be the next Lady Gaga.’ We are honest with each other, and we have a great understanding of each other’s ideas.
HC: You write your own lyrics. Where do you draw inspiration for those songs, and what do you do to combat writer’s block?
AP: I definitely draw inspiration from my own life, and I try to create lyrics that everyone can listen to and say ‘I know exactly how she feels.’ This ranges from really personal feelings like heartache, to general everyday experiences such as being hit on at a bar. And I experience writer’s block all the time. I can’t just sit down and write a song on command.
