To be lulled into a peaceful, dreamy state of mind is exactly what you can expect from Andria Piperni’s soulful voice. The Montreal-based singer-songwriter’s music draws from a multitude of inspirations in terms of genre and lyricality. The jazz-tinged fusion of alternative R&B and soul drives her music to a matureness well beyond her years while still being fresh and unique. The 29-year-old independent artist recently released her debut EP, “Who’s Counting?” last spring. Perhaps the most surprising element to Piperni’s sound is how effortlessly it can attract listeners across multiple age groups from different walks of life—a testament to the relatability of Piperni’s lyrical content.

Laval Families Magazine chatted with Piperni to find out more about her career path to date and the reality of being an independent artist in the digital world—during a global pandemic no less. Grab your smartphone, scan the QR code on this page and enjoy a sampling of Piperni’s music while you read on. Fair warning: listening to Piperni’s music has been known to induce feelings of calmness and serenity while putting the listener into a state of pure relaxation and reflection. Now that you’ve been warned, might as well pop out that cork and pour yourself a glass of wine…

A Shy Start
Growing up in Pierrefonds, Piperni was introduced to a variety of musical genres at a young age, primarily her parents’ favourites in jazz, soul, The Beatles and a variety of female artists such as Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan and Bonnie Raitt. Her father played piano and wrote music, but Piperni thought of singing and music as something she did just for fun. “I used to sing and perform in front of my parents or family members, but never in public,” says Piperni. “I was way too shy.”

She took piano lessons as a child and some vocal lessons as a teen, but never considered singing as an actual career until much later. Her first public performance was during high school at an end-of-year recital for the music school where she took voice lessons. As a competitive hip-hop and jazz ballet dancer throughout high school, Piperni placed her focus on her studies and extra-curriculars. “I didn't consider music as a career back then because it seemed too big a dream, not because of lack of passion or interest […] Dance and music was a huge part of my life back then, but singing was just something that I hadn’t come out of my shell with yet,” says Piperni. “Overcoming that was a big deal for me.”

One of the ways Piperni began coming out of her shell in the early years was by posting YouTube videos of her singing. “As social media was really gaining in popularity at the time, it changed my perspective on the music business and what was possible,” explains Piperni. “I saw how it could open doors for someone who didn’t have a clue about the industry or where to begin.” As a young adult, Piperni began performing at weddings and coffee shops, flexing her performance muscles and getting a feel for the gig economy.

Warming Up
Piperni completed a bachelor’s degree in Business at JMSB Concordia, including a semester in Paris, and it was during her time abroad that everything changed. “It was such an eye-opening experience for me, from the culture to the pace of the lifestyle and meeting different people…When I got back home, I realized that there was a difference between taking the ‘secure path’ versus going after what would make me truly happy,” says Piperni. After a full-time stint in a corporate job following university graduation and some time to reflect, Piperni’s mind was made up: she was going to pursue music as an independent artist. But where to begin?

Realizing that she didn’t have the business acumen for the music industry specifically, Piperni made the pragmatic decision to go back to school. At Berklee College Online, Piperni did a deep dive into the business mechanics of the music industry and all the intricacies of managing and owning one’s own music, the various types of royalties and contractual obligations, and how to keep track of it all. It was another eye-opener and solidified her pursuit of writing and performing her own music. “Being an independent artist, it's really important to understand the structures involved in owning the rights to your music and how the business works, especially if you are self-managed,” she explains.

Piperni says that learning the landscape of the music business, as ever-changing as it was and continues to be, helped her to lay a solid foundation for starting her career. Although she does have to self-fund certain aspects of her career as an independent artist, she is grateful for financial assistance programs such as the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR), which help her continue to focus on writing and producing her music without having to take on a full-time day job.

Staying Inspired
Getting and staying inspired doesn’t seem to be a problem for Piperni, who draws from her own experiences as well as others’. “Sometimes I’ll be watching a movie or having a conversation with someone, and it’ll spark an idea for a song or a lyric,” says Piperni. “Sometimes it can be just a word or two that I find interesting, a feeling or a single line, so I’ll just jot it down and return to it later.” When she’s writing new music, Piperni says it usually starts with the melody, which she’ll start composing on her own. Once she has something together, she’ll return to her notes for song ideas and lyrics and see if anything stands out as a match for the song in progress.

Paving the Way to Success
Though she is relatively new to the music scene, Piperni has a strong following and presence on Canadian music charts as well as abroad, as her music regularly ranks on iTunes charts around the world. Her debut single “Say Something” in 2018 landed on Canada’s R&B/Soul iTunes chart. She also featured on Canadian producer/DJ Andrew Pololos’ hit single “Never Be The Same”, which spent many weeks on Spotify’s Viral 50 Canada chart. As a finalist for the nationwide program First Up with RBCxMusic, she had the opportunity to learn from Canadian artists such as Jessie Reyez and Kaytranada.

Her recently released debut EP “Who’s Counting” entered at #27 on the iTunes Top 200 Releases Canada R&B/Soul Chart. Keeping busy as ever during the pandemic, Piperni also wrote and recorded an original song for RW&Co’s national digital campaign.

Important Lessons
The ever-pragmatic Piperni has advice to share for new or emerging independent artists: learn the business side of the industry. Whether you listen to podcasts, read books or take courses like Piperni did, she says it’s important to be aware of and understand your rights as an artist and how to manage the business and financial side of things.

Piperni also wants to share the best advice she’s ever received: be yourself and strive to be as authentic as possible. “For an artist just starting out, it can be hard to know what to focus on. It's easy to compare yourself to others you see on social media, with millions of followers, but it's important to remember that success looks different for everyone, and you need to figure out what that means for you,” says Piperni. “Being true to who you are is the best way to connect with people and find real fans.”

While being an artist or creative doesn’t always naturally go hand-in-hand with being an extrovert or having a sharp business sense, Piperni has disrupted the myth that singer-songwriters must be managed by a big label to achieve success. “Despite beginning initially shy and on a stable or pragmatic path, I ended up pursuing my dreams in this very unpredictable field, and I'm managing to do it as a completely independent artist, which wasn't something that was all that possible even a decade ago,” explains Piperni. “I used my business experience and mindset to get to where I am now […] The industry has changed; success comes in many different forms now and there are fewer gatekeepers. Artists have more control. I think that's an empowering message and it's a big part of what finally led me to pursue this career.” 

The Future
As the world slowly opens up in recovery from the ongoing pandemic, Piperni remains hopeful that artists like herself will be able to continue making music and sharing it with their audiences, both online and in person. For Piperni, who now knows she’s on the right path to doing what makes her truly happy, working in the music industry isn’t about mega fame. “What I really aspire to do is to make music and share it. I want to connect with people and really make them feel something through music,” she says.

This year, Piperni will be focusing on promoting “Who’s Counting” and performing in venues as often as possible. To contact her for bookings or to consult her show listings, visit andriapiperni.com and follow her on her social media channels.