☆ Q&A with ConWorld! ☆

ConWorld! on Crafting His Own Universe, Genre-Blending Production, and Pushing Creative Boundaries

Photos taken and edited by: Martha Moreno (@marthaa.22)

ConWorld! is an artist, producer, and engineer whose music blurs the line between experimentation and emotion. What started as a childhood fascination with piano turned into a career that’s taken him from a small farm town to working as an engineer with some of the biggest names in music—Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, Donald Glover, and more.

After years behind the scenes, he’s now stepping into his own world, crafting a sound that’s as dynamic and boundary-pushing as his influences. His recent tracks spin4Me and spaceMan showcase his incredible talent with upbeat, experimental beats that feel like the soundtrack to what Conner’s world truly is. 

Additionally, his songs Zodiac and Rock 2 also stand out—Zodiac delves into emotional depth, while Rock 2 made me feel like I was floating with its mesmerizing synths. All the tracks are uniquely immersive, blending bold, forward-thinking production with an infectious energy. 

I first discovered ConWorld! at a small Silverlake show with my sister, Andrea. We were instantly drawn to his sound, so I’m very excited to share this Q&A! 

This article also features photos by my sister, Martha, taken when the three of us met up at the Los Feliz Flea, where we dug through vintage finds and caught up. Scroll for the full Q&A and a deeper look at ConWorld!’s artistry.

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Ale: Can you tell us a little bit about your musical journey? How did you first get into music?

ConWorld!: I started playing piano around seven or eight years old. I actually bought my first one for like $25 in silver dollar coins from the tooth fairy. Someone sold it to me cheap. They were very nice. I played in school bands, jazz bands, and even tried saxophone for a bit.

Ale: What was your first experience performing music?

ConWorld!: In high school, I played in a jazz combo, which was my first experience performing music on stage. My teacher booked us a recording session in Sacramento. I saw the audio engineers and was like, "Who are those guys?" And he's like, "Yeah, they just book sessions and then they record." And I was like, "Oh, coolest job in the world. That sounds really fun."

Ale: When did you decide to take music seriously as a career?

ConWorld!: I come from a small farm town called Woodland here in California. The pipeline was more like "become a rich farmer," and I knew that wasn’t for me. I tried raising turkeys, did FFA, but it wasn’t for me.

So I pursued a degree in audio engineering. Started making beats in college, messing around, recording myself playing piano. I moved to LA to work at Westlake Recording Studios. I was making beats for friends, but they’d say, "This is cool, but I don’t know what to do with it." And I’d be frustrated because I knew what should be done with it. Eventually, my friend, Zay, was like, "You should release your own music," which had never crossed my mind. I released my first EP, Special Friends, under the name "conjust8" which was a joke from a recording session in high school that just stuck.

Then, early last year, I was working on huge sessions—Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Donald Glover’s album, Halsey’s album. That was at that point, I'm like, "Okay, the final boss of the music industry is Beyoncé. I should probably get out of here or start to look for extra work." I got fired (on purpose) to work on the Halsey project, started freelancing, and took a break to focus on my own art. I started calling my posts "ConWorld," just documenting my experiences. By the end of the year, I realized I didn’t like the name "conjust8" and landed  on ConWorld!—I love world-building, and it fit my vision.

Ale: You’ve worked on a variety of amazing projects. Out of all those experiences, is there one that stood out to you the most?

ConWorld!: Definitely working on Brando Stone [& the New World]. Getting to experience Donald Glover’s massive instrument set up really inspired me. His engineer Riley Mackin is also a master of the sport, and really showed me a lot of tricks I would’ve otherwise never known. Those sessions really taught me that the studio is a playground.

Ale: How did that experience influence the way you make music?

ConWorld!: I like exploring new sounds, pushing boundaries, and taking inspiration from my greats. With Channel Orange, I understood it right away because it’s very much a jam record. But Blonde? That album blew my mind. At first, I was like, I don’t get this. A lot of it felt completely improvised, but somehow, it all came together beautifully as a cohesive album.

Every time I worked at Westlake [Recording Studios], it felt like I was collecting little pieces of the artists I worked with—like Infinity Stones, if you will. I got to take a little piece of them and their art home with me, and that was huge. That experience changed me forever.

Ale: Who are your biggest musical influences?

ConWorld!: My biggest influences come from the music my parents and big brother/sister would listen to around the house. From my parents, it was Boston, Journey, Pink Floyd, Queen—all types of classic rock. My brother and sister were Daft Punk, Frank Ocean, blink-182, Maroon 5 (only Songs About Jane), Nirvana, etc. I was also a big pop music fan as a kid, particularly fond of Rihanna. I would say all those influenced me, but these days I’m mostly inspired by sounds that I hear that I understand how to create immediately. I enjoy studying and learning to keep myself influenced and inspired.

Ale: Your song titles—Rock 2, Zodiac—are so unique. What inspires your songwriting and production process?

ConWorld!: I always want to push the needle forward. Zodiac was me getting something off my chest—it's a heartbreak song hidden under a happy beat. Rock 2 was an experiment. What you're hearing is mostly an acoustic guitar that I sampled over and over again to kind of get that synthy, washy sound. I love Daft Punk’s way of making intricate beats with simple lyrics, so I tried to do the same. It’s about finding a balance—do I have something to say, or do I let the instruments speak?

Ale: If ConWorld! were a physical place, what would it look like?

ConWorld!: Like The Amazing World of Gumball meets Smiling Friends—a surreal world where everything has a face and a story. It’s open-source storytelling, under the watch of the sun and moon. Also, I’ve always wanted to be involved in a cartoon, so maybe this is my way in.

Ale: What’s a piece of advice you’d give to someone starting in music?

ConWorld!: It's very much a sandbox and it's meant to be fun. I'm so deep into it and I have to remind myself that every day, because it's completely my life now.

Ale: Dream city to perform in?

ConWorld!: L.A. (which I already do [laughs]), New York, Chicago. Something about Seattle seems fun too.

Ale: Any international cities?

ConWorld!: I think a lot of my favorite acts are from the UK, so probably London.

Ale: Favorite movie?

ConWorld!: Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi version). First movie premiere I ever saw.

Ale: Favorite album?

ConWorld!: Discovery (Daft Punk), OK Computer (Radiohead), 808s & Heartbreak (Kanye), The Money Store (Death Grips), Blonde (Frank Ocean), A Night at the Opera (Queen), Kid A (Radiohead).

Ale: Dream collab?

ConWorld!: Toro y Moi, FKA Twigs, or Loukeman. Also, Frank Ocean, but that almost happened already. 

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Be sure to follow Conner on Instagram (@conworld_) to stay updated on all his latest releases and creative projects!