If being a singer were a plane ride, you'd have the usual delays -- after struggling for three hours in line, waiting six more in boarding is expected. The same metaphor can be compared to the life of Connor O'Brien, singer / songwriter based in the Cleveland area. After surrounding himself in music nearly his entire life, the 21-year old hopeful got his big break on the ABC reality show, Making the Band. You'd think his faith would have faded after making it to the New York City finals, only to be turned away at the top four. But not Connor, (don't confuse the name with the famed late night leader: "I'm going to have a problem with that," he laughs) -- he took matters into his own hands and now fully manages his career. gt magazine chatted with the pop wonder recently in this exclusive interview...

gt.com: tell us a little about how your interest developed for the music industry.

CONNOR: Ever since I was a kid I've been into music. I've sung all my life, but I never actually realized that I wanted to do it professionally. I had the opportunity my sophomore year to sing the national anthem at a Cleveland Indians game. When I finished that song...people started screaming, and that's when I realized I wanted to be a singer.

gt.com: moving ahead, how was your experience during the tryouts for the show, Making the Band?

CONNOR: I had a really good time, met some cool guys, and made it pretty darn far, but I'm really happy doing what I'm doing now. Unfortunately, it teaches you something very important that you have to take from the business: music is very wonderful and we love it, but this business is very cut-throat. For example, when I walked into the audition, there were three hundred guys dressed in their best trying to look like the Backstreet Boys. When it got down to the final four [for New York City auditions], I was the last one cut. Of course, it was really heartbreaking for me. When I walked out, I had found out that my ride wasn't there. I was in there for hours, so my ride went wandering around New York City. I wanted to congratulate the guys and watch the rest of the auditions, but [one of the employees] came out and told me I couldn't wait inside.

gt.com: so, you had a rough experience with a Making the Band employee?

CONNOR: Well, he was so nice to me when I was in the finals -- anything I needed, he'd get, like water. But after I didn't make it, he says, "We're going to need you to wait by the bar." He kicked me out of there like you wouldn't believe!

gt.com: why do you think that your name wasn't chosen in the finals?

CONNOR: I wasn't what they were looking for, I guess. There's nothing exciting about a guy with a great family life, a great relationship with his girlfriend, or any of that.

gt.com: are you impressed by the way that O-Town has come out of the show?

CONNOR: Oh, yeah! I wouldn't put them down. I'm more impressed with the marketing and promotion and the people running the band...Lou Pearlman and Clide Davis. Honestly, I didn't think anything was going to happen [after the series]. But, they've got a top three single already and their album has done very well. I think they're talented guys, and I wish them the best!

gt.com: you use the web a lot for promotion, among other things. tell us how you think the internet has impacted your career.

CONNOR: Incredibly -- I'm a computer nerd ::laughs:: That's been a big help for me. It makes it so much easier to generate a fanbase...around the country, the world. If you don't have the money to put together a promotional tour, it works. The website gets hundreds of hits a day -- and I built my website with my best friend!

gt.com: why do you think it's been so difficult for male soloist singers to break into the musical "hall of fame?"

CONNOR: The biggest reason I'm going on is because every male solo singer does the same thing. The exact same lyrics...the exact same look. Nobody's trying to do something different and somebody has to, which is what I'm going on. Not to say that I'm going to be a Jamaican bar dancer! I'm going to be in the same ballpark, with catchy songs, hooks and melodies. I made a list of fifty things I'll do different, which are all relatively small, but when you put them together, people will notice.

gt.com: you write most of your own songs -- where do you derive lyrical inspiration from?

CONNOR: Mainly from my own experiences. A lot of it is just like writing a poem. "Inside Out," my favorite that I've recorded, was actually based on what I was going through at that time. I've always been very exceptional in English and terrible at math, which means I've always been good at writing. I'm very blessed with that! I won't write a song with stupid lyrics -- there are just too many of them. It takes me three times as long to write songs, because I don't want the lyrics to appear cheesy.

gt.com: what's the single, most important thing you've learned about this business?

CONNOR: Watch your back -- I learned this recently with a producer of my first video. We spent weeks recording it and directing it. It just premiered on the site and everything! In the end of filming, the producer seemed to think I was being pulled in the direction where I might not need him anymore. He held a copy of the video and told me he wasn't going to give it to me without first giving him a certain amount of money. He really screwed me over. No one is going to help you out if they don't think they won't get something from it, and that's normal. Don't be taken for granted.

gt.com: any final messages to your fans?

CONNOR: I'm working as hard as I can for my fans. Thank you for all your help -- the more my fans get my name out, the better chance I have!

gt.com: good luck with that, Connor!

Interview not enough? Get a dose of
Connor at his official site: www.connorobrien.com!