Meredith O'Connor is an American singer, businesswoman and mental health activist. She is a former model and activist for the NGOCSD-NY supporting the United Nations and communities globally. She is regarded as influential in a Forbes feature for her global impact in pop culture. Her music has been featured on

TeenNick TeenNick is an American Pay television, pay-TV channel that is operated by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Aimed primarily at teens and tweens, its programming includes a variety of live-action series inherited from si ...

and

Radio Disney Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within the Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California. The network broadcast music programming ...

. O'Connor is currently based in Los Angeles, and New York. Her latest release is an international collaboration, titled "You Are Not Alone (International)". The beneficiary of the song is NAMI (

National Alliance on Mental Illness The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a United States-based nonprofit organization originally founded as a grassroots group by family members of people diagnosed with mental illness. NAMI identifies its mission as "providing advoca ...

). Celebrities on the song include

Minzy Gong Min-ji (; born January 18, 1994), better known by her stage name Minzy, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer. She debuted in 2009 as a member of South Korean girl group 2NE1, which became one of the best-selling girl groups worldw ...

RUGGERO Ruggero (), the Italian equivalent of Roger, may refer to: * Ruggero I of Sicily (1031–1101) Norman king of Sicily *Ruggero Berlam (1854–1920), Italian architect *Ruggero Bonghi (1826–1895), Italian scholar, writer and politician *Ruggero B ...

Reekado Banks Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon (born 6 December 1993), better known by his stage name Reekado Banks, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He signed with Mavin Records in 2014 and left the label in 2018. He went by the stage name Spicy before his recor ...

, and the late legendary icon from the

Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

, Mary Wilson, along with O'Connor.

Early career

Meredith O'Connor began her career as a model before being signed for music. After being discovered, her first music video for the song "Celebrity" went viral. She then used her fame to speak out on mental health and bullying.

Appearances in film

In 2015, O'Connor appeared as one of the celebrity cameos alongside

Garrett Clayton Gary Michael "Garrett" Clayton is an American actor and singer. He is known for portraying Tanner in the 2013 Disney Channel movie '' Teen Beach Movie'' and its 2015 sequel '' Teen Beach 2'', and other film, television, and stage roles. Life ...

, Jon Header and many others in Lionsgate's 'Los Huevos' US version. She also had cameos alongside

Drake Bell Jared Drake Bell (born June 27, 1986) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and musician. Born in Newport Beach, California, he began his career as an actor in the early 1990s at the age of five with his first televised appearance on ''Hom ...

in 'Bunny Bravo' of Superdope TV. Recently, Arianna Huffington's Thrive had announced the development of the autobiography feature based on the life of O'Connor telling the true story of how her music has impacted fans, directed by Ilyssa Goodman with Garrett Clayton and Addison Rickie playing O'Connor as a child.

Advocacy

O'Connor has said that she was bullied as a child for being different. Based on her experience, she became an advocate for victims of bullying and an anti-bullying spokesperson, becoming an official advisor for Reach Out. Her advocacy has resulted in multiple awards with accolades and recognition for global impact. She delivered a TEDx talk on her impact and anti-bullying advocacy. She has also spoken at the United Nations General Assembly Hall multiple times in 2018 on the topic. In ''Steppin Out'' magazine, O'Connor said that she wrote the song The Game to show fans that things can get better. In 2013–14, O'Connor embarked on a ten city tour to promote her video for "The Game". During the tour, she and her team performed for thousands of young people in schools, encouraging the victims of bullying to stay strong.

Music

O'Connor released her debut EP in February 2013. The music video for the lead single "Celebrity" went viral on YouTube The EP received positive reviews from music bloggers Andrew Greenhalgh and G. W. Hill. O’Connor's single "Just the Thing" was officially released on iTunes on April 22, 2014. O'Connor released her debut album "I am" in late 2015. Both the music video and the Song "Stronger" from the album "I am" features Disney's Teen Beach Movie's Garrett Clayton. O'Connor is a Celebrity Advocate for the United Nations Project 50/50. Her next film will be based on her own life, produced and directed by Ilyssa Goodman, who directed "A Cinderella Story". O'Connor's International mental health campaign featuring stars from around the world to raise funds and awareness for mental illness treatment, called "You Are Not Alone (International), featured in Billboard, features K-pop's

, Argentina's

, Afro-pop's

, and the late legendary Mary Wilson, of the

Modeling

Before O'Connor was signed for her first single leading to her career as a recording artist, she was signed by Model Management Group based in New York City, and then signed her first contract the next year. After that, she did modeling work for companies including

Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...

Discography

Solo studio albums * ''Meredith O'Connor'' (2013) * ''I Am'' (2015) Singles * ''Just the Thing'' (2014) * ''Being Me'' (2015) * ''Unforgettable Night'' (2015) * ''Guardian Angel'' (2019) * ''You Are Not Alone (International)'' (2021)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Meredith 21st-century American actresses American child actresses American child singers American women singers American musical theatre actresses Living people People from Long Island Singers from New York (state) Anti-bullying activists Year of birth missing (living people)