Name: Penelope Robin
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Penelope Robin's new single "Animal" is out via Dici.
Recommendations: I think 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a fascinating read because it captures generations of Colombian culture. It is a window into a country that has gone through so much and is simply amazing.
I know Bruno Mars is widely popular but he has this incredible song called “Too good to Say Goodbye” and I strongly suggest everyone listen to it if you have not. :)

If you enjoyed this Penelope Robin interview and would like to know more about her music, visit her on Instagram, Facebook, twitter, and tiktok.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

When I listen to music I feel a certain tension in my bones and body.

Music doesn't only touch your emotions, it touches you physically and makes you feel like you are flying on top of everyone and the queen of your own world.  

I recorded some (to me) incredible pieces of music when I had almost no idea what I was doing. What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

I remember that it was really hard in the beginning because I was very young and I didn't really know how to express myself with my lyrics put chords together for a song. It was like another language, but I had all these ideas in my head and wanted to translate them into songs -- even though at age 7 they were about my dog or candies … lol

I’ve always believed in working hard and pushing yourself, especially when there is something you don’t know or understand. So I started writing and writing and putting it all down on paper and mixing it with melody ideas until I started to understand more and more about music.

I began playing guitar at around 9 or 10 years old and that really gave me a whole new perspective I didn’t have before … but ultimately it came down to being patient and understanding it was a learning process I had to go through.

I’m still going through it every day.

It is generally believed that we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between 13-16. Tell me what music meant to you at that age, please – and how its impact has changed since then.  

I've always loved music; it has always been in my heart. I think at age 13, which was only like 2 years ago -- hahaha, I already knew what I loved and that making music was my dream. I wanted to connect with people through my music just like other singers do.

Age 13 is pretty significant for me because it was exactly at 13 when I wrote my first official song entirely by myself. I didn’t have to ask anyone for help or “what do you think of this.” It was a true moment of understanding that music can express what I was feeling and I kept getting comments like “maybe this just isn’t for you” in regards to making music. It was at the very beginning of the pandemic and I had no more live shows, I was in my room alone with my guitar, and it just came to me.

The song is called "T6W" which means Those 6 Words … and they are referring to “Maybe this just isn’t for you,” and it is my answer to that … and I absolutely committed and loved that song and still do.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools - and how do you think has working with them shaped your perspective on music?

Well … I play guitar and some ukulele and some bass. Learning these instruments has had a huge impact on my music.

I usually write a lot of my songs on the guitar first and then we transform it into a track, so I feel like it's very empowering to know how to play an instrument and to hear the beautiful melodies and rhythms you can create. My guitar is my baby and she has been with me through so much. (she is a person -- don’t judge…lol) hahaha

But seriously there's a different type of love and connection you have with your instrument.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

Life experiences, because you're writing about something that ACTUALLY happened to you and that is something so beautiful. Something that might have been horrible and sensitive in your life can switch into happiness and acceptance.

You can be creative while singing your heart out.

Paul Simon has been quoted as claiming that “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

Paul Simon is 100% on point, because even though sometimes I start with a lyric idea or a melody, it isn’t until it all comes together and you listen to the song as a whole that you really decide if you love it or not …

It’s actually frustrating sometimes because you might have had this amazing lyric or melody idea and it just didn’t work out the way you hoped or simply didn’t work as a finished record.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to forces of nature. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

That’s such a great question because I find that music is everywhere. You can sit in absolute peace and quiet and still find that the wind and the rays of the sun inspire musical melodies.

Birds singing are absolutely musical and growling animals make me think of classical music when crescendos and dark notes make your inner emotions travel so easily.

I believe that they have found huge similarities between the structure of human-made music and that of whales and birds …. so I think we are most definitely inspired by the innate music in nature.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

There is so much music that makes me feel loose and amazing, but I feel like reggaeton and rock really have a way with me. Reggaeton makes me wanna dance and feel free while rock makes me feel like I wanna scream and let out my emotions.

I always feel a connection with all music and that's the beauty of music -- connecting with different types of genres and getting outside your comfort zone.  

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads of ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

I like to think that there is really no formula, the approach is always just open to anything and everything that is available.

Yes, you can say that there is a certain structure to when you start the writing process as you always think of verse, bridge, chorus etc., but do we really stick to that any more? I don’t think any rules apply anymore. We have musically grown in a way that there is no more structure or rules …. there are no limits.  

For me, I just want to create music that connects and carries you, music that inspires and makes you feel something when you hear it. I don’t think it really matters anymore if have the expected structure of traditional music as long as you have something that people want to hear.

Science and art have certain overlaps and similarities. Do you think "objectivity" has a place in art and do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

It’s hard to say that there is objectivity in art because we always hear that art is subjective. But I guess that in some way there is.

As creators I think that we tend to try to appeal to a certain audience, even if it’s unintentionally, so we look for ways to do that. In the case of music we may find certain lyrics might relate to a group or certain trends … by doing so we are applying marketing principles and marketing is definitely using scientific insight ….

So I guess in a way it’s all connected :)

Seeing, smelling, touching, tasting – which of these sense impressions have the strongest points of contact with your hearing/listening experience?

I think that seeing would be the strongest sensory impression I connect with music because as soon as I hear melodies or lyrics I immediately begin conceptualising and creating the scenarios of where this music would love visually.

Does the way you make music reflect on the way you live your life? And vice versa, can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Absolutely … making music is obviously my passion but in a way it is also my commitment.

I have to have a certain work ethic to create music and that reflects strongly on how I live my life. I choose to put music first even though I’m very social and love a good outing … lol If there is something music related, my social life immediately goes on pause.

I think understanding music on a deeper level definitely gives you the ability to look at life in a certain way and learn lessons you can apply to your own life.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

In a way it would be awesome if I could write a song with the same comfort and familiarity that it takes to brush my teeth. But the truth is that finding those perfect lyrics that capture what I’m trying to say, or the melodies that can capture certain emotions is not mundane to me … it takes time and patience and thinking.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Conversely, many popular love songs leave me cold. Do you have similar paradoxical examples - and why, do you think, is the same piece of music capable of conjuring such vastly different responses in different listeners?

Well first I want to say I was not familiar with Vangelis and I had to look him up … wow! So cool and fascinating!

I do think the beauty of music is exactly that … there is no specific thing that makes it good or bad. There is nothing we can mathematically or scientifically say is going to connect with a listener.

Sometimes a simple trumpet on the street playing will move you to tears and I think that is why music is so powerful and will never go away no matter how much it evolves or changes.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

I’d like for my music to continue evolving and growing. I’d like for my lyrics to find that undeniable quality that I admire in so many songwriters …

But most of all I want to get out there and perform. That is my happy place, on a stage in front of my fans.