After making her musical debut in 2013 with the EP “Me,” Robin Barnes has been on the rise in the music scene. Born and raised in New Orleans, she’s predispositioned to represent the rich history of jazz and blues in the city while showcasing her own modern twists. The Daily Reveille sat down with Barnes to discuss her upcoming New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival performance and plans as a solo artist.
The Daily Reveille: What’s the story behind people calling you the “Songbird of New Orleans”?
Robin Barnes: I pretty much have been singing since I was 6-years-old. My whole family is made up of musicians and I started in church. We actually still all play together in church on Sundays. Basically by my name being Robin, my mother would tell me all the time growing up that I would be a singer or a robin, which is the first bird of spring or first song of spring. I got so used to it and recently someone was like, “You know Robin, you’re basically the ‘Songbird of New Orleans’.” Honestly as soon as I tried to start doing that through social media, it caught like wildfire.
TDR: When did you decide to pursue a career in music?
RB: I knew by the age of ten that regardless of what my parents wanted, I was going to sing. I was one of seven, and the baby. My family had a very love-hate relationship when it came to music, so they really stressed that I get my education, and I did. While I was getting my education though, they let me gig with them, so music was pretty much my part-time life. When I finished school with my masters in business, and I was just like, “Okay well mom, dad, I’m done fulfilling what y’all want and now I’m going to do what I want for the rest of my life.” I did try that 9 to 5 thing for a while when I was performing, and I always felt like I was wasting time on something I didn’t want to do.
TDR: What influenced you to pursue jazz and soul music specifically?
RB: I’m a big fan of old school R&B. Being born and raised in New Orleans, there’s so many genres that can influence you, but the most consistent thing was jazz. I love jazz, but I knew that my voice was too big for just that, so there was no way I could hinder myself and keep it very calm and soft when I just wanted to roar. So that was definitely my happy medium between the two.
TDR: What are your future goals as an artist?
RB: Right now, I want to put out my new album, which I’m currently working on. It should be out probably in 2016. I want to say I want to bring some more old school soul, but with a little bit of influence from jazz and some of this new style that’s more like Bruno Mars, Sam Smith and Amy Winehouse. After that I just want to start touring, honestly. I want to keep my home base in New Orleans, but I want to be able to get more into national and international circuits.
TDR: What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far with launching your career?
RB: I think the biggest challenge is people realizing the versatility of my sound. I think sometimes when people hear jazz, they think of swing. But then I think when people hear soulful, they think of Nicki Minaj. It’s weird. It’s like people get this automatic transition, but to me there’s Florence and the Machine who do the same thing. Luckily, Sam Smith, Adele and Amy Winehouse came along to help people like me have a better description of what we can do that’s soulful but still popular music.
TDR: Anything else?
RB: I also started a fitness clothing line, because the musician lifestyle is hard, especially with staying healthy. I actually had a situation where I had a life-threatening illness, and I had to completely revamp my life to do things with a little more health and wellness. I started working out, and I realized I couldn’t buy anything that had New Orleans flair with it. I love wearing New Orleans stuff and representing local, so I created this clothing line that’s all New Orleans flair with twists. I’m really excited about it, just because it’s another passion of mine because I have to stay healthy, and I want to promote people realizing that it doesn’t have to be boring. My website is www.fitbyyou.co.