Meet Robbie Reign | Singer Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Robbie Reign and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robbie, how do you think about risk?
Risk requires guts. Risk requires you to believe in yourself when no one else does. When you are an artist, your career is based on hope. You create something new and you put it out and you “hope” someone will like it, you “hope” your audience likes your new sound, or you “hope” that you get some sort of recognition to take you to the next level. Risk means that when you’re told no, you simply keep on pushing. You keep at it and you try different ways of reinventing yourself. Risk means you don’t follow society the way everyone else does and embrace the fact that you’re an anomaly. Weird, becomes a compliment.

My life personally has been nothing but risk. I couldn’t wait to leave home when I was a kid, sometimes it was all I thought about. I wanted and needed to be my own boss and make my own rules. I took a risk leaving home at a very young age with no plan really. I love my parents but I took a risk by leaving home and not putting up with “Because I said so”. I transferred my sh*tty mall job and moved to downtown Long Beach to pursue my dreams. It was the hardest time of my life because I had no plan and I wasn’t prepared for the world. I learned a lot of lessons the hard way, and it taught me how to hustle in a way that was beneficial to me and my career.

Taking risks, and saying “fuck it” to a majority of what I was taught helped me as a performer. It put me on big stages, and It continues to help me find my version of “cool”. Risk is what got me here today and it is what will continue to help me grow. Risk allows me to look introspectively to change not only for myself but for my craft.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I am a Pop RnB singer-songwriter, as well as indie-alt. My vocals have lots of RnB with a bunch of pop undertones. My love for indie alternative music has really helped me shape a sound that encompasses all of the things that I love. The minor chords that have inspired me in alternative music have helped me come up with ways to find the darker undertones in pop music, to help me form something that I like to call “Funky Melancholy”. This also comes into play for me lyrically when I am writing a new song. Being able to express frustration, sadness, heartbreak, and the complications love brings on top of a song meant to make you dance and be happy is my reminder that it won’t be like this forever, and you will be okay.

I am finally in a position to create the way I want to create. I am in a space that is fully mine with energy that I alone am responsible for. Maintaining this sort of freedom was what I dreamed about as a kid, and it has taken many tears to get here. I have couch-hopped, slept on a park bench, and didn’t eat for days, sometimes weeks at a time. Been taken advantage of and left hung out to dry. I even almost quit music because I had zero belief in myself. I overcame all of this by saying yes to jobs I didn’t want to take and being patient when all I wanted to do was move in a direction but couldn’t. Patience will put you through it and make you feel like you’re not doing anything right. But there are some things you just have to go through in order to realize your full potential. So I had patience and believed in myself enough to pull myself up.

I have had to learn that criticism doesn’t mean I am a bad artist, and that it’s meant to make me better. I used to get so upset and mad when people gave me any sort of negative criticism. Anything that wasn’t “Great job, you killed it!” meant I was shit. It wasn’t until I actually started releasing music that I understood. I didn’t want “Yes men” around me. I need critiques; it will only make me better. I want honest people in my corner. Don’t tell me what I want to hear, tell me what I need to hear.

My story isn’t the nicest, the trauma is real. A lot of what I went through growing up as well as in my early 20s would make some people throw in the towel. But I truly believe that yes, life can be difficult beyond belief, but it is not impossible. My brand is one of healthy selfishness. The only person whose opinion on your art is yours. Cool is whatever you decide cool is, and no one can tell you differently. Don’t let anyone tell you that what you create is wrong, and understand you will not be for everyone, and that’s okay. Your art is for someone, and they will find you. Don’t forget that “old” is a concept. You will never be too old for your craft. Do not stop doing what you love because you feel too old. Don’t hesitate to start because you feel “too old”. Do it because it makes you feel good and it’s what you want. There is no such thing as “too old”.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in LA, so I feel like there are loads of things to do. My favorite thing to do, especially on days when the weather is just perfect, is to drive down to Venice Beach and go to a place called Sunny Blue for some misubi. I order it to go and take my order and my rollerblades to the beach. I kick it on the sand with a joint, music, and the ocean, and then skate up and down Venice and Santa Monica. My friends and I love live music, so the trip would be full of live shows. I’ll be honest, Six Flags Magic Mountain is a huge thing for my friends and me too. So we’d probably go lose our voices on a roller coaster.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

Andrew Kutsenda… That man, I swear.

First of all, I have some of the best friends in the entire world. They are the most supportive people I have ever come across, and I love them to death. But Andrew has helped open my eyes in ways that I never even knew I needed. He’s helped me realize that I don’t need anyone’s permission but my own. We’ve been around the world together, been on stage, written songs, and have been through hell and back. He’s the older brother that I always wanted, and he’s been the best friend that I could ask for.

There is a moment that sticks out to me so vividly in our friendship. Andrew and I lived together for 12 years, and it was through that we developed the friendship that we have. I want to say it was circa 2010-2011, and I was in the kitchen trying to cut something with a butter knife, and it wasn’t working. He walks in and he asks, “Dude, what are you doing?” I said, “I’m trying to cut this thing, and it’s taking forever!” He asked me why I was using a butter knife to do it. And I said, “Well, that’s how I’ve always done it. My parents always had me use a butter knife.” He then says, “Dude, you don’t live with your parents anymore, you can do whatever you want. Just use a sharper knife,” and he handed me a super sharp kitchen knife and walked away. It was in that moment I realized, holy shit, I can really do what I want whenever I want. Whatever was still lingering that was holding me back left in that moment. I’ve applied that action of using a sharper knife to other aspects of my life. It’s helped me take risks and carve out new paths for myself. I am very grateful for that man. I love him very much.

Website: https://robbiereign.ffm.to/robbie

Instagram: RobbieReignMusic

Image Credits
Vudaje Colleen Barjas Jerimiah Drummond Reed Carlisle