Hayley Gene Penner
Hayley Gene Penner (born November 5, 1985) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and author based in Los Angeles. She is best known for the songs she has written for artists including The Chicks, Sabrina Claudio, Lennon Stella, Charlotte Lawrence and The Chainsmokers.[1][2] As of 2018, Penner has been releasing music under her full name and in September 2020, she released her debut album, People You Follow, with a memoir of the same name.[3]
Hayley Gene Penner | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 5, 1985 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Genres | Pop and folk |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
| Website | https://www.hayleygpenner.com/ |
Early life and education
Penner was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, the eldest daughter of Canadian children's music performer Fred Penner and Odette Heyn, a choreographer and founder of a contemporary dance school.[4][5]
At age 17, Penner was hosting CBC-TV children's programming and lending her voice to commercials for companies like Cheez Whiz, McDonald's, Kraft Dinner and Hamburger Helper.[6] Hayley was national host of CBC's “Get Set For Life” from 2000 to 2002 on CBC Kids and the Manitoba regional host for Kids' CBC from 2003 to 2005.[6]
Penner moved to Toronto, where she studied journalism at Ryerson University and formed the electronic dance band TuZO with a friend. After university, Penner worked at Châtelaine before spending six months writing restaurant reviews for a magazine in London.[6]
Music career
Songwriting
Penner moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to sign a publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis and The Messengers.[6][7]
As a songwriter, Penner writes for other artists, including 11 songs with Sabrina Claudio across her first two projects Confidently Lost and About Time, 7 with Alina Baraz, and other artists such as Lennon Stella, Charlotte Lawrence, and Sinead Harnett. Hayley wrote “Everybody Loves You” on The Chicks' 2020 return album, Gaslighter.
Penner's songwriting partnership with Charlotte Lawrence continued with her joining Lawrence on tour and as an opening act at New York’s Bowery Ballroom and Los Angeles’s The Troubadour.[8][9][10][11]
Solo career
In 2011, Penner signed with Universal Music Canada and began releasing and writing music under the name W. Darling.[4][7][6] Penner released two EPs comprising three songs each in 2015, "The Lost Girls Chapter One" and "Chapter Two".[12][13]
In 2017, Penner split from Universal Music Canada and began releasing music through AWAL under her full name Hayley Gene Penner, moving away from the electronic pop returning to her roots as an acoustic, folk singer songwriter.[14]
Penner released five singles in 2018, two in 2019, and five in 2020.[15][14] Her full debut album, titled "People You Follow" is scheduled for release in September 2020.[16][17][18]
Memoir
Alongside her debut album, Penner wrote a memoir, also titled People You Follow, about her experience as a female songwriter in the music industry and the hidden, toxic side of the business.[16][17][18] The book, scheduled to be released in Fall 2020, was described by Lena Dunham as "a fucked up Alice in Wonderland journey down the rabbit hole of LA’s most subtly toxic industry, and it’s also funny. brilliant, coy, playful and wise." Cindy Crawford called the book "both heartbreaking and humorous" depiction "of how we, as women, struggle to find our value through the eyes of others." [3]
Discography
Albums
- People You Follow (2020)
Songs
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "Alone Together" | 2020 |
| "Great Advice" | 2020 |
| "The Longer It Hurts" | 2020 |
| "somethingyoumeverhad" | 2020 |
| "Two Birthdays and One Bad Christmas" | 2019 |
| "Silver Lining" | 2019 |
| "Talking to Myself" | 2018 |
| "Smaller" | 2018 |
| "White Stripes" | 2018 |
| "Sleep at Night" | 2018 |
| "Olive Juice" | 2018 |
Songwriting credits
| Year | Artist | Album | Song |
| 2020 | The Chicks | Gaslighter | "Everybody Loves you" |
| Eric Nam | The Other Side | "How You Been" | |
| Alina Baraz | It Was Divine | "Morocco" feat 6LACK | |
| "Endlessly" | |||
| "Off the Grid" feat. Khalid | |||
| "More than Enough" | |||
| "Memo Blue" | |||
| "The Beginning" | |||
| "My Whole Life" | |||
| Leah Kate | Used To This (EP) | "Used To This" | |
| "Bad Idea" | |||
| Lennon Stella | Three. Two. One. | "Save Us" | |
| Charlotte OC | Single | "This Pain" | |
| 2019 | The Chainsmokers | World War Joy | "See The Way" |
| Fabolous | Summertime Shoutout 3: Coldest Summer Ever | "Time" | |
| Eric Nam | Before We Begin | "How'm I Doing" | |
| TRACE | Like Hell EP | "Missing Me" | |
| Ekali | Single | "Be Fine" (feat. Wafia) | |
| Cyn | Mood Swing | "Angel" | |
| Sinead Harnett | Single | "Pulling Away" (feat. Gallant) | |
| Dinah Jane | Dinah Jane 1 | "Fix It" | |
| Lennon Stella | Love me (EP) | "Feelings" | |
| Amaal | Black Dove (EP) | "Not What I Thought" | |
| "Coming & Going" | |||
| "Later" | |||
| 2018 | Why Don't We | 8 Letters | "Talk" |
| Charlotte Lawrence | Single | "Keep Me Up" | |
| Single | "Young and Reckless" | ||
| Single | "Everybody Loves You" | ||
| Sabrina Claudio | Fifty Shades Freed (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack) | "Cross Your Mind" | |
| 2017 | Sabrina Claudio | Confidently Lost (EP) | "Orion's Belt" |
| "I Don't" | |||
| "Runnin Thru Lovers" | |||
| "Too Much Too Late" | |||
| "Tell Me" | |||
| About Time | "About Time (Intro)" | ||
| "Frozen" | |||
| "Wanna Know" | |||
| "Everlasting Love" | |||
| "Wait" | |||
| K.I.D | Single | "Elevator" | |
| Single | "Happy When I Cry" | ||
| Marcus & Martinus | Moments | "Get To Know Ya" | |
| Virginia to Vegas | Utopian | "F*** Me Up" | |
| "Wasted" | |||
| 2016 | MAGIC | Primary Colours | "Red Dress" |
| Catey Shaw | The Ransom (EP) | "Tell Everyone" | |
| Snow Tha Product | Halfway There...Pt. 1 | "Nights" (feat. W. Darling) | |
| 2015 | Jem And The Holograms | Jem And The Holograms (The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack)| | "Alone Together" |
| "We Got Heart" | |||
| 2014 | Bassnectar | Noise vs. Beauty | "You & Me" (feat. W. Darling) |
| Catey Shaw | The Brooklyn EP | "Human Contact" | |
| Revolution | "Revolution" | ||
| 2013 | Victoria Justice | Single | "Shake" |
| 2012 | Cody Simpson | Paradise | "Paradise" |
Notes
Footnotes
- "Hayley Gene Penner's Songbook". Apple songbook. Apple Music. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- Willman, Chris. "The Chicks' 'Gaslighter': Album Review". Variety. Variety. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "People You Follow". Dundurn Press. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- LOEWEN, DEREK. "LOCAL SINGER HAYLEY GENE SHARES MUSIC FOR A GOOD CAUSE". Uniter. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- Scholfield, Anna (November 1, 2018). "Hayley Gene Penner Copes with Getting Ghosted in Introspective "Talking To Myself" [PREMIERE] / Ones To Watch". Ones To Watch. Live Nation Worldwide. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "New CBC kids' host called Fred's Place home". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- Rosenzweig, Mathais. "Go to Bed as Two, Wake up as One: Here's W. Darling's Video for "Nights Like This"". www.vice.com. Vice Canada. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- https://www.bandsintown.com/e/1012316066-hayley-gene-penner-at-bowery-ballroom
- https://www.instagram.com/p/CDOxcbZhqCN/
- https://www.instagram.com/p/B3PXvXpA3AA/
- https://www.jambase.com/band/hayley-gene-penner/tour-history
- "Lost Girls: Chapter One - W. Darling | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "Lost Girls: Chapter Two - W. Darling | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- Courtland, Abigail (5 February 2019). "Hayley Gene Penner is Finding Freedom in Authenticity and Radiating Unapologetic Honesty in Songwriting". heirwaves. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "Hayley Gene Penner". Spotify. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "People you follow". HAYLEY GENE PENNER. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "40 works of Canadian nonfiction to watch for in spring 2020". CBC Books. CBC. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- Porter, Ryan (6 April 2020). "Canadian publishers announce postponed publication dates". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
References
- "Hayley Gene Penner Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- "Hayley Gene Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- "W. Darling Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- "Hayley Gene Penner Songbook". Apple Songbook. Apple Music. Retrieved 17 August 2020.