Robin Cisek, a Metis singer-songwriter who won Best Emerging Artist at Indigenous Superstars 2022, makes melodic electro-pop with an alternative edge. After battling health issues for years, Robin Cisek started her music career. Her experiences and Indigenous heritage serve as Robin’s sources of inspiration, which are expressed in her music through concepts, alternative beats, and lyrics. With the help of Grammy-winning mixers and producers in NYC, Robin released her debut single. Robin has appeared four times in the top 10 of the Indigenous Music Countdown since the release of her debut song. Waiting on You by Robin reached the top spot on the IMC in May 2019 and held that position for 24 weeks straight. Six songs on Robin Cisek’s freshman album, “Delicate Minds,” which will be released in June 2021, explore the emotional aspects of mental health. Numerous music blogs and publications, including Canadian Beats, Music Insider Global, Buzz Music, and others have posted the album’s music as well as interviews with Robin Cisek. Robin’s career has been advancing since the release of her album. Robin Cisek was chosen as one of 10 artists to participate in the Indigenous Women in Music residency in 2022 and was one of seven Indigenous artists from across Canada to participate in the Indigenous Music Accelerator 2021.
The new single and music video for Canadian Métis electro-pop performer Robin Cisek’s song “Zeus” are now available for streaming on all digital platforms.
Robin’s first release since her critically acclaimed debut album Delicate Minds in June 2021 is “Zeus,” which was produced by JUNO Award-winning producers Brad Simons and Brandon Unis. Check out her latest single and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?
ROBIN CISEK: I am a Metis electro-pop artist from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I have always loved creating art of all forms and found my way into the music world after some difficult years. During high school, I was dealing with the diagnosis of a genetic condition and some health problems that lead to major life-changing surgery. I started making music and songwriting to express myself and to process and resolve a lot of my emotions while I was going through this difficult time in my life.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
ROBIN CISEK: I would consider myself a self-taught musician, however, I have taken private vocal training for quite a while with a local voice coach, Martha Livingstone. She’s helped me to get my voice to the place it is now and to learn techniques to take care of it that I still use today. I have also had the opportunity in the last year to work with Canada’s Music Incubator through the Indigenous Music Accelerator and with Manitoba Music through their Indigenous Music Residency to learn more about the music industry and business practices among other things. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have these kinds of support in my corner!
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
ROBIN CISEK: Since I was little, I’ve always had a very diverse taste in music. I love all kinds of genres and take inspiration from all different musicians and bands. All of these musicians have had a huge impact on my musical style today. I believe I have been most influenced by Pop, Rock, Alternative, and the occasional electronic song. I am most inspired by Ariana Grande’s vocals, BANKS and her bassy, ambient, and organic sounding music, and Melanie Martinez and the way she tells stories through metaphors about the unique subject matter. I love a strong layered vocal, interesting melodies, and powerful drum beats with organic sounding, cyclical instrument riffs.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
ROBIN CISEK: It is really important to me to create music that speaks to people. A topic in my music that I always seem to come back to is empowerment. I want my listeners to feel heard and powerful, capable of healing and addressing any situation they are in or anything they are going through. My freshman album tackled various topics around mental health including healing, trauma, and societal stigma. It was a really important project for me and I wanted it to be cohesive with hopeful and upbeat music. My next release coming out on August 26th will talk about being human, imperfect, and unique and walking to the beat of your own drum. I would describe my sound as very organic and cyclical, I love to include powerful, layered vocals and use them as the main focus of my music. I also love to include unique instrument riffs and electronic sounds, sometimes my producers and I play with how my voice sounds using effects and turn it into a different type of instrument.
ROBIN CISEK:
I definitely started my journey as a musician first as a singer and grew into a songwriter and performer after. I was always heavily influenced by Christina Aguilera, Jessie J and Celine Dion and later fell in love with Ariana Grande’s vocal technique and skill. I wanted to create a song with unique vocal melodies and emphasis on a strong voice with depth, and emotion much like the singers that influenced me. That is still a huge focus of mine in the music I create. After a while, I became more comfortable with my own voice and started experimenting with my voice and figured out some ways I could create special moments in my songs. I really love using breakdowns as bridges in my songs because it gives me the opportunity to be spontaneous and go rogue with my vocals and it always yields something so interesting! This is how I came up with the super high note in my song, Zeus! Personally, I think this phase of learning should never end. There is always so much to learn from other musicians and I and always trying to grow and better myself as a musician.
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?
ROBIN CISEK:
I definitely believe that music has an incredibly important role in conversations about social issues and the human experience as a whole. I believe that music addresses the nuances of our lives and all things that are difficult to express with just words. Music has the potential to bring people together by focusing on commonalities and shared experiences. In my discography, I’ve discussed themes such as toxic masculinity through my song, Zeus, various aspects of Mental Health through my Delicate Minds album, and different aspects of my life and of those around me. It is so important to me to create songs of substance but to also find the balance between a meaningful song and an enjoyable one.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
ROBIN CISEK:
I love creating and recording music and I also really enjoy content creation and working in the music industry. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this community and to have a job that allows me to be creative most of the time. I get to do something new almost every day, and it keeps me on my toes, but it also keeps me driven and engaged in what I’m doing. That’s always something I’ve wanted in a career.
Besides my enjoyment in creating, something I have always found incredibly fulfilling is when people connect with the music I have made or a performance I’ve done. I love meeting and working with people and it’s always been incredibly special to get a glimpse into another person’s world and how the ideas behind the song I’ve written can make people feel heard and appreciated or even just brighten their mood. This job has given me the opportunity to talk to people of all races, walks of life, and in all different situations and it’s crazy to see how we all share threads of similarity.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
ROBIN CISEK:
I have always found that creating melodies came naturally to me, but, being a bit of a perfectionist, writing lyrics is a bit of a process for me. When I am writing lyrics, I have to put myself into the right headspace. Sometimes I start with a narrative and other times I start with a line or two. I make myself comfortable, I put on some colored lights and try to find some inspiration in my life and with those around me. Personally, I do not find songwriting super easy because I want to present something that people can connect with that addresses something important. It takes me days to create lyrics I really love and a lot of tweaking and re-writing until I finally feel they are good enough to share with people. I sometimes find it difficult to be open and vulnerable about my songs and their meaning especially before they are complete. After I am happy with the lyrics, I have some melodies and musical inspiration, I work with my favorite producers to help round out my ideas and create what I am looking for. This is where the project becomes collaborative, and the songs always come out even better!
9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
ROBIN CISEK: I think the most difficult thing about working as a musician is what goes on in your own mind. As a self-employed, independent musician, I am dependent on myself for everything, and it’s hard not to blame yourself for your failures or when things don’t work out. Sometimes I’m like “what am I doing? I don’t have a clue what I’m doing or how I got here” there’s a bit of imposter syndrome sometimes. It’s difficult not seeing instant gratification for your efforts and sometimes a bit of self-doubt can creep in.
I try to keep myself in a positive headspace when things don’t work out and try to be gentle with myself by reflecting on my successes and failures in a more constructive way. This way, I can change the way I do things next time and keep moving forward! You never learn if you don’t try something and you don’t know what you don’t know, it’s all a learning process and luckily, I can use my mistakes to be an even better businessperson and musician in the future!
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?ROBIN CISEK: I am extremely proud of my growth as a musician, every release, new project, and performance, seems to reinforce that this is the career choice for me! My biggest accomplishments were being #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown and this year, receiving the “Best Emerging Artist” award from Indigenous Superstars. The main goal for me as a musician has always been to create a sustainable career that will support me and allow me to continue to create my art. So, the fact that I am here, doing this interview today and I have a new release coming out next month is a testament to that. I feel like I have made huge strides in the last couple of years and I am very proud of that and so grateful to everyone who has supported me, mentored me and helped me to get to this point!
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Photo credits: Wendy Wei