On The Row: Robyn Ottolini Charms With Humor & Wisdom

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Robyn Ottolini. Photo: Haley Crow

The story of how Canadian singer-songwriter Robyn Ottolini came into her first record deal is quite unlike most artists. She signed her recording contract with Warner Music Nashville over Zoom, while sitting on her bed in her pajamas.

Ottolini grew up in a small town outside of Toronto called Uxbridge, and has been writing songs she was 13.

In February of 2020 Ottolini independently released The I’m Not Always Hilarious EP, which showcased her songwriting chops on songs like “Trust Issues” and her fiery “F-150.” The latter of which took off on social media, reaching No. 4 on Spotify’s all-genre US Viral 50.

“I was a barista with no money [when I released “F-150″], so marketing was all me,” Ottolini said in a recent visit with MusicRow. “I was just working the internet and figuring it out like every artist does. Then F-150 blew up on TikTok.”

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With support from Warner Music Nashville and a viral hit on her hands, Ottolini released The But I’m Not Always Sad Either EP in June, showcasing the funny, wise side of the singer-songwriter.

Ottolini takes songwriting and styling cues from artists like Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Sam Hunt. It shows when she performs her hilariously clever “Sincerely, Drunk Me,” and when she talk-sings on “F-150” and “Tell You Everything.”

“‘Tell You Everything’ is a love song to my current boyfriend. I had met him and it was one of those cringey, disgusting, ‘I knew when I met him’ kind of things, but I swear to goodness gracious, it’s true. I was like, ‘I’m going to tell this guy, literally everything.'”

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Ottolini’s charm really shines on “Sincerely, Drunk Me,” where the 25-year-old sings about her relatable drunk escapades with a wink to the audience.

“I wrote this one by myself. I was telling my producers/managers drunk stories,” Ottolini admits. “I get stressed out when I’m sober, I just want to be perfect. And then drunk me does not give a shit. She’s worried about it later. So my manager was like, ‘How much fun would it be for drunk Robyn to sing a song to sober Robyn and give life advice.'”

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Ottolini’s major label debut The But I’m Not Always Sad Either EP is out now. She will be hitting the road with Breland for some dates on his Cross Country Tour.

LB Cantrell
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