On her new album ‘Tempered,’ Robin Cisek is “wearing [her] heart on her sleeve, and releasing more vulnerable songs than ever.” The record showcases the Métis artist in her most creative and free state with a renewed focus and special connection to the music, having self-produced more than half the album’s tracks. The project also follows up and cements early career buzz, including recognitions as the Best Emerging Artist by Indigenous Superstar in 2022 and a CBC Searchlight top 100 artist for two consecutive years. Over the past year, when Robin wasn’t working diligently on the new album, she was uplifting other women and fellow Indigenous voices to ensure they share a place in the Canadian music industry. For now, it’s deservedly Robin’s time to shine.
In this edition of Love at First Listen, Robin shares more about diving into self-discovery, producing for the first time, and which song from the album will bring out the most “attitude” on stage.
From the first listen of ‘Tempered,’ fans can hear you explore and process self-discovery, healing, and resilience. How does the album name play into those themes, and what has been the most fulfilling part of putting the album together?
I came up with the album name because I wanted to create something that was kind of a play on words. I wanted to talk about how women … [are] told how to feel and how to do things. I [then] wanted to talk about how tempered glass is super strong and quiet and beautiful, and that’s the role that typically people want [women] to play in society. But I also wanted to kind of contrast that with the idea that [people often say], “Oh, she’s got a temper.” So, a lot of the songs are really emotional and really digging into [a] more vulnerable side of myself.
You produced more than half of the tracks on ‘Tempered,’ with “Play Dirty” being the first that you released earlier this year. Do you view and cherish those songs differently having been hands-on with them in every aspect behind the scenes?
It was definitely a really cool experience to start producing my own music. They have a special part of my heart now because I dug into them so individually, and I feel like I am a lot more vulnerable with a lot of the stuff that I produce.
What message do you hope that drive and ambition send to other artists, especially women, about the value of their contributions and voice?
That’s huge. I hope that more women take the initiative to try and learn production. Any way that they can teach themselves and learn a new craft in their chosen career or their passions is an incredible step for all women to be able to hear more women’s voice[s] in the music that we’re listening to, or in anything that women are creating.
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How did you get started in production? Was it something that you were always interested in, or did you learn it for this album specifically?
[Since] I started music, I’ve had incredible experiences with all [the] producers that I’ve worked with. I’ve been really lucky that way, that they’ve taken me under their wing and showed me things, and I’ve just had a really good experience writing with them and being able to be vulnerable while sharing my music. But I always felt like I wanted to do a little bit more. So, when I write …, I prefer to do it independently. I’ll take the music that we created in the studio and bring it home and write all the lyrics and melodies to it, but I wanted to expand that role and have a little more say in what my sound turned out to be. So, that was definitely a driving factor for why I wanted to start learning production; to just be able to say that something is 100% created by me is super special.
I also saw you post on Instagram that you really wanted the album visuals, from the cover to the video promos, to match the music. How would you define your visual identity in relation to your sonic identity, and how much fun did you have pulling together outfits and accessories and selecting interesting shoot locations?
For me, putting out a music project is just that—it’s the entire project. I like when things are a cohesive project and have that connection. My visual identity is a little bit edgy. I want it to be eye catching, and I want to show off my individual style. I love fashion and I love visual art, so that’s something that I definitely want to include. I got to work with an amazing photographer here in Edmonton, so that was super cool, too.
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As we kick off National Indigenous History Month, can you talk about how you position your Métis culture and history in your artistic brand?
For me, my Métis culture is a huge part of my identity. Although you can’t hear it very much in a lot of my music, it’s a part of who I am, so I think it takes a huge role in how I present myself as an artist. I have been very lucky to be able to connect with my culture because my parents and grandparents were kind of told not to share that side of them. So, to be so open about it through my music career has definitely been really special for me. To be able to be part of the Métis community and other Indigenous communities, and to be able to share that openly, I never take that for granted.
You obviously have your voice as a singer, but your voice in terms of your social following and overall platform as well. How do you exercise both?
For a little while there, I was running networking events for other artists to connect with the community and learn a thing or two about the business side of music because I have a huge passion for helping other artists get started. I don’t like when other artists gatekeep what they’re doing. I think that in order for all of us to get better and to grow, we need to share as a community. So, I’ve been very lucky to get to do that, and I’m hoping once things slow down again, I can jump back into that and start doing my networking events again. I’ve also gotten to work with some cool organizations. [For example], when I started my production journey, I ended up doing a production class called Equity X, which was organized by SOCAN and a couple other organizations. I ended up getting to share a short video of my journey and why I … decided to take that leap.
You will be performing at the imagineNATIVE Birthday Beat Party on June 7 in Toronto. Can you preview or tease your set for attendees?
I was taking a look at the venue the other day and picking my outfit. I’m going to try to include lots of my new music, a couple covers that I like doing… I’m not 100% set on the covers yet, but it’s going to be lots of fun.
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When you prep an album for release, the songs are there in one form but bringing them to life on stage is a whole different form factor. Are there any specific tracks you’re most excited to perform live?
I am really excited for my song “Rumor” just because it’s a really edgy, a little bit nasty song, and that’s not usually how I write. So, I’m excited to kind of bring some of that attitude on stage.
We don’t know if you envision ‘Tempered’ as Robin Cisek 2.0, but what is your mindset going into this release and how is it shaping what’s next in the pipeline?
I’m hoping that my production takes me further. I really like doing collabs, but I think even learning production has helped me to communicate what I’m looking for when working with other people. So, I’m really excited for that in the future of my career, and I definitely agree with you—‘Tempered’ is something new for me, so I’m hoping that people like it, and I’m hoping that people connect with some of the songs that I’ve written. It’s really exciting for me.
Thank you, Robin! ‘Tempered’ is out now. Follow Robin on Instagram to get a front row seat to what’s next.
See you back here soon with another artist and music release for you to love at first listen! Have a suggestion or pitch? You know where to find us!
Happy listening xx
