XTU On Tap Featured Artist: Robyn Ottolini

Robyn grew up in a small town outside of Toronto called Uxbridge. Robyn was raised on country music. Though her family wasn’t musical, two of Robyn’s biggest influences were part of her bloodline: her dad loved listening to female country singers, and her older sister was, well, an older sister. “She was the first hater,” Robyn jokes. “She makes me not give a shit about anything or what people say.” Robyn has been writing songs since she was 13 and she never saw music as more than a hobby until her senior year of high school.

Her single F-150 made its way around TikTok, soundtracking more than 34,000 videos and shooting Robyn to No. 4 on the Spotify US Viral 50 chart and No. 3 on Rolling Stone’s all-genre Trending 25 chart.

Perhaps the craziest part? TikTok wasn’t even on Robyn’s radar before the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020. But once she discovered the massive network of songwriters on the app, Robyn decided to see where it could take her. She began posting videos of just about every song she’s ever written, down to a quirky unreleased tune called “Sincerely Drunk Me.” Little did Robyn know, her TikTok venture would land her a record deal.

Robyn signed with Warner Music Nashville in the most 2020 way possible: in her pajamas, on her bed, with an electronic signature. With the pandemic keeping everything remote at the time of her signing in October 2020, Robyn admits that one of the biggest moments of her life was literally surreal. “It felt like nothing had changed,” she says, “but everything had changed.”

Q. What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

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Q. Who do you look up to the most, and what qualities do you love about that person?

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Q. What embarrasses you the most and/or what’s been your most embarrassing moment?

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Q. If you had to live in another time period what period would you choose and why?

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