Hi, it’s Penny

Wait, why am I doing this?

I’m a musician, performer, songwriter, and frequent over-thinker. You ever get that feeling where your mind is going a million miles an hour with thoughts, but your mouth is like,"Nah, I'm good, I'm gonna sleep in today"? That's me. I've never been able to put my feelings into words, especially in heavy or very personal conversations. My brain freezes and next thing I know, I'm gazing blankly into space, short circuiting.

But music? Music changes that.

Through writing lyrics, poetry, or even a simple diary entry, I finally have the emotional chaos of my mind organized. Whatever I cannot express in a dialogue, I can sing. Whatever is a muddle of jumbled thoughts somehow becomes coherent when I put it into music. And believe me, that revelation struck me like a microphone to the front tooth.

Recording my music initially was something to do for the sake of it, something fun to try out. But the more I did it, the more I realized that music wasn't something I enjoyed; it was something I required. Music has been my own hype man when I've needed a confidence boost, my therapist when I've needed to process emotions, and my dance partner when I've just needed to shake off the stress. Music makes me feel heard, understood, and connected, and now, I want to do the same for others.

To know that my music is something that resonates with you, that it helps you to get through your own feelings or just that it puts a smile on your face, means everything to me. That moment, that quiet "hey, I get you" sensation, that's what makes everything so incredible. I write because it makes me better, but I share because I want it to do the same for you.

After first releasing my EP, I had a friend call me and she told me how my music brought her comfort. She was going through a hard time and my voice and my words were bringing her peace. This of course brought a tear to my eye and added to my fire.

So to all of those who have ever turned up a song to get a feeling, danced around their living room like no one is watching, or ugly-cried to a break up ballad, welcome to the club. Let's continue feeling, healing, and grooving through music and I promise to have so much more in store for you all.

With love,

Penny Riot