{{Short description|Canadian singer-songwriter and author (born 1985)}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Hayley Gene Penner | image = File:HayleyGenePenner.jpg | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|11|5}} | birth_place = [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], Canada | genre = [[Pop music|Pop]] and [[Folk music|folk]] | occupation = {{flatlist| * singer * songwriter * instrumentalist * author }} | instrument = {{flatlist| * guitar * piano }} | years_active = 2003–present | label = | associated_acts = | website = https://www.hayleygpenner.com/ }}
'''Hayley Gene Penner''' (born November 5, 1985) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and author based in [[Los Angeles]]. She has written for artists including [[the Chicks]], [[Sabrina Claudio]], [[Lennon Stella]], [[Charlotte Lawrence]] and [[The Chainsmokers]].<ref name="Apple">{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/hayley-gene-penner-songbook/pl.3b46871a5bcd4f2db12597b5f0d446bd |website=Apple songbook |title= Hayley Gene Penner's Songbook|publisher=Apple Music |accessdate=17 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="Variety">{{cite web |last1=Willman |first1=Chris |title=The Chicks' 'Gaslighter': Album Review |url=https://variety.com/2020/music/news/the-chicks-gaslighter-album-review-dixie-1234708281/ |website=Variety |date=16 July 2020 |accessdate=17 August 2020}}</ref> Penner began releasing music under her full name in 2018. In September 2020, she released her debut album, ''People You Follow'', with a memoir of the same name.<ref name="Dundurn">{{cite web |title=People You Follow |url=https://www.dundurn.com/books/People-You-Follow |website=Dundurn Press |accessdate=17 August 2020 |language=en |date=28 October 2019}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Penner was born and raised in [[Winnipeg]], [[Canada]], the eldest daughter of Canadian [[children's music]] performer [[Fred Penner]] and Odette Heyn, a choreographer and founder of a [[contemporary dance]] school.<ref name="Uniter">{{cite web |last1=LOEWEN |first1=DEREK |title=LOCAL SINGER HAYLEY GENE SHARES MUSIC FOR A GOOD CAUSE |url=http://uniter.ca/view/local-singer-hayley-gene-shares-music-for-a-good-cause |website=Uniter |accessdate=17 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Scholfield |first1=Anna |title=Hayley Gene Penner Copes with Getting Ghosted in Introspective "Talking To Myself" [PREMIERE] / Ones To Watch |url=https://www.onestowatch.com/blog/hayley-gene-penner-copes-with-getting-ghosted-in |website=Ones To Watch |publisher=Live Nation Worldwide |accessdate=17 August 2020 |date=November 1, 2018}}</ref>
At age 17, Penner was hosting [[CBC Television|CBC]] children's programming and lending her voice to commercials for companies like [[Cheez Whiz]], [[McDonald's]], [[Kraft Dinner]] and [[Hamburger Helper]].<ref name="WFP" /> She was the [[Manitoba]] regional host for [[CBC Kids#Kids' CBC (2003–2016)|Kids' CBC]] from 2003 to 2005.<ref name="WFP">{{cite news |title=New CBC kids' host called Fred's Place home |url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/31377604.html |website=Winnipeg Free Press |date=7 August 2003 |accessdate=17 August 2020}}</ref>
Penner moved to Toronto, where she studied journalism at [[Toronto Metropolitan University]] and formed the electronic dance band TuZO with a friend. After university, Penner worked at ''[[Châtelaine]]'' before spending six months writing restaurant reviews for a magazine in London.{{Citation needed|date=April 2026}}
== Music career == === Songwriting === Penner moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to sign a publishing deal with [[BMG Rights Management|BMG Chrysalis]] and [[The Messengers (producers)|the Messengers]].<ref name=WFP/><ref name="Vice">{{cite web |last1=Rosenzweig |first1=Mathais |title=Go to Bed as Two, Wake up as One: Here's W. Darling's Video for "Nights Like This" |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/w-darling-nights-like-this/ |website=Vice.com |date=20 July 2015 |publisher=Vice Canada |access-date=17 August 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Penner writes for other artists, including 11 songs with Sabrina Claudio across her first two projects ''[[Confidently Lost]]'' and ''[[About Time (Sabrina Claudio album)|About Time]]'', 7 with Alina Baraz, and other artists such as Lennon Stella, Charlotte Lawrence, and [[Sinead Harnett]]. Hayley wrote “Everybody Loves You” on The Chicks' 2020 return album, ''[[Gaslighter (album)|Gaslighter]]''.
Penner's songwriting partnership with [[Charlotte Lawrence]] continued with her joining Lawrence on tour and as an opening act at New York’s Bowery Ballroom and Los Angeles’s The Troubadour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bandsintown.com/e/1012316066-hayley-gene-penner-at-bowery-ballroom|title=Hayley Gene Penner @ Bowery Ballroom}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CDOxcbZhqCN/ | title=Charlotte Lawrence's Style🦋 on Instagram: "Char talking about "If you love me"🥺❤️" }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B3PXvXpA3AA/ | title=Hayley Gene Penner on Instagram: "The last night of the tour that started a year ago today. Who's sentimental 🙋🏼♀️ @charlotteslawrence ❤️you so much" }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jambase.com/band/hayley-gene-penner/tour-history|title=Hayley Gene Penner}}</ref>
=== Solo career === In 2011, Penner signed with [[Universal Music Canada]] and began releasing and writing music under the name W. Darling.<ref name="Uniter" /><ref name="Vice" /><ref name="WFP" /> Penner released two [[EPs]] comprising three songs each in 2015, ''The Lost Girls Chapter One'' and ''Chapter Two''.<ref name="One">{{cite web |title=Lost Girls: Chapter One - W. Darling {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lost-girls-chapter-one-mw0002868891 |website=AllMusic |accessdate=17 August 2020 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name="Two">{{cite web|title=Lost Girls: Chapter Two - W. Darling {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lost-girls-chapter-two-mw0002898565 |website=AllMusic |accessdate=17 August 2020 |language=en-us}}</ref>
In 2017, Penner split from Universal Music Canada and began releasing music through [[AWAL]] under her full name Hayley Gene Penner, moving away from the electronic pop returning to her roots as an acoustic, folk singer-songwriter.<ref name="Heir">{{cite web |last1=Courtland |first1=Abigail |title=Hayley Gene Penner is Finding Freedom in Authenticity and Radiating Unapologetic Honesty in Songwriting |url=https://heirwavesonline.com/2019/02/05/hayley-gene-penner-is-finding-freedom-in-authenticity-and-radiating-unapologetic-honesty-in-songwriting/ |website=heirwaves |accessdate=17 August 2020 |language=en |date=5 February 2019}}</ref> Penner released five singles in 2018, two in 2019, and five in 2020.<ref name="Spotify">{{cite web |title=Hayley Gene Penner |url=https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ytHo44bNtIESiArfclJPe |website=Spotify |accessdate=17 August 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Heir" /> A memoir, ''People You Follow'', was scheduled for release in late 2020.<ref name="Book">{{cite web |title=People you follow |url=https://www.hayleygpenner.com/people-you-follow |website=HAYLEY GENE PENNER |accessdate=17 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="CBCBooks">{{cite web |title=40 works of Canadian nonfiction to watch for in spring 2020 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/40-works-of-canadian-nonfiction-to-watch-for-in-spring-2020-1.5428506 |website=CBC Books |publisher=CBC |accessdate=17 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="Quill">{{cite web |last1=Porter |first1=Ryan |title=Canadian publishers announce postponed publication dates |url=https://quillandquire.com/omni/canadian-publishers-announce-postponed-publication-dates/ |website=Quill and Quire |accessdate=25 August 2020 |date=6 April 2020}}</ref>
== Memoir == Alongside her debut album, Penner wrote a memoir, also titled ''People You Follow'', about her experience as a female songwriter in the music industry and the hidden, toxic side of the business.<ref name="Book" /><ref name="CBCBooks" /><ref name="Quill" /> The book, released in fall 2020, was described by [[Lena Dunham]] as "a fucked up Alice in Wonderland journey down the rabbit hole of LA’s most subtly toxic industry, and it’s also funny. brilliant, coy, playful and wise." [[Cindy Crawford]] called the book "both heartbreaking and humorous" depiction "of how we, as women, struggle to find our value through the eyes of others".<ref name="Dundurn" />
== Discography == === Albums === * ''People You Follow'' (2020)
=== Songs === {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" ! scope="col" rowspan="1" | Title ! scope="col" rowspan="1" | Year |- |"Olive Juice" |2018 |- |"Sleep at Night" |2018 |- |"White Stripes" |2018 |- |"Smaller" |2018 |- |"Talking to Myself" |2018 |- |"Silver Lining" |2019 |- |"Two Birthdays and One Bad Christmas" |2019 |- |"somethingyouneverhad" |2020 |- |"The Longer It Hurts" |2020 |- |"Great Advice" |2020 |- |"Alone Together" |2020 |- |"Until I'm Back to You"<ref>A dedicated song for Ayana Bali resport. Not published for public yet.</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmQilhnCJ8Q |title=Ayana Resort and Spa, Bali |date=2013-01-20 |last=Pete Seaward |access-date=2025-10-18 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |n/a |}
=== Songwriting credits === {| class="wikitable" ! Year !! Artist !! Album !! Song |- |2012||[[Cody Simpson]]||''[[Paradise (Cody Simpson album)|Paradise]]''||"Paradise" |- |2013||[[Victoria Justice]]||Single||"Shake" |- |rowspan="3"|2014 |rowspan="2"|Catey Shaw |''Revolution''||"Revolution" |- |''The Brooklyn EP''||"Human Contact" |- |[[Bassnectar]]||''[[Noise vs. Beauty]]''||"You & Me" (feat. W. Darling) |- |rowspan="2"|2015 |rowspan="2"| [[Jem and the Holograms (film)|Jem And The Holograms]] |rowspan="2"|''[[Jem and the Holograms (film)#Soundtrack|Jem And The Holograms (The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack)]]''| |"We Got Heart" |- |"Alone Together" |- |rowspan="3"|2016 |[[Snow Tha Product]]||''Halfway There...Pt. 1''||"Nights" (feat. W. Darling) |- |[[Catey Shaw]]||''The Ransom'' (EP)||"Tell Everyone" |- |[[Magic!|MAGIC]]||''[[Primary Colours (Magic! album)|Primary Colours]]''||"Red Dress" |- | rowspan="15"|2017 |rowspan="2"|[[Virginia to Vegas]] |rowspan="2"|''[[Utopian (album)|Utopian]]'' |"Wasted" |- |"F*** Me Up" |- |Marcus & Martinus||''[[Moments (Marcus & Martinus album)|Moments]]''||"Get To Know Ya" |- |rowspan="2"| [[K.I.D (band)|K.I.D]] |Single||"Happy When I Cry" |- |Single||"Elevator" |- |rowspan="5"| ''[[About Time (Sabrina Claudio album)|About Time]]'' | rowspan="10"| Sabrina Claudio |"Wait" |- |"Everlasting Love" |- | "Wanna Know" |- | "Frozen" |- |"About Time (Intro)" |- | rowspan="5"| ''Confidently Lost'' (EP) |"Tell Me" |- |"Too Much Too Late" |- |"Runnin Thru Lovers" |- |"I Don't" |- |"Orion's Belt" |- | rowspan="5"| 2018 | [[Sabrina Claudio]] || ''[[Fifty Shades Freed (film)#Music|Fifty Shades Freed (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack)]]'' || "Cross Your Mind" |- | rowspan="3" | [[Charlotte Lawrence]] |Single||"Everybody Loves You" |- |Single||"Young and Reckless" |- |Single||"Keep Me Up" |- |[[Why Don't We]]||''[[8 Letters]]''||"Talk" |- | rowspan="12"| 2019 | rowspan="3"|Amaal | rowspan="3"|''Black Dove'' (EP) |"Later" |- |"Coming & Going" |- |"Not What I Thought" |- |Lennon Stella||''Love me'' (EP)||"Feelings" |- |[[Dinah Jane]]||''Dinah Jane 1''||"Fix It" |- |[[Sinead Harnett]]||Single||"Pulling Away" (feat. Gallant) |- |[[Cyn]]||''Mood Swing''||"Angel" |- |[[Ekali]]||Single||"Be Fine" (feat. Wafia) |- |[[TRACE]]||''Like Hell EP''||"Missing Me" |- |[[Eric Nam]]||''Before We Begin''||"How'm I Doing" |- |[[Fabolous]]||''Summertime Shoutout 3: Coldest Summer Ever''||"Time" |- |[[The Chainsmokers]]||''World War Joy''||"See The Way" |- | rowspan="15"| 2020 |- |Charlotte OC||Single||"This Pain" |- |[[Lennon Stella]]||''Three. Two. One.''||"Save Us" |- |rowspan="2"|[[Leah Kate]] |rowspan="2"|''Used To This'' (EP) |"Bad Idea" |- |"Used To This" |- |rowspan="7"|[[Alina Baraz]] |rowspan="7"| ''It Was Divine'' |"My Whole Life" |- |"The Beginning" |- |"Memo Blue" |- |"More than Enough" |- |"Off the Grid" feat. [[Khalid (American singer)|Khalid]] |- |"Endlessly" |- |"Morocco" feat [[6LACK]] |- |[[Eric Nam]]|| ''[[Eric Nam discography|The Other Side]]''|| "How You Been" |- |[[The Chicks]]||''[[Gaslighter (album)|Gaslighter]]''||"Everybody Loves you" |- |Aluna||''Renaissance''||"Off Guard" |- | rowspan="8"| 2021 |- |rowspan="2"| [[Epik High]] |rowspan="2"| ''[[Epik High discography|Epik High Is Here (Part 1)]]'' |"Lesson Zero" |- |"True Crime" |- |[[Surf Mesa]]||Single||"Carried Away" (with [[Madison Beer]]) |- |[[Alina Baraz]]||''Sunbeam''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sunbeam - EP by Alina Baraz|url=https://ratedrnb.com/2021/09/alina-baraz-shares-new-ep-sunbeam/|access-date=2021-09-25|website=Rated R&B|date=September 25, 2021|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Sunbeam - EP by Alina Baraz|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/sunbeam-ep/1585072555|access-date=2021-09-25|website=Apple Music|date=September 25, 2021|language=en-us}}</ref>||"If You Let Me" |- |[[Sinéad Harnett]]||''Ready Is Always Too Late''||"Anymore" (feat. [[Lucky Daye]]) |- |[[Wafia]]||Single||"Wide Open" (feat [[Ta-ku]] & [[Masego (musician)|Masego]]) |- |[[Mallory Merk]]||''Counterparts''||"Switchblades" |- | rowspan="3"| 2022 |- |[[Claire Rosinkranz]]||Single||"123" |- |[[Fitz and the Tantrums]]||''Let Yourself Free''||"Good Nights" |- | rowspan="3"| 2023 |- |[[Sara Kays]]||Single||"Bored" |- |[[Del Water Gap]]||Single||"Losing You" |- | rowspan="3"| 2025 |- |[[Lily Allen]]||[[West End Girl]]||"West End Girl" |- |}
== Notes == === Footnotes === {{reflist}}
=== References === * {{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hayley-penner-mn0001362817/credits|title=Hayley Gene Penner Credits|website=AllMusic|access-date=August 17, 2020}} * {{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hayley-gene-mn0000604559/credits|title=Hayley Gene Credits|website=AllMusic|access-date=August 17, 2020}} * {{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/w-darling-mn0003277344/credits|title=W. Darling Credits|website=AllMusic|access-date=August 17, 2020}} * {{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/hayley-gene-penner-songbook/pl.3b46871a5bcd4f2db12597b5f0d446bd |title=Hayley Gene Penner Songbook|website=Apple Songbook |publisher=Apple Music |accessdate=17 August 2020}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Penner, Hayley Gene}} [[Category:1992 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Canadian pop singers]] [[Category:Canadian women singer-songwriters]] [[Category:21st-century Canadian women singers]] [[Category:21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters]]