Annie Robinette
Annie Robinette’s song “Hanging On” was the Overall Top of the Line Winner in the 2012 SMSWF Songwriters Competition.
From early on, award-winning songwriter Annie Robinette has had artistic urges bursting out of her in all directions. As a child she rapidly became an accomplished ballet dancer, could sit down at a piano and pick out just about anything by ear, was a quick study on the guitar and banjo when she felt like giving them a try, and could create intricately detailed pencil drawings of anything she saw. In her late teens and early twenties, she started singing lead in several cover bands in the Raleigh-Durham NC area. All it took was one audition, and her clear, powerful vocal style landed her the front position in bands playing everything from pop to rock to blues.
Annie studied fine arts at UNC Greensboro, and became a portrait artist and illustrator. She also freelanced in marketing and graphic design. At the same time she worked as a professional model and actress, which landed her jobs for clients like Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, and Levi’s. Annie had numerous roles in national and regional TV ads as well as principal roles in corporate and independent film. And when she took a sudden notion to, Annie dove into the stage scene in Raleigh, wowing audiences in both musical and dramatic theatre.
After becoming the mother of two daughters, Annie began writing songs, playing bass and sharing the lead vocals in an all-girl alternative rock band. But this endeavor was short-lived, as Annie moved back to her hometown, Bristol, TN to marry the “one that got away”. This union added two more children to the mix. The stresses of dealing with divorce, remarriage, custody battles, raising four kids, and the unexpected deaths of her father and brother, would have been enough to squelch many artists’ creative impulses. But Annie found poetic inspiration in these events and returned to song writing and performing.
Her lyrics are direct and visual, intelligent and relevant. Her sound is uniquely her own, delivered with power, emotion, and intensity. The music is sophisticated without being complicated and has a firm acoustic texture with just enough electricity. Her voice is extraordinarily powerful and still easy on the ear, polished without losing the raw connection with the performance…the perfect vehicle to deliver stories within which you’re bound to find a piece of yourself.
www.annierobinette.com