Hayley Gene Penner is a Canadian singer and songwriter with Downtown Music Publishing. She is known for her work with artists including The Chicks, Sabrina Claudio, Lennon Stella, Charlotte Lawrence, The Chainsmokers, and Alina Baraz. Hayley has been nominated for the Songwriter of the Year – Non-Performer Award at the JUNO Awards, taking place in Hamilton, Ontario on March 29, 2026.
What’s your favorite part of the songwriting process?
My favorite part of songwriting alone is songwriting so often has this sneaky tendency of leading the writer in the direction of the truth, whether she was ready to look at it or not. I can sit down with one point of view then have a song expose holes in my thinking, revealing myself to myself. My favorite part of songwriting in collaboration is the collaboration. There is nothing quite like the high of creating something out of nothing with a group of people whose instincts both challenge and perfectly click with yours.
What’s your biggest session highlight so far?
My biggest session highlight so far is working with Lily Allen. The way the sessions came together was so bizarre and magical and aligned and getting to witness her genius in action was truly inspiring. It was one of those experiences that many iterations of my younger self would have lost her mind over. My present-day self certainly did.
How much do current market and track trends impact your creative process?
Not at all. Maybe even to a fault. After a full day in the studio, I rarely want to listen to music on the drive home. My car is most often silent or I’m on a faceless facetime or swearing at idiot LA drivers or listening to a podcast. This drive-home-from-the-studio window is sort of the perfect window to tune into current trends and since I don’t take advantage of it, I can be a bit out of touch at times. In a way it’s possible that being out of touch protects my creativity. The goal remains making something that feels good, rather than what feels relevant…since I don’t consistently know what’s relevant.
Listen to Hayley Gene Penner on Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify. Visit her website at www.hayleygpenner.com.
