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. 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.
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.
At age 17, Penner was hosting CBC children's programming and lending her voice to commercials for companies like Cheez Whiz, McDonald's, Kraft Dinner and Hamburger Helper. She was the Manitoba regional host for Kids' CBC from 2003 to 2005.
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.
Music career Songwriting Penner moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to sign a publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis and the Messengers. Penner writes for other artists, including 11 songs with Sabrina Claudio across her first two projects Confidently Lost and 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.
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.
Solo career In 2011, Penner signed with Universal Music Canada and began releasing and writing music under the name W. Darling. Penner released two EPs comprising three songs each in 2015, The Lost Girls Chapter One and Chapter Two.
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. Penner released five singles in 2018, two in 2019, and five in 2020. A memoir, People You Follow, was scheduled for release in late 2020.
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. 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".
Discography Albums People You Follow (2020)
Songs Title 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"A dedicated song for Ayana Bali resport. Not published for public yet.n/a
Songwriting credits Year Artist Album Song2012Cody SimpsonParadise"Paradise"2013Victoria JusticeSingle"Shake"2014Catey ShawRevolution"Revolution"The Brooklyn EP"Human Contact"BassnectarNoise vs. Beauty"You & Me" (feat. W. Darling)2015 Jem And The HologramsJem And The Holograms (The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack)|"We Got Heart""Alone Together"2016Snow Tha ProductHalfway There...Pt. 1"Nights" (feat. W. Darling)Catey ShawThe Ransom (EP)"Tell Everyone"MAGICPrimary Colours"Red Dress"2017Virginia to VegasUtopian"Wasted""F*** Me Up"Marcus & MartinusMoments"Get To Know Ya" K.I.DSingle"Happy When I Cry"Single"Elevator" About Time Sabrina Claudio"Wait""Everlasting Love" "Wanna Know" "Frozen""About Time (Intro)" Confidently Lost (EP)"Tell Me""Too Much Too Late""Runnin Thru Lovers""I Don't""Orion's Belt" 2018 Sabrina Claudio Fifty Shades Freed (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack) "Cross Your Mind" Charlotte LawrenceSingle"Everybody Loves You"Single"Young and Reckless"Single"Keep Me Up"Why Don't We8 Letters"Talk" 2019AmaalBlack Dove (EP)"Later""Coming & Going""Not What I Thought"Lennon StellaLove me (EP)"Feelings"Dinah JaneDinah Jane 1"Fix It"Sinead HarnettSingle"Pulling Away" (feat. Gallant)CynMood Swing"Angel"EkaliSingle"Be Fine" (feat. Wafia)TRACELike Hell EP"Missing Me"Eric NamBefore We Begin"How'm I Doing"FabolousSummertime Shoutout 3: Coldest Summer Ever"Time"The ChainsmokersWorld War Joy"See The Way" 2020Charlotte OCSingle"This Pain"Lennon StellaThree. Two. One."Save Us"Leah KateUsed To This (EP)"Bad Idea""Used To This"Alina Baraz It Was Divine"My Whole Life""The Beginning""Memo Blue""More than Enough""Off the Grid" feat. Khalid"Endlessly""Morocco" feat 6LACKEric Nam The Other Side "How You Been"The ChicksGaslighter"Everybody Loves you"AlunaRenaissance"Off Guard" 2021 Epik High Epik High Is Here (Part 1)"Lesson Zero""True Crime"Surf MesaSingle"Carried Away" (with Madison Beer)Alina BarazSunbeam"If You Let Me"Sinéad HarnettReady Is Always Too Late"Anymore" (feat. Lucky Daye)WafiaSingle"Wide Open" (feat Ta-ku & Masego)Mallory MerkCounterparts"Switchblades" 2022Claire RosinkranzSingle"123"Fitz and the TantrumsLet Yourself Free"Good Nights" 2023Sara KaysSingle"Bored"Del Water GapSingle"Losing You" 2025Lily AllenWest End Girl"West End Girl"
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