Music and poetry go hand in hand, and nobody understands that better than Robyn Sandhu.

Robyn is a gifted writer with an arsenal of poems and spoken word to back up his craft. He is also a creative at heart, venturing into making music and videos to portray his poetry.

Originally hailing from Sri Ganganagar, India, he made Surrey, BC his home in 2017. That is when Robyn started posting his poetry on social media, and garnered a devoted following that continues to grow.

With 133K followers on Instagram, 390K on TikTok, and over 9 million views on YouTube, Robyn says he is just getting started.

In an interview with 5X press, Robyn talks about sharing his artistic form with the world.

"I started posting short videos in 2017, but I didn't really plan anything in the beginning. I just knew I wanted to do something in music. Something inside of me always pushed me towards that. I had no idea people would give me so much love,” he said.

Robyn also reminisced about his humble beginnings.

"Once I started posting, I realized that I wasn’t camera shy," he chuckled. "People gave me lots of positive feedback, which motivated me to post more content."

Robyn says he was passionate about music and poetry from a young age. He credits his father and grandfather with being impactful influences on him.

"My grandfather used to write, and my father used to sing, and they are my biggest inspirations. I think I got it from them, and I am trying my best to do justice to this gift," he adds.

Robyn credits his poem, "Kive Lagya Caneda", to be a turning point in his career.

"I was at an event in December 2019, and I recited Kive Lagya Caneda there, and it went viral. I received the most feedback from that, and everyone loved it,” Robyn says.

“I was getting texts from so many people, those who had been following me, and also from those who had just discovered me."

Robyn says he wants to grow and find himself through creating art, and he wants to positively impact anyone that might come across his work.

"I want my work and my poetry to resonate positively with everyone. If someone is on my page or account, I want him or her to feel inspired and motivated afterwards,” he says.

“I don’t want them to think of me and my journey as unattainable or out of reach. I want them to think they can do whatever it is that they want as well."

Robyn says that transitioning from one form of artistic expression to another can sometimes be a daunting experience filled with self-doubt. He felt this during his transition from a poet to a singer.

"People comparing my music with my poetry was one of the biggest reasons that held me back from making music,” he says.

“I was worried they'd tell me music was out of my league and to stick to being a poet. But at some point, you have to let go of the doubts, and just go for it."

Robyn says however, that the doubt is often loudest in your own head.

"Once I released my music, people loved it. Thankfully those who loved my poetry, loved my music as well, and the new audience I gained from my music went on to discover and love my poetry. Both the worlds came together,” he adds.

Every artist has a favourite part of the process, and for Robyn, recording music and coming up with video concepts for his poetry are the most interesting. 

While being appreciative of the process, he coyly adds that in his experience, no matter how much you love the process, releasing your art into the world is always a nerve wracking experience filled with self-doubt. 

"I kind of like the doubt and nervousness because it keeps me grounded,” Robyn says.

“Every release is a performance that I am giving to my audience, and I never want to disappoint them. You hope it's received with love, but you never know. I get that feeling every time." 

We asked Robyn where he finds inspiration to write so eloquently and poignantly, and to describe shared experiences. He says that he is lucky that he doesn’t have to look that hard, because everything inspires him.

"I get inspired when someone tells me a story, or when I look around and empathize with the struggles others have faced or are facing. I write about experiences that are common and relatable to everyone in some capacity. Life is inspiring enough in itself to me,” he says.

Robyn remembers his early days of writing and laughs at his naivety. He shares with us that he never used to believe in writer's block.

"For the first year and a half, I used to think writer's block was a myth because I always had so much that I wanted to say and create. But as you grow and learn as an artist, you realize that it is a very real thing, and you need to develop ways to get past it. Whatever works for you,” he says.

"When I'm going through a block, I think the only way to get past it is to just keep writing until I get to a point where something clicks or works. I just start rhyming and force myself to write, regardless of inspiration. You have to keep your brain moving, if you let the block get the best of you, then you'll be stuck. Inspiration is not guaranteed."

Robyn says that the most important message he wants to portray to his fans is that they should never give up.

"You never know what life has in store for you, and you might be one step away from your destination, so don’t give up,” he says.

“Don’t be a guy in his 60s, holding a beer on a beach saying, ‘I would’ve done that" or ‘I would’ve done this.’ Do the things you want to do right now, and keep moving towards your goals." 

When asked about what the future has in store for him, Robyn shares his aspirations.

"I hope to keep creating art that resonates with my audience. I have been posting my poetry since 2017, but just started releasing music in the past year. I really want to keep up with both music and poetry side by side. I don't know exactly what the future holds, but I will keep pushing limits,” he says.

Robyn also shared some very exciting news with 5X Press, and fans can expect an album from him in the near future. The project is currently in the works, featuring well-known names such as BygByrd and Intense -- so stay tuned!

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About the author: Gurshabad’s educational background in Biology and Psychology is inspired by her lifelong pursuit to seek and decipher the human connection. She loves McDonald’s fries, long walks on the beach, and telling people how to correctly pronounce her name. She regularly forces her friends to sit in her car & record a podcast aptly named Sitting In The Car. You can find her but more importantly her dog, @gurshabadkang on all platforms.