The Peacock Room is hosting a single release party for Robin Barnes, the “Songbird of New Orleans.”

Barnes’ new single blends rich, soulful melodies with a message of perseverance. The track captures the feeling of standing at the edge of uncertainty and choosing hope.

The cover star for the January 2021 issue, Barnes told OffBeat, ““I always loved Irma Thomas, the New Orleans Queen of Soul, and Shannon Powell the King of Treme, and I was like, ‘I want a title, too!’ I wanted to be something that represents my home and who I am—so why not a songbird? I started putting that in my self-description and bio, but it wasn’t until others started calling me that…and then when I got the official proclamation from the city as to my ‘title,’ I was like alright…that’s me!”

Barnes is from a family of musicians, but getting her foot in the door—the one that is usually open for talented members of the music community—meant that the songbird had to find her wings, so to speak.

“Right off the bat, I learned from a young age that in my world everyone and their momma did music. It was never something where you even had the capacity to think about being competitive. You had to constantly think about how you can do your best. It sounds cliché, but you don’t want to be the next anybody, you want to be the first somebody. My siblings and I were taught to play smarter not harder,” states Barnes matter-of-factly, who is very aware of how competitive the music community as a whole can be, especially in a city that relies on music for its lifeblood, and where there are so many homegrown excellent performers.

The release party will be held at The Peacock Room on April 10 from 8-10 p.m. Reservations are available at peacockroomnola.com.

Be sure to also check out her French Quarter Fest performance the following day, April 11 at 5:20 p.m. on the NewOrleans.com Stage.