
Photo by Kayla Palmer, courtesy of Robin Barnes
Robin Barnes, the "Songbird of New Orleans"
Robin Barnes recalls the moment she first recognized the true “magic of music”; she was six years old, performing her very first solo—a rendition of “Ave Maria.” The audience was moved to tears.
Today, Barnes, an internationally recognized singer and songwriter, performs contemporary jazz at venues across the city and acts as an ambassador of New Orleans, a local influencer, and founder of a free fitness movement, “Move Ya Brass.”
“I was very lucky to live in a city like New Orleans [where] someone saying that their dream is music is not that crazy,” she said. “I’m blessed to live in a place where that is embraced.”
Barnes’s larger-than-life voice is soulful and soothing, like a warm cup of café au lait on a frigid day. You can’t listen to Robin Barnes and not tap your feet, clap your hands, shimmy your shoulders, and feel something deep in your core.
“I was very lucky to live in a city like New Orleans [where] someone saying that their dream is music is not that crazy. I’m blessed to live in a place where that is embraced.” —Robin Barnes
“I’m taking you on an experience,” she said. “I’m taking you out of whatever your troubles and worries are . . . music is a tool that helps people forget their worries . . . forget the right now, the tomorrow . . . it’s about the experience of celebrating life and being present right now.”
Music was a part of Barnes’s life from the very beginning. The baby of seven, she grew up in the 9th Ward and remembers walking down the block in her neighborhood, where every single neighbor had their door open, listening to their favorite songs. “It was the most special time of my life,” she said. She got her start in music performing with her father, Robino Barnes, and brothers in their band, The Soul Heirs. They performed at festivals, jazz clubs, and weddings. “I learned what it was to become an entertainer at a very young age,” she said.
At nine years old, Barnes started training with violinist and opera coach Dr. Nelson Francis, who would remain her mentor until she was seventeen. “He believed in me and wanted to invest in me,” she said, attributing her voice’s remarkable range to his tutelage.
When she’d completed high school, Barnes knew right off the bat she wanted to be a professional musician like her brothers—but her parents encouraged her to attend school for business instead. “They wanted one of us to make money,” she said.
Barnes graduated from the University of New Orleans with honors in Marketing and Business Administration, then earned her Master’s, too. When her parents then suggested she go for her doctorate, “I told my mom and dad I was done,” she said. “It’s time for music.”
For the first six months, Barnes couldn’t find a gig. Part of the challenge was, with her newly acquired business acumen, she demanded a certain degree of professionalism most emerging musicians didn’t. “People were very intimidated that I asked for a contract,” she recalled. “They’d tell me, ‘A contract? Absolutely not, but we could do a handshake.’”
Despite the rejections, Barnes persisted. Whenever doors were shut in her face, she’d recall the people who believed in her from the beginning, people like her mom—“who are worth tenfold the people who have told me no,” she said. “My mother says my superpower is pivoting. ”
At one point, Barnes noticed the venue, the Twist Cocktail Bar—across the street from Lafayette Square—was empty during the same time that “Wednesday at the Square,” a local concert series, took place. When she approached the owners, they said they’d give her a chance if she could produce a consistent crowd.
The venue, however, didn’t know about Barnes’s marketing background, or that she has a ton of cousins. The first few weeks were packed with her family and friends. As part of Barnes’s strategy, each night when the “Wednesday at the Square” event ended across the street, the attendees would see the lively, packed venue and come to hear more music. By the time her family’s attendance started dwindling, the concert series-goers were filling the Twist. As her Wednesday night performance grew in popularity, so did her bargaining power, and her rates.
“I utilized the branding from that to get me more notice in the city and get people to ask, ‘who is this singer?’” she said. That successful run led Barnes to headline at two luxury New Orleans hotels, The Windsor Court and, three months later, at the grand re-opening of the Hotel Monteleone after its expansion. From there, she couldn’t be stopped.

Courtesy of Robin Barnes
Robin Barnes in performance
Since then, Barnes and her Fiya Birds have become a staple at Jazz Fest and the French Quarter Festival. She’s brought her distinct sound—marked by high-powered, energetic performances—all over the world, and has performed at many of the world’s most acclaimed venues, including the Royal Opera house in London. “It was a huge opportunity, and I got to perform with Aloe Blacc. That was an amazing experience.” In 2018, she was even the featured artist for MTV India’s Music Summit.
Her first EP, Me—a blend of soul, pop, jazz and R&B—debuted in 2013, followed by her Billboard charting jazz EP Songbird Sessions in 2016. Songbird Sessions was the career defining moment Barnes had dreamed of, ranking #5 on Traditional Jazz Albums and #8 Top Current Jazz Albums. “It showed the caliber of artist I am.”
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Barnes has also garnered much-deserved praise and accolades in her hometown of New Orleans. In 2015, Gambit named her an artist to watch, the same year she was named “Favorite New Orleans Musician” by New Orleans Magazine. And almost a decade later, this past year, Gambit named her and her band, The Fiya Birds, the Best Local Artist/Band of 2024.
Music extends to every facet of Barnes’s life—opening up doors not only for incredible performances, but also to make a difference.
Barnes started the Move Ya Brass fitness program in 2013 after returning from her first European tour with a rare infection that left her right kidney permanently damaged. It was a difficult recovery, during which she required a cane to walk. Barnes searched but couldn’t find any accessible fitness programs to help get her back on track.
“I’ve been putting out singles and EPs because I was still searching for myself . . . for my sound. With this album, I’m able to finally hone in on, ‘Who is Robin?’ And Robin is Louisiana. I’m able to showcase the music of my culture, of my city, my state, my family, and my heritage.” —Robin Barnes
One day, she was lying in bed, thinking over her troubles and the debilitating expenses of her medical bills, when her mom entered her room and said, “Get off your ass and move your brass.”
She got up and made a Facebook post asking if anyone wanted to meet up and walk. Ten strangers showed up, and the Move Ya Brass movement officially launched as a free run/walk group who to this day meet up at City Park every Monday. “I started this to save my life, and it’s snowballed into a positive movement helping thousands of people,” she said.
Today, Move Ya Brass has expanded beyond its cardio group to offer a range of free group fitness classes, including “Bounce Ya Brass,” “Hip Hop Ya Brass,” sunrise “Stretch Ya Brass,” “Twerk Ya Brass,” and more.
In 2017, Barnes married the love of her life, musician Pat Casey of Pat Casey and the New Sound.
The first time the duo encountered each other was at a rehearsal at a musician’s house. Casey was leaving as she arrived. Their eyes locked momentarily, and she asked her friend his name. The friend replied, “Bob.” For four years, Barnes searched for Bob the bass player on social media, and never found him.
As fate would have it, Barnes’s dad retired as her bass player, and she needed to find his replacement. Her best friend recommended “one of the baddest,” a guy named Pat Casey.
When Casey walked into the Windsor Court, he looked at Barnes and said, “Hi.”
“Bob?” Barnes replied.
“Nah, Pat.”
After Casey’s audition, she asked him, “What are you doing for the rest of your life?” He replied, “I guess playing bass with you.” The rest is history.
While some people might find it challenging working with their spouse, Barnes credits Pat for being a calm breeze to her dynamic personality. “If you want to marry a great guy who is also a musician, I tell people to marry a bass player,” she said. “They’re the core foundation of the band, and although they’re the most important part, they’re the background. They’re just happy about the music and [being] a supportive role.”
But Barnes's and Casey’s partnership gained altogether new layers during the pandemic—when they could no longer perform.
“[We were] two musicians with a brand-new baby and no money,” Barnes recalled. Once again, the art of the pivot became her most valuable tool. She and Casey began live-streaming on social media. Casey didn’t think they could do a duo with just bass, so he decided to learn guitar. “Most people take their whole lives to learn guitar, but it took him six months,” she said. Thanks to donations from fans and artists’ grants, they made it through, emerging with an altogether new concept: Robin and Pat—Da Love Birds.
Still today, Da Love Birds perform a stripped-down acoustic version of old school R&B love songs every Thursday night at the Peacock Room in Hotel Fontenot.
“You come to our show if you’re trying to make love or break up,” Barnes laughed.
Nine years since releasing Songbird Sessions, Barnes is gearing up for her debut full album in 2026—and will release her first single, “Hey Na (Iko Iko)” featuring New Orleans “Queen of Bounce” Big Freedia in early February. “This album is my love letter to my roots. I wanted to make something unique and something that was recognized and loved. ‘Iko’ is one of my favorite classics. I’ve been singing it since I was four,” Barnes said of the popular song made famous by the Dixie Cups in 1965. “The Dixie Cups’ version was beautiful, but I wanted to make it me. I didn’t want a rendition like I copied them.”
Barnes said the thing she is most looking forward to with the album’s release is showcasing the diversity within Louisiana’s musical tapestry. “I’m an eight generation Louisianan, and my album is a journey of me discovering my regional roots,” she said. “It’s going to be a plethora of New Orleans brass, bounce, Louisiana Creole, dancing from Cajun and zydeco . . . that’s my DNA . . . When you hear it, you want to move. I want this whole album to be a celebration of life . . . of what our culture is.”
In an industry where today’s artists release music annually, and those that take a hiatus are questioned relentlessly (i.e. SZA, Rihanna and more) Barnes’s wait was purposeful.
“I’ve been putting out singles and EPs because I was still searching for myself . . . for my sound,” she said. “With this album, I’m able to finally hone in on, ‘Who is Robin?’ And Robin is Louisiana. I’m able to showcase the music of my culture, of my city, my state, my family, and my heritage.”
Barnes's rendition of "Hey Na (Iko Iko)" with Big Freedia will be available to stream on February 5. And don't miss her on stage as part of the Super Bowl's pregame performances on February 9. More at robinbarnesmusic.com.