Robyn Cini is a teenage model and musician who founded ACE, which stands for "After Common Era" representing new music. Despite her talent and looks, she was not popular in high school and only began modeling near the end. Her musical style crosses genres but she cites R&B, dance and rap influences. She teaches herself music production using FL Studio and hopes to pursue music in university while continuing to perform and write songs. Her other interests include dancing, videography, swimming and football. While focusing on her education and music now, her future aspirations include internships, songwriting, music production and owning her own label.

1. It may initially seem odd that the girl sat next to me is as self-deprecating as Woody Allen
after five shots of whiskey, but despite her obvious good looks and talent, Robyn Cini of ACE
seems to find it difficult to take compliments; She says thank you but she never looks as though she
believes it. “Maybe it's because of my background!” She laughs, “I was never really popular in
high school and it was only towards the end when people started saying I was pretty, I'm also dead
crazy.” A teenage model who was not popular in high school? “Well I only got scouted near the end
so it makes sense, plus high school doesn't work that way; make-up equals popularity in high school
for girls and I never used to wear any.” She doesn't even appear to be wearing any now. We are sat
on a bus riding through Manchester, so there's no need to dress up, however in today's society, the
typical teenage girl will look like she's going out for a night of clubbing when she's in fact going to
Morrisons. So who was Robyn in high school? “I was Robyn in high school!” She says matter-of-
factly, “I just mainly spent my days laughing at pointless things, trying to skip PE every lesson and
focusing on my work. I was just a bit stupid really.” I ask what ACE actually stands for? “After
Common Era, meaning like you know new music, a new new era of music, your own interpretation
of it.” And what would you say the genre of the type of music you make is? “I strongly don't like to
categorize music into a genre, I think its unfair as music is music. I think that my style of music is
quite ecollectic, but for you, I guess I will categorize it to say RnB/Dance/Rap.”
ACE's genre is not the only thing that crosses archetypal boundaries, Robyn draws inspiration from
a great deal of artists, “Justin Bieber, Oh My GOD Gwen Stefani! Kanye West is a big one, No
Doubt, Jay Z, Frank Ocean, Rita Ora, Beyoncé. They're my musical inspirations but there are also a
lot of non-musical people that inspire me, for example (Oscar winning actress) Jennifer Lawrence,
but I'll try and keep this music-related. I keep on going off on one [She laughs].”
Robyn says that due to being a dancer, she has “always been around” music, “My family growing
up have always been playing music so you kinda become addicted to it and whatnot and I don't
mean for this to sound dead cheesy, which it is, but 'music helps you through tough times' and,
another cringe quote, 'when people aren't there for you music always is,' I've kinda gone off topic
again.” She pauses. “I developed an interest in music since forever but it became more apparent
when leaving high school as you make strong connections with music, if that makes sense?”
“I make music on FL Studio at home,” She tells me about her training, “I always write songs and
blah blah blah and I play some guitar (well I'm learning.) I'm doing a Music Production Diploma
either this year or next depending on how much time I can commit due to exams and blah blah blah,
but I've not got any specific qualification.”
SXCBB69 asks: What other interests do you have?
“Eating food, making food, going out and eating food. Well I dance as well (Pop, Lock and Break
dancing) I'm also into video editing with dancing and photography, I love to dive as in spring board
dive and swim. I used to play football for Manchester United and City's female youth teams. I'm a
pretty talented foosball player also. I HATE running but do it an awful lot! And I love watching
New Girl.”
Do you ever find that you have to slack off for inspiration or do you frantically push out lots and
lots of work until something perfect comes out?
“I never ever ever slack on anything unless its my chores or school work. [She laughs] I always
push my self, but with music if you cant feel the need to write then you cant force it or it wont seem
right or have any meaning to you, this is a hard question erm you kinda just need to get energy if
you cant write for example, If I know what I want the song to sound like, I will then listen to other
music for inspiration and then I will have fresh new ideas and whatnot. Or sometimes If I'm out
with friends and one of them says something I might just like, type it on my phone and they think
I'm texting [She gives a faux-evil scientist laugh]”
I ask what her relationship status is. “Single Pringle. [She laughs] Um well to be honest, I don't
really see the point? I don't really get [relationships] they creep me out really! I've got lots of friends
and lots of guy friends so don't really ever feel lonely, but if people are in relationships then I don't
have a problem with it. I just think when people go out with people when they're like 14 its quite

2. funny to be honest.”
I ask for her to extrapolate on her friends, “I have a few really close friends, never had a best friend
because I tend not to get too close to people, but I have one really close friend but most of my
friends I'm not really very close with....I literally hang around with everybody, like I go from my
best mates who are a bit crazy like me but then mates with like others who wouldn't get along with
my other friends, but most of my friends are really, really crazy and dead funny!”
Finally she tells me about her future ambitions, “Aspirations for the future would include: Getting
good grades in my A levels, going to Uni[versity] and doing my music, I would like to go do an
internship with Sony Music in the summer and I would also love to become a great song writer and
music producer, I would like to get involved with a team as such and maybe one day when I'm a lot,
a lot older, have my own music label. That would be quite cool.”