Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Robby Fontana of Beverly Hills

Robby Fontana shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Robby, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Recently, I performed solo piano and vocal on a gorgeous Steinway for a Christmas party at a $50M+ estate in Montecito. The party guests numbered 150 and there was easily that amount in staff members working. The event planner was obviously nervous. Granted, she had a tremendous amount on her plate managing every aspect of the high profile evening. There were so many moving pieces and i was just one small aspect of the evening. When I showed up early for the very quick sound check, I overheard her say “that’s way too loud!” I thought to myself, she doesn’t know that I will adjust the sound to perfectly match the energy of the room and everything will be fine. Not only did it turn out fine, but the owner of the estate ended up choosing to sit right next to the piano where I was performing for most of the evening. Which created a situation where the piano became the focal point of the party because many of the guests came by the piano to say thank you to the host. When I finished, I was approached by several guests, including a multi-Grammy winning producer and his wife (the daughter of a well known Hollywood composer) and they told me how much they loved my performance. On my way out, the event planner said to me “you were amazing!!” and that felt great. I left feeling proud of what I was able to contribute to the evening.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Robby Fontana. I’m a singer-songwriter and trained pianist. I studied jazz piano at Berklee College of Music. I’ve been performing as a full time music artist for over 25+ years now. I started fresh out of high school and I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve been a full time musician ever since I started. I do covers (my versions/arrangements/interpretations everything from Sinatra to hit songs of today), but I also perform my original songs. For the past 15 years, I’ve been performing full time for high end private events as well as most of the top luxury hotels in Southern California. I used to tour US colleges but I became a father in 2012 and I’ve devoted myself to being a great and devoted dad since the birth of my daughter. Booking work locally has been a major blessing. People love when I do songs from the Great American Songbook, song made famous by classic Rat Pack singers like Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole and others. Music is a huge part of my life. Now that my daughter is starting to approach her high school graduation, I’m looking into taking my music overseas.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I performed around Boston for years after I finished studying at Berklee College of Music. I clearly recall guests, well one guest in particular, at a local brick over pizza restaurant saying to me “Go to Hollywood!” as he tipped me on his way out of the restaurant . At the time, the thought of living in Los Angeles wasn’t even on my radar. I had zero inclination of doing that. But I think he saw something in me even way back then. Other people who I’ve come across over the years saw things in me that I didn’t see in myself. At one point, I found myself in London at the invitation of a well known English socialite who fell in love with one of my self made albums. I think she saw something in me and in my music even before I did. My life suddenly felt like a dream, except that it was really happening. After that experience in London I really began to fully believe in myself.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one kind thing to my younger self it would be this. “You’re more than enough… all you have to do is fully believe (all the way down into your subconscious) in yourself and hold strong to the vision of yourself as a successful artist musician. Be bold. Take risks. Don’t be afraid. The Universe supports you and will take care of the rest.”

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I’m way more outgoing when I’m behind a piano. I feel most comfortable in a room when I’m performing, which may seem weird to some people. When I started out, I had nerves, but now when I sit down at the piano (in any venue) it just feels like home to me. I’m slowly becoming more comfortable being in a public space when I’m not performing. But its something I work at.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I was a great father and a kind decent person. I also hope they say that my music brought people some joy, or helped them get through a rough time. I would also like to think some will remember me as being really good at what I do, and maybe some will listen to my music even after I’m gone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.robbyfontana.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robbyfontanamusic/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbyfontanamusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@robbyfontana

Image Credits
Robby Fontana standing in front of the car by Laura Ise