Why Fleet Foxes singer Robin Pecknold felt “guilty” about the band’s success
When Fleet Foxes burst onto the music scene in 2008, it was a sharp rise to fame which was difficult to take for singer Robin Pecknold. Rather than enjoy the band’s moment in the sun, Pecknold felt “guilty” about their new-found success and uneasy with their status.
Pecknold was only 20 when the group formed. Within two years, they were being celebrated as an integral voice for their generation following their eponymous debut, which was lauded by critics. It landed them a large international fanbase. In the first year, it sold over 408,000 copies in North America and over 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. A high-profile Saturday Night Live performance followed, but Pecknold found it an overwhelming experience.
Rather than take time off to adjust to his new-found fame, Pecknold toured relentlessly with Fleet Foxes before they started work on their second album, Helplessness Blues. If it were up to the singer, the album would have been released in 2009, but the band’s intense touring schedule held it back until 2011.
Following another enduring cycle on the touring carousel, Pecknold finally took a break and evaluated his life. Although he should have been savouring every moment in the limelight, the Fleet Foxes frontman instead decided to enrol at Columbia University while the band took a hiatus. “Not to turn this into a therapy session, but I really wish I’d been able to enjoy that experience as a 22-year-old a little more,” he later reflected to The Sun. “It was quite overwhelming.”
Pecknold continued: “Even though I’d worked really hard, the success was so immediate that I felt guilty. I didn’t think I’d earned it and was hard on myself in the years following. Making this record (Shore) felt a lot like the first one because there was no heavy burden of expectation.”
Being able to escape the noise and becoming a normal student was a lifeline that helped Pecknold immeasurably. Furthermore, it also re-energised him for when Fleet Foxes reunited and readied him to return to music. “It felt like running away from the situation,” he continued. “Everything had become too much to handle. When touring started for the second album (2011’s Helplessness Blues), I had acute awareness of how laser-focused on music I’d been. If I took that away, there was nothing else in my life.”
Imposter syndrome is common throughout the music industry, and there’s no way to prepare for monumental success. First and foremost, Pecknold is an artist who isn’t interested in the fame game or having his personal life intruded on, thanks to the popularity of Fleet Foxes. However, thankfully, Pecknold is now back, offering a steady supply of magnificent music and has accepted his deserved position.
