Current release
ONLY LULLABIES
“Only Lullabies” blends art rock, country, krautrock and Russian folk into a strange, tender musical fairytale. Sung in English, it follows a bird-man wandering through a forest after lost love, searching for…
Penelope Gerda? Why?
My name is Daniel Knyazev.
Penelope Gerda is the artistic name I chose in honour of two of literature's most enduring characters: Penelope from Homer's Odyssey and Gerda from Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen.
Penelope embodies quiet resilience—the strength to endure while waiting for Odysseus, the true king of Ithaca, her husband and lover. Gerda embodies another kind of courage—the unwavering determination to cross the world in search of her beloved sworn brother Kai. Though their journeys are very different, both are driven by love, hope, and an unshakable belief that some things are worth waiting and fighting for.
These are the qualities I return to when I write music. I am drawn to the tension between longing and devotion, melancholy and wonder, fragility and perseverance. Bringing Penelope and Gerda together in a single name felt like a natural way to express the emotional landscape that connects all of my work.
Under the name Penelope Gerda, I bring together my solo music, bands, and artistic collaborations into one evolving musical world.
An ecosystem of projects
- Keel the Barber!
- United by Sadness
- Digital Master Turtle
- Poor Leo
- Yan Fisher and His Imaginary Band
- Sevrin Fay
Current Features
Current release
Digital Master Turtle — Lovesong 2
Lovesong 2 is the darker side of a love story: a love that is real, but not reciprocal. The narrator feels like an alien trying to reach someone from our planet. Post-punk…
Current release
Desierto
Imagine you are a character in a 1970s science fiction film co-produced by David Lynch. You are standing on the surface of Mars. It is so untouched, mysterious, and silent. It feels…
Music projects
Four connected acts from the Penelope Gerda ecosystem: each with its own image, sound and route into the catalogue.
Keel the Barber!
A traveling band of dreamers: uplifting kaleidoscopic music, theatrical art rock, country, psychedelic, emo and indie folk.
Selected sound
Fragments of Penelope Gerda on SoundCloud
United by Sadness
Gothic rock, darkwave, post-punk revival and folk intimacy with haunting duets, anthemic guitars and piercing synths.
Selected sound
Benediction on Bandcamp
Digital Master Turtle
Cold synthesizer lines, voice as incantation and music of night streets, empty halls and neon dreams.
Selected sound
Life Tapes on Bandcamp
Poor Leo
Acoustic guitar and cajón in warm, multi-rayed, tender and mysterious shining rock from the depths of the soul.
Selected sound
Poor Leo on Spotify
Booking
For concerts, festivals, venues and collaboration enquiries across the Penelope Gerda music ecosystem.
Send a booking enquiry using the form below, or contact us directly by email, WhatsApp or Facebook.
Available for
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Live concerts
Solo and project-based performances connected to the Penelope Gerda world.
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Festivals and venues
Programming enquiries, lineups, special appearances and live music events.
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Collaborations and press
Interviews, features, artistic collaborations and related professional requests.
Send a booking enquiry
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