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.
Current release
A slow-burning release built around fragile vocals, dark ambient textures and restrained guitar layers. The track moves from an intimate opening into a wider, cinematic arrangement, keeping the tension unresolved until the…
Upcoming event
An intimate live set built around dark ambient textures, guitar loops and fragments of the Penelope Gerda catalogue. Night Transmission is a small-format performance focused on atmosphere, improvisation and the transition between…
Four connected acts from the Penelope Gerda ecosystem: each with its own image, sound and route into the catalogue.
A traveling band of dreamers: uplifting kaleidoscopic music, theatrical art rock, country, psychedelic, emo and indie folk.
Gothic rock, darkwave, post-punk revival and folk intimacy with haunting duets, anthemic guitars and piercing synths.
Cold synthesizer lines, voice as incantation and music of night streets, empty halls and neon dreams.
Acoustic guitar and cajón in warm, multi-rayed, tender and mysterious shining rock from the depths of the soul.
For concerts, festivals, venues and collaboration enquiries across the Penelope Gerda music ecosystem.
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Solo and project-based performances connected to the Penelope Gerda world.
Programming enquiries, lineups, special appearances and live music events.
Interviews, features, artistic collaborations and related professional requests.
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