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Robyn

Robin Miriam Carlsson, better known by her stage name Robyn (born 12 June 1979) is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hits "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)" from her debut album Robyn Is Here (1997). She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" (You Make Me Whole Again) for Melodifestivalen 1997. The popularity of her #1 hit single "With Every Heartbeat", and subsequent album release Robyn (2005), brought her mainstream success worldwide. In January 2009 Robyn won a Swedish Grammis award for Best Live Act 2008.

Robyn released the first of a trilogy of albums to be released over the course of 2010 titled Body Talk Pt. 1, in June of that year, peaking at #1. It was her first album since Robyn. The album's lead single "Dancing on My Own" was released a few weeks prior to the album's release, and became a hit single worldwide, and brought her a 53rd Grammy Awards nomination for the category of Best Dance Recording. A follow up album, Body Talk Pt. 2, was released on September 6, entering straight at #1[2] of the Swedish chart, and the final album of the trilogy, Body Talk, was released on November 22nd, 2010 with the first single "Indestructible".

Music career

1991–93: Musical beginnings

In 1991, at the age of twelve, Robyn recorded the theme song for the Swedish television show Lilla Sportspegeln, named Du kan alltid bli nummer ett ("You can always be number one"). She performed her first self-written song at this age on another television show, Söndagsöppet.

Robyn was rediscovered by Swedish pop singer Meja in the early nineties. Meja and her band Legacy of Sound visited Robyn's school and were involved with a musical workshop. Robyn's performances impressed Meja so much so that she contacted her management and a meeting was arranged with Robyn and her parents. Following the completion of her middle school education, Robyn signed to Ricochet Records Sweden, a subsidiary of BMG. She collaborated with producers Max Martin and Denniz Pop, who provided the singer with a gritty yet popular sound. Writing duties were assisted by Ulf Lindstrom and Johan Ekhé, who also helped to produce the album, and they stayed on board with Robyn until the completion of her album Don't Stop the Music in 2003.

1994–97: Robyn Is Here

Robyn started her career in the pop music industry at the age of sixteen. She signed a record deal with RCA Records in 1994 to release her debut single, "You've Got That Somethin'", in Sweden. Later that same year, her Swedish breakthrough came with the single "Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)". These singles became part of the album Robyn Is Here, released in October 1996. Robyn contributed vocals to Blacknuss' 1996 single "Roll with Me". Robyn entered Sweden's pre-selection for Eurovision Song Contest 1997, as songwriter and producer of the song "Du gör mig hel igen", which was performed by Cajsalisa Ejemyr. In Melodifestivalen 1997 the song ended up in fourth place.

Robyn's U.S. breakthrough came in 1997, when the dance-pop singles "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)" reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. She performed on the children's show All That in 1997, singing "Show Me Love", proving her growing popularity in the United States. The songs also performed well in the UK. Robyn re-released "Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)" internationally but it did not fare as well as the other releases. In the U.S., it was ineligible to chart because there was no retail single available, but it reached number thirty-two on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. The song "Show Me Love" was prominently used in the 1998 Lukas Moodysson film Fucking Åmål, and the song's title was used as the film's title in English-speaking countries.

As Robyn's popularity grew across the globe, especially in the United States, she was diagnosed with exhaustion and quickly returned to Sweden to recover.

1998–01: My Truth

Recording began on Robyn's second album in 1998. The album, My Truth, was released in May 1999 in Sweden, with subsequent releases elsewhere in the continent. The single "Electric" was a hit across Europe, and propelled My Truth to number two position in Sweden. My Truth was an autobiographical release for Robyn, and included the tracks "Universal Woman" and "Giving You Back", which explained her secret abortion. Despite her success in the U.S market with Robyn Is Here, My Truth did not receive an international release.

In 1999, Robyn contributed to Christian Falk's debut solo album Quel Bordel, appearing on the tracks "Remember" and "Celebration". In 2000, she appeared on the track "Intro/ Fristil" on Petter's self-titled album. In 2001, Robyn performed the song "Say You'll Walk the Distance" to the soundtrack for the film On the Line.

2002–04: Don't Stop the Music

Robyn on tour in 2003

In November 2002, Robyn swapped labels at BMG (from RCA to Jive Records) and released the album Don't Stop the Music in Sweden. Singles Keep This Fire Burning and Don't Stop The Music graced playlists in Scandinavia and mainland Europe. The title track (a subsequent single) was later covered by Swedish girl group Play, and the lead single, "Keep This Fire Burning", was covered by British soul singer Beverley Knight.

In May 2004, the album Robyn's Best was released in America. It is essentially a condensed version of her debut album; containing no material from her later releases. In 2006, following her departure from BMG, Det Bästa Med Robyn (The Best of Robyn) was released in Sweden. It included material from her first three albums. Notable omissions from this release were the singles "Don't Stop the Music" and "Keep This Fire Burning".

2005–08: Robyn

Robyn performing in Karlskrona, Sweden in 2005

The decade-long relationship between Robyn and her label ceased in 2004. When they reacted negatively to "Who's That Girl?", which showcased a new electro-pop sound, Robyn decided to release music on her own. In early 2005, she announced she would be leaving Jive Records to start her own record label.[3] Konichiwa Records was created, with its aim firmly set on liberating Robyn artistically. Robyn revealed on her website that her new album would be released earlier than anticipated, and noted several fabled collaborators on the album, including Klas Åhlund from Teddybears STHLM, Swedish duo The Knife and former Cheiron producer Alexander Kronlund.

Robyn released the single "Be Mine!" in March 2005. A month later, her fourth studio album, Robyn, became her first number-one album upon its release in Sweden. Sampling influences from electronica, rap, R&B and new age, Robyn received rave reviews, and gained the singer three Swedish Grammy Awards in 2006 for "Årets Album" (Best Album), "Årets Kompositör" (Best Writer, alongside Klas Åhlund) and "Årets Pop Kvinnlig" (Best Pop Female). It also garnered Robyn interest on a global level. She gained recognition for co-writing the song "Money for Nothing" for Darin Zanyar, his debut single. Robyn released three more singles—"Who's That Girl?", "Handle Me" and "Crash and Burn Girl"—from the eponymous LP, which proved immensely popular in Sweden.

Robyn featured on the Basement Jaxx track "Hey U", taken from their album Crazy Itch Radio, released in 2006. The year also marked the release of Christian Falk's second album, People Say, on which Robyn contributed the tracks "Dream On" and "C.C.C".

In December 2006, Robyn released The Rakamonie EP in the UK as a preview to her more recent material. This was followed by the release of "Konichiwa Bitches" in March 2007. The revised edition of Robyn was released in the UK in April 2007, and contains two new tracks—"With Every Heartbeat" (a collaboration with Kleerup) and "Cobrastyle" (a cover of a 2006 single by Swedish rockers Teddybears)—alongside slightly altered versions of two of the original songs. It was removed from British stores to make way for an August re-release.[citation needed]

The second single from the UK release was "With Every Heartbeat", released in late July and reaching number one on the UK singles chart. Robyn was featured on Jo Whiley's BBC Radio 1 showcase show, Live Lounge, a reflection of her growing popularity in Britain. Follow-up singles "Handle Me", "Be Mine!", "Who's That Girl?" and "Dream On" were top thirty hits. In Australia, where Robyn reached the top ten of the iTunes Store's album chart, "With Every Heartbeat" received substantial attention on radio and video networks in Australia. Also in 2007, Robyn contributed vocals to Fleshquartet's single "This One's for You", from their album Voices of Eden.

Konichiwa Records signed an international licensing deal with Universal Music Group to launch and distribute Robyn's music globally. Releases in the UK are issued under the Island Records label. The Rakamonie EP was released in January 2008 under Cherrytree Records, a subsidiary of Interscope, and the U.S. edition of Robyn was released in April 2008. "With Every Heartbeat", "Handle Me" and "Cobrastyle" were top ten club hits, and the former received airplay at U.S. pop and dance radio stations. Robyn was visible in the U.S. market in 2007 when Britney Spears released the single "Piece of Me", which contains Robyn's backing vocals. She was also featured on the Fyre Department remix of "Sexual Eruption" by rapper Snoop Dogg.

Robyn completed a short U.S. tour to promote Robyn, and was the supporting act for Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour at select European dates in 2008.[4]

2009–present: Body Talk

In January 2009, Robyn won a Swedish Grammis Award for Best Live Act 2008; in her acceptance speech, she said that Madonna was to thank for the prize.[5]

Robyn stated to Aftonbladet, a Swedish newspaper site, that she wanted to start recording a new album in the beginning of 2009 and that she will work with producers such as Kleerup ("With Every Heartbeat")[6] as well as Klas Åhlund who she worked with on Robyn.[7]

Robyn is featured on Norway's premier electronic outfit Röyksopp's 2009 album "Junior" with the song "The Girl and the Robot". The song was accompanied by a music video featuring the artist and released internationally as the 2nd single from the album. It peaked at #2 on the Norwegian singles charts.

In 2009, she appeared together with International pop artist Dr. Alban on stage at Way Out West 2009, performing his hit single, "No Coke".

Robyn performing at Roskilde Festival 2010.

In March 2010 Robyn appeared on the Swedish television series Dom kallar oss artister. She said that her goal is to have the new album out in June. She also said that the album will be very personal, like a diary. The track listing was confirmed, including: "Don’t Fucking Tell Me What to Do" which is written by Robyn and Klas Åhlund, "None of Dem" with Röyksopp, "Dance Hall Queen" with Diplo, "Fembot" and "Dancing on My Own", written by Robyn and Patrik Berger.[8][9]

Robyn performing live in June 2010.

In an interview with Swedish magazine Bon, Robyn announced that she had plans to release three new albums in 2010.[10] The first is due in the spring, with subsequent albums released in the summer and autumn/winter. In May Robyn said in an interview with Stereogum, "I think this splitting a full album up into different releases is, in a way, how people listen to music as well. It's more about songs now. But for me this is not an EP or a lesser version of an album. It's an album, but it's maybe not the normal length, so I can go back to the studio again and release these songs while they're actually fresh, and go back to the studio and work on more stuff while touring."[11]

To promote the forthcoming album Robyn released the songs "Fembot", "Dancehall Queen" and "None of Dem" (featuring Röyksopp) to digital outlets as promotional singles on 13 April 2010.[12][13][14]

Robyn released the first part in the Body Talk series, Body Talk Pt. 1, on 14 June 2010 in the Nordic countries through EMI and on June 15 in the U.S. through Interscope.[15][16] It was preceded by the single, "Dancing on My Own", on 1 June 2010. The song became Robyn's first number one hit in Sweden, and her fourth top ten hit in both the UK and the U.S., peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and at number three on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In July 2010 she sang a minimalist electro cover of Alicia Keys' "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" for a live performance on iheartradio.[17]

Robyn embarked on the All Hearts Tour in July–August 2010 with American singer Kelis in support of the Body Talk albums,[18] as well as a four-date UK tour at the end of October.[19]

On 6 September 2010 Body Talk Pt. 2 was released in the United Kingdom.[19] It was preceded by the lead single, a dance version of the song "Hang with Me" from Body Talk Pt. 1, on September 5.[20] The album contains a duet with American rapper Snoop Dogg, "U Should Know Better".[21] Robyn appeared and performed "Dancing on My Own" with deadmau5 at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on 12 September 2010.[22]

In an interview with BBC Newsbeat Robyn reflected on the decision to release a trilogy of albums in one year, "It was just something I felt like I needed to do. I just never thought about selling records or not, making this decision. I just did it for myself. It's a way of, for me, to stay inspired and to be able to do the things I like to do."[23] She said she won't release three albums in the span of a year again, "When you do 16 or 13 songs in one go, you kind of empty yourself, and it takes a while to fill back up and have new things to talk about, so I think it's good for everyone."[23]

Robyn announced the release of the single, "Indestructible", on 13 October 2010.[24] An acoustic version appeared on her previous album, Body Talk Pt. 2. The song is set to be released on 17 November 2010 in Scandinavia and on 22 November in the United Kingdom.[25] It is co-written by Klas Åhlund, and has been described as a "pulsating full power version [that] takes every ounce of that emotion and wraps it up in another exceptional disco-pop record worthy of any dance-floor or passion-laden sing-a-long."[24] On 20 October 2010 Robyn announced the details of Body Talk on her official website, along with the track listing and artwork.[26] She described the album as the "turbo version of the Body Talk album", as it includes five songs from each previous Body Talk album along with five new songs."[26] Robyn will collaborate with Swedish producer Max Martin on the song "Time Machine".[27] Martin was responsible for producing Robyn's US breakthrough hits "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love", which both charted inside the top ten of the Billboard 100 in 1996 and 1997.

In 2010, Robyn guest-starred in "War at the Roses", an episode which was on Gossip Girl, where she performed the acoustic version of "Hang With Me". "Dancing on My Own" was also featured at the end of the episode.

Robyn has revealed that she could release a new album as soon as 2011.[28]

Personal life

Robyn's parents are actors, and she herself was involved in acting at the age of 9, with an extra role in Kronbruden at the Swedish theatre Dramaten.

After the release of her second album in 1999, My Truth, Robyn became a UNICEF ambassador and visited, among other countries, Kenya and Tanzania. During her two years of dedicating herself to this work, she intended to draw attention to UNICEF and their worldwide work for children in need of aid.

In 2000, Povel Ramel awarded her the Karamelodiktstipendiet, a scholarship for her musical achievements for which most of the reward lies in the prestige and honour, rather than financial incentives.

Robyn has been engaged to mixed martial artist and artist[29] Olof Inger since 2008.[30] The couple began dating in 2002.[31]

Discography

Main article: Robyn discography
Award Wins Nominations

Grammy Awards

0 2

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2009 Grammy Award Best Electronic/Dance Album Robyn Nominated[32]
2011 Best Dance Recording "Dancing on My Own" Pending[33]

References

  1. ^ Robyn Reinvents Herself — With A Little Help From A Snoop Dogg Remix MTV April 14, 2008
  2. ^ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Robyn&titel=Body+Talk+Pt+2&cat=a
  3. ^ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (Jan 30–Feb 5, 2008). "Swede Relief". Time Out New York. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ [1] Retrieved June 19, 2008 from madonna.com news.news
  5. ^ Lindström, Anna. "Robyn årets liveakt – tackade Madonna". Expressen.se. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  6. ^ "Robyn: – Madonna bjöd in mig i sin ring | Nöjesbladet | Aftonbladet". Aftonbladet.se. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  7. ^ ":: arjanwrites music blog ::: GRAMMYs 2009 Update: Interview With Robyn". Arjanwrites.com. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  8. ^ "Robyn: PMS, röka, dricka dödar mig | Musik | Nöjesbladet | Aftonbladet". Aftonbladet.se. 2010-03-03. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  9. ^ "Del 8 av 8 - Dom kallar oss artister | SVT Play". Svtplay.se. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  10. ^ Dombal, Ryan (26 February 2010). "Robyn Plans Three Albums for 2010". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  11. ^ Suarez, Jessica (10 May 2010). "Progress Report: Robyn". Stereogum. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  12. ^ "Fembot: Robyn: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
  13. ^ "Dancehall Queen: Robyn: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
  14. ^ "None Of Dem (Featuring Röyksopp): Robyn: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
  15. ^ "Robyn joins EMI in the Nordic region". EMI. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  16. ^ "New Album Body Talk Pt. 1 Available June 15th in the US!". robyn-us.com. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  17. ^ http://www.covermesongs.com/2010/08/two-new-iheartradio-videos-robyn-strips-down-alicia-keys-k%E2%80%99naan-goofs-around-for-u2.html
  18. ^ "All Hearts Tour". Idolator.com. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  19. ^ a b Gregory, Jason (23 June 2010). "Robyn Announces October UK Tour And New Album Release Date". Gigwise.com. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  20. ^ http://pitchfork.com/news/39451-new-robyn-album-gets-a-release-date/
  21. ^ McLean, Craig (2009-09-14). "Swedish Pop Sensation Robyn Brings 'Body Talk' To United States". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  22. ^ "Robyn". TVGuide.com. 2010-09-09.
  23. ^ a b Hocking, Caroline (14 September 2010). "BBC - Newsbeat - Robyn: Triple album release is 'gamble'". BBC. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  24. ^ a b "Indestructible Release!". Robyn.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  25. ^ "Music - News - Robyn streams new single on web - Digital Spy". Digital Spy. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  26. ^ a b "Body Talk release details!". Robyn.com. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  27. ^ "ROBYN COMPLETES TRILOGY OF 2010 RELEASES WITH BODY TALK, SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 22nd - Cherrytree Records". Cherrytreerecords.com. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  28. ^ http://popdash.com/news/2725/robyn-planning-another-album-in-2011
  29. ^ http://olofinger.com/index.html
  30. ^ Nylén, Susanne (30 November 2008). "Robyn har förlovat sig med Olof Inger: "Känner mig ensam ibland"" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 3 July 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ Nyhlén, Daniel (22 August 2002). "Han är Robyns nya kärlek" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 3 July 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ 'Grammy 2009, Best Electronic/Dance Album nominations' Retrieved 10 December 2010
  33. ^ "Final nominated List: 53rd Grammy Awards" (PDF). National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. 2010. Retrieved December 2. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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