Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson[7] (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈrɔ̌bːɪn ˈkɑ̌ːɭsɔn]; born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (pronounced [ˈrɔ̌bːʏn]), is a Swedish pop singer,[8] songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Her 1995 debut album Robyn Is Here produced two Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles: "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love". Her second and third albums, My Truth (1999) and Don't Stop the Music (2002), were released in Sweden.
This article is about the Swedish singer. For the singer's self-titled fourth album, see Robyn (album). For other uses, see Robyn (disambiguation).Robyn returned to international success with her fourth album, Robyn (2005), which brought a Grammy Award nomination. The album spawned the singles "Be Mine!" and the UK number one "With Every Heartbeat". Robyn released a trilogy of mini-albums in 2010, known as the Body Talk series. They received broad critical praise and three Grammy Award nominations, and produced three top-10 singles: "Dancing On My Own", "Hang with Me" and "Indestructible". Robyn followed this with two collaborative EPs: Do It Again (2014) with Röyksopp, and Love Is Free (2015) with La Bagatelle Magique. She released her eighth solo album, Honey, in 2018 to widespread acclaim.
Career[edit]
1989–1993: Early career[edit]
Robyn voiced the character of Miranda in the 1989 Swedish-Norwegian animated film The Journey to Melonia. Directed by Per Åhlin, the film is loosely based on William Shakespeare's The Tempest.[9]
Robyn recorded "Du kan alltid bli nummer ett" ("You Can Always be Number One"), the theme song for the Swedish television show Lilla Sportspegeln, in 1991 at age 12.[10] Robyn performed her first original song at that age on another television show, Söndagsöppet (Sundays). She was discovered by Swedish pop singer Meja in the early 1990s when Meja and her band, Legacy of Sound, visited Robyn's school as part of a musical workshop. Impressed by Robyn's performance, Meja contacted her management and a meeting was arranged with Robyn and her parents. At age 14, after completing middle school education in 1993, Robyn signed with Ricochet Records Sweden[11] (which was acquired by BMG in 1994).[12] Robyn collaborated with producers Max Martin and Denniz Pop, who gave the singer a gritty (but popular) sound.
1994–1998: Robyn Is Here[edit]
She began her pop-music career at age 15, signing with RCA Records in 1994 and releasing her debut single ("You've Got That Somethin'") in Sweden. Later that year, Robyn's Swedish breakthrough came with the single "Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)". The singles became part of the album Robyn Is Here, which was released in October 1995. Robyn also contributed vocals to Blacknuss' 1996 single, "Roll with Me." She entered Sweden's pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 as co-writer and producer of "Du gör mig hel igen" ("You Make Me Whole Again"), which was performed by Cajsalisa Ejemyr. In Melodifestivalen 1997, the song finished fourth.
Robyn's US breakthrough came in late 1997, when the dance-pop/R&B singles "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)" reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. She performed "Show Me Love" on the American children's show All That that year, and the songs also performed well in the UK. Robyn re-released "Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)" internationally, but it was less successful than the other releases. It was ineligible for the US charts because there was no retail single available, but it reached number 32 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. "Show Me Love" was featured in the 1998 Lukas Moodysson film, Fucking Åmål, and the song's title was used as the title of the film in English-speaking countries. As Robyn's popularity grew internationally, she was diagnosed with exhaustion and returned to Sweden to recover.
Personal life[edit]
Robyn's parents led an independent theatre group, and growing up in that environment influenced her sense of style: "I was around people who dressed up for work every day, and so the concept of how you can use clothes to change your personality or communicate who you are is very interesting to me."[65] Robyn has two younger siblings.[66]
Robyn began dating Olof Inger in 2002, and they were engaged until 2011.[67][68] She later became engaged to videographer Max Vitali, referring to him in a 2013 interview with Collection of Style magazine as her fiancé: "We became friends when we made the video for 'Be Mine', and now we work together a lot. He made all the videos for the last album."[69] She and Vitali separated for a period of time following the release of Body Talk, but had reconciled by 2018.[70] In July 2023, Robyn revealed on Instagram that she had a son, Tyko, with further reporting from Sweden's national registry noting he had been born in April 2022.[71]
Legacy[edit]
Robyn's debut, Robyn Is Here, was instrumental in helping launch Max Martin's career in pop music, and creating demand for "white girl R&B singers, from Mandy Moore to Billie Piper." When Robyn turned down Jive Records' attempt to sign her in the United States, the label shifted their focus to a young artist named Britney Spears, with the head of Jive calling Spears "an American Robyn – a Europop teen queen, with an added dash of 'girl next door.'" Martin ended up producing much of Spears's debut album ...Baby One More Time, and she was seen as "easier to control than the 'forceful' Swedish teenager."[72]
Robyn (2005) has been cited as a foundational pop album of the 2000s, cementing the validity of "poptimism" in music critics circles that "[made] indie nerds lighten up." It gained significant acclaim from indie magazine Pitchfork, which had only covered a few pop albums prior. Their acclaim "placed synthpop on the same level as earnest, artsy acts such as Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens." She was seen as "a bellwether for rock getting less rigid in introducing non-guitar sounds and for pop music becoming more dance-driven and experimental."[73]
Robyn helped shape contemporary pop music by taking creative control, introducing indie elements to mainstream pop, and including feminist and other political themes in her music long before it became acceptable for popstars to do so.[73] Variety attributed her work as a "savant" and "pioneer" upon going independent to the accelerated prominence of the alternative pop genre starting in the late 2000s.[63]
Robyn has been recognized as an important influence by Carly Rae Jepsen, Lorde,[74] Charli XCX,[75] Taylor Swift, Christine and the Queens,[76] Andy McCluskey,[77] Ariel Rechtshaid and Perfume Genius.[78] Her "triumph in rejection" has led to her status as an LGBTQ icon.[75] NPR's Jessica Hopper deemed Robyn "The 21st Century's Pop Oracle",[79] while The New York Times' Caryn Ganz called her "Pop's Glittery Rebel".[80]
Official website
Media related to Robyn at Wikimedia Commons