Before Britney and Christina arrived on the ’90s teen scene, there was Robyn. The Swedish singer’s “Do You Know (What It Takes)” and “Show Me Love” were twin Stateside successes, each climbing to #7 in 1997. (Take your musical memory out for a quick jog here and here.)
Her debut, the imaginatively titled Robyn Is Here, was recorded at Cheiron Studios in Stockholm. The talented music maestros there (including Max Martin) were shaping a pop sound that would take over the world, churning out chart-toppers for the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and Britney Spears, among others. Robyn, however, was one of the first inside Cheiron’s doors, and perhaps more notably, she collaborated with the writers there (definitely an exception to the rule of those times).
In late 1997, Robyn passed on an invitation to tour with the Backstreet Boys, realizing the artistic compromises required of such a commitment weren’t to her liking. That became a recurring theme over the next decade: Robyn just wasn’t comfortable with relinquishing control over her image and lyrical themes, even if the trade-off was near-guaranteed success.
So in 2005, after years of fighting the system from within (a resume that included two additional albums never released on this side of the Atlantic), Robyn said sayonara and started her own label, Konichiwa Records. Finally free to explore musical inspiration wherever it led, she issued Robyn, a self-titled declaration of artistic independence.
Nearly two years since its initial release in Europe, the album’s mix of pop, electro, and R&B influences continues to hold up amazingly well. I picked up a copy during a trip to London last spring, and haven’t stopped spinning it since. She’s finally taking off on these shores again, with recent club dates in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. That American ears are responding positively to Robyn’s new grooves proves that pop’s early girl continues to be ahead of the curve.
A U.S. edition of Robyn is expected later this year (no date set just yet), though you can get the disc as an import. For the single-minded out there, “With Every Heartbeat” is available right now, and certainly worth a Washington:
An acoustic “With Every Heartbeat” is available on Robyn’s the rakamonie EP. This sampler of sorts also features two album tracks, a Prince cover, and a ballad version of “Be Mine!” (though I much prefer the uptempo original on Robyn).
