Typically the darkest experiences can yield the brightest outcomes. Working example: Robyn’s self-titled fourth album, which emerged after a torturous interval that had left her exhausted and despondent. Regardless of some success on the shut of the 90s (notably the wonderful “Show Me Love,” from 1997), additional efforts to develop Robyn into an identikit soul/pop puppet, so prevalent within the period, had led to a fractious relationship together with her paymasters and diminishing business returns.
Returning to her Swedish homeland in 2003 and at an expert crossroads, she was drawn to a richer European synth sound and, deciding to launch her new album on her personal label, was decided that the time for compromise had handed. Working together with her nation’s prime writers, together with brothers Klas (later to work with Kesha, Kylie, Madonna, and Katy Perry) and Joakim Åhlund (behind Cheryl’s No.1 “I Don’t Care”), the fabric that emerged was a spectacular union of commercially- and critically-acclaimed digital dance that will go on to redefine Robyn’s profession to such a level that few would recall something a lot of her work earlier than it.
Hearken to Robyn on Apple Music and Spotify.
A big return
The primary observe to be launched in Sweden was “Be Mine!” The uneven pop shuffler was an instantaneous radio hit and proved a major return to the Swedish charts, the place the only peaked at No.3 (it might later be launched throughout the remainder of Europe as gross sales of Robyn exploded). It had echoes of the 90s pop/soul sound from the beginning of her profession, however the method this time was brittle and hypnotic, whereas Klas Åhlund’s manufacturing genius lifts it to a distinct stage than any of her work earlier than.
Robyn’s self-titled album adopted on April 29, 2005, and it grew to become her first No.1 in her homeland. The album’s 13 authentic tracks embody the glittering “Konichiwa Bitches,” which grew to become Robyn’s first worldwide single as curiosity within the venture prolonged past her homeland. Its kooky, electro-pop riffs did not ship a giant hit, however Gwen Stefani was clearly listening; the music excited the critics and set the following worldwide launch up properly. “With Every Heartbeat,” a collaboration with Andreas Kleerup, is a monster electro-ballad that made it to the highest of the UK charts and even bought Robyn again within the US Prime 30. That is the music that may without end outline her, nevertheless it’s most definitely not the entire story.
A very distinct voice
Like many ardour tasks, Robyn’s self-titled album has moments that demand a bit extra of the listener than regular. “Robotboy,” for instance, straddles the divide between a normal pop tune and one thing extra experimental. With its echoes of Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman,” the music is about as distant as may very well be imagined from what her former label needed; “Eclipse” is a sweeping, extra conventional ballad that would have been recorded by Cyndi Lauper. Neither of these references, nonetheless, is designed to position Robyn alongside different feminine recording acts. Hers is a really distinct voice, and the distinctive artistic vitality on show throughout Robyn is infectious. It’s an album that pulls you in on repeated listens, and, if there may be an apparent comparability to make, it’s with the maverick expertise of Prince.
“Should Have Known” is an R&B/electro showstopper that ought to have obtained a single launch, however the competitors was fierce. “Handle Me,” for instance, was maybe a extra predictable selection, with its hooky refrain sitting on prime of a sparser set of verses. “Who’s That Girl,” recorded with Gothenburg synth duo The Knife, was one other single, with a extra direct, euphoric name to the dancefloor.
A spectacular reinvention
With the smash “With Every Heartbeat” taking time to roll out world wide, the business lifespan of Robyn’s self-titled album was longer than most, with its Grammy nod for Greatest Digital/Dance Album not coming till the 2009 awards ceremony. It didn’t win, however Daft Punk had determined to come back out of hiding that 12 months…
Robyn’s reinvention with this file was, nonetheless, nothing wanting spectacular. It arrange her profession as a revered crucial and business powerhouse for years to come back, and stays, for a lot of, the spotlight in her discography. It’s a uncommon factor to craft one thing so delicate that has the ability to punch above its weight, however these fragile tunes proved that, in moments of adversity, self-belief is often the best present of all of them.
Robyn could be purchased right here.
