Show her some love: Robyn. Photo by Samantha Rapp.
By Joshua Rotter
Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn - best known in the US for her 1997 pop-R&B Top 10's "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)" - might've been just another industry casualty, quickly fading into obscurity stateside due to record company mismanagement and a lack of creative control.
But on the verge of giving up in 2003, she discovered fellow Swedes the Knife's Deep Cuts CD, and reinvigorated by their electro-pop and independent spirit, collaborated with them on the beat-heavy fuck-you to her label "Who’s That Girl."
Soon she founded her own label, Konichiwa, and with producer Klas Åhlund (Teddybears), recorded her fourth studio album, the more electro-based Robyn, due out in the states this spring. Till then, her new The Rakamonie EP gives American audiences a preview of what's to come on tracks like the boombastic confidence booster "Konichiwa Bitches," the dance smash "With Every Heartbeat," and a dancehall cover of the dirty Prince classic "Jack U Off."
Now, a decade after her initial hits, Robyn returns to the US on her own terms for a three-city mini-tour to promote her new album. She'll appear at Popscene on Thursday, Feb. 7. But is this country ready for the pint-sized Swedish bombshell? Robyn was confident in a phone interview earlier this week from her first tour-stop in New York City.
SFBG: What is it like to be back in the US after a decade?
Robyn: This is the first time I'm coming with a band and touring. The live part of what I do is an important part of my music. It gives people another perspective of the pop album, which is all about personal expression.
SFBG: Your lyrics - in which you've touched on some pretty heavy topics such as your parents' divorce, abortion and romantic heartbreak - have always been very personal. How difficult is it to be that open and honest as a pop star?
R: I always felt that I never had to censor myself in my music, and one place I've always been in charge is the studio. And I grew up in the '80s, listening to Kate Bush, Cyndi Lauper, and Prince - all these top artists, who could still keep their integrity and personal expression. That's always how I looked at pop music, so it was never a threat. I want to be personal.
SFBG: But you've definitely dropped the pop sound on your new EP. If anything you sound like a white girl Missy Elliott or M.I.A.
R: I think it's growing up in the '80s and '90s, and I believe Missy and M.I.A did as well, when pop music was a more interesting form of music. When I started the new album, there was a chance to be thorough with the creative process and not have to worry how it would be perceived by the record company or an audience. So I thought it would be fun to try something different.
SFBG: Speaking of big fun, your videos are so comedic with your over-the-top antics. Where does your theatricality come from?
R: My parents had an independent theater group, and I grew up watching them perform in this experimental theater world. So even though I decided to make pop music, I was still influenced by that upbringing.
SFBG: Costumes are also a big part of your videos like the bumble bee one in "Konichiwa Bitches."
R: For "Konichiwa Bitches," my idea was to illustrate the lyrics in the video with costumes. I spent a year working on the costumes, and everybody had to do it in their spare time, because we had no money. We just made the costumes and had fun with it. With my videos or the producers who I work with, or the album covers, I'm just having fun with it, and doing what I like to do.
SFBG: Speaking of collaborations, how did you come to do backing vocals on the Britney Spears's single "Piece of Me"?
R: I made most of my Robyn album with Klas Åhlund. A year ago, he was writing this song with Britney, and asked me to do the demo for him. So it was just a favor for a friend. But then they decided to use it on the album.
SFBG: So do you think you're going to conquer the US for good on this tour?
R: It's totally different than the last time I was here, because I have my own record company, and everything I'm doing is run by me and my team. I feel really good about coming back here on my own terms, because now it's about having fun and doing what feels good to me. And it's really grown in this organic and natural way. Even with the first album, some people remember it and some don't, so I don't feel like everyone knows who I am. It's like starting over for me.
Robyn performs at Popscene Thursday, Feb. 7., at 330 Ritch, SF. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover is $10 for 21 and older; $12 for 18- to 20-year-olds.
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