Nr. 13 – Robyn

She’s innovative, she’s confident, she’s courageous, she’s talented and she’s independent. A few years ago this Swedish singer started her own record company Konichiwa. That’s when she started to take control of her own career in a whole new way. I have always seen Robyn as an independent artist in both music and fashion but with her own record company she had the freedom to form her career and image in a very unique way. This year she has released her musical trilogy Body Part. In interviews Robyn describes the freedom of touring and recording at the same time, at her own terms. This way she says she feels closer to the fans, being able to form new ideas, in the studio, on impulses she gets from the audience. In American newspapers she’s been compared to Lady Gaga, which to me seems strange since Robyn always seemed to have a clear vision of her image before the Gaga-hysteria. Have they really seen or heard Robyn? While Lady Gaga seems to play a role, Robyn shows real personality. Plus, to me, Robyn is the original and Gaga the one that should be compared to her. And that is not because of my pride as a Swede. Robyn released her self titled album (where I think she started to form the image she has today) in 2005 and Lady Gaga released her debut in 2008, the same year as Robyn released The Album (an album containing several of the hits from Robyn). Why is Robyn cool? She dances to the beat of her own drum. While writing this I’m starting to think maybe she should get a higher ranking. I had to contain myself from showing 6 or 7 clips of Robyn. So if you like her, or rather if you don't - watch these clips as well: When she covers Prince's When Doves Cry, when she sings With Every Heartbeat on the Nobel Peace Prize Consert in 2008, when she covers Björk's Hyperballad, the video for Handle Me and when she sings the theme song for Swedish TV program Lilla Sportspegeln, recorded when Robyn was 12, I think.