Robyn

In honor of all of my friends out in Hollywood going to go see Robyn tonight at the bowl, i decided i'd take a small second and talk about Robyn. The first time i heard Robyn was in a light blue toyota corrola with my friend Andrea when "Body Talk Part 1" first came the summer of 2010 i believe. (could be wrong) and i'll be the first to admit i was hesitant when i first heard this song.

 Little does everyone know this, and i was informed by my industry-friendly friend Brian, that she actually was a popstar in the 90's coming out with several hits and then weaning out and eventually losing interest from the mainstream media. And i mean....GOOD songs. From her first album, "Robyn is Here" songs like "Show me love", "Do you know what it takes" and "Do you really want me". GOOD songs. I describe her old music as very Britney circa 90's. They had very similar types of songs which actually makes a lot of sense because she worked a lot with Max Martin back then when she was still signed with BMG. In fact i could honestly see Britney singing some of her songs. Her second album, "My Truth" was a bit of a flop if you ask me. Kinda weird and boring but you know what? She stayed true to who she was and continued to write her own music. Now....HERE is where it gets awesome: After fading somewhat from the industry's eye for a while and swapping labels inside BMG a couple times, she ended up leaving Jive Records because they didn't like her new sound. So what does our homegirl do??? She gives them a big FUCK YOU and starts her own record label, "Konichiwa Records". LOVE IT!!!! This is where we get the Robyn we all know and love. Still wasn't quite making it big but she still came out with some awesome music.

Her 4th album, "Robyn", had such bad-ass music that i can't even deal. Most of these songs are just proving how freaking awesome she is. "Be Mine", "You can't handle me" and "Konichiwa Bitches". The latter, i feel, is her way of saying, "PEACE BMG, ill be famous on my own", which of course i just go crazy for. After mini-collabing with Britney Spears and opening for Madonna, she FINALLY came out with Body Talk Part 1 under Interscope (I'm TELLING YOU this label makes superstars) and she did something so random and creative. She released a trilogy of albums, "Body Talk Part 1,2 and 3 (later changed to "Body Talk" all within 6 months of each other, which was a brilliant way to bombard everyone with her talent and music. To be honest this is probably the sole reason I ever got hooked on Robyn. After hearing about her different album releases online i had to take a peek and i loved what i heard. Another cool thing she did with the Body Talk trilogy: on each album she had an acoustic song which was a preview for the next album. Each acoustic song would be the next album's lead single. If you ever have a free moment and you haven't listened to these albums before, download them ALL, get a decent pair of headphones and enjoy. Her sound is so incredibly unique, her beats WILL get stuck in your head all day and she also displays how she is able to have softer music with her acoustic releases. Compare and contrast "Hang With Me" acoustic from "part 1" and original from "part 2". You see how beautiful and serene, almost nostalgic, it is and then BOOM she comes out with this beat to the track that just.....blows your mind because you just weren't even expecting it. She also re-collabed with Max Martin after a long vacant period with "Time Machine" (in my opinion the best track on Body Talk Part 3). All 3 albums have a similar sound but different purposes i feel. Part 1 is filled with sad, break-up songs. "hang with me-acoustic", "Cry when you get older", "Fembot" and the ever popular "Dancing on my own". Part 2 is definately more upbeat and displays her incredible vocals on the track, "In My Eyes" and the original "Hang With Me" which carries a FIERCE beat, and "Include Me Out" which has been accurately described as "digitised stop-start funk". Part 3 was basically a re-release of the 2 latter with some new tracks mixed in there. Most importantly "Stars-4-Ever" and "Time Machine" which reeks of a club. Heavy, deep beat with an arpeggio-tic high pitched synth and a wavy deep synth in the background. Max Martin did an amazing job on that track. I wont even get started on the lyrics of these albums because i will never stop. They are amazing to say the least. Throughout the years Robyn has proved, she has TALENT. Lyrically, and musically, this woman has ALWAYS written her own stuff which was very rare for pop stars in the 90's and she deserves more credit than she gets.

Anyways, after long tangents of how much talent this girl has i just would like to say one more thing and let this be a lesson to ALL. If you have an artistic vision or a goal in life and people tell you you'll never make it? Do what Robyn did: Stay true to who you are, stay true to your dreams and your voice will be heard. Thank you Robyn for the incredible music, and the incredible lessons. I look forward to hearing what is next <3