Robyn

Photo Gallery

• Genre: Pop
• Hometown: Stockholm
• Robyn Website

About

Most aspiring musicians would do anything for just one shot at the big time. Robyn's had at least four. The Swedish singer got her first break in 1995 when she was still a teenager, landing a record contract and debut album that topped the charts in her native country when she was just 16. By 1996, she could add international smash single to her credits after the dance-pop tune "Do You Know (What It Takes)" made the Top 10 in the U.S. When the relationship with her American label turned sour, she regrouped with the Swedish-only release Don't Stop the Music in 2002. More label disputes ensued, so Robyn took yet another tack, collaborating with Swedish experimental synth-pop outfit the Knife. Guess what? Her label didn't like that either. Still, the cat-like Robyn bounced back with life number four, forming her own label (Konichiwa) in 2005 and releasing her self-titled fourth album. With Robyn, the dedicated pop star finally got her due, a decade after she started, in the form of multiple Swedish Grammies, several international hit singles and the respect of the U.S. music press (even before the album was released stateside in 2008).

- Rachel Devitt