Robyn

Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn, is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ.

Robyn voiced the character of Miranda in the 1989 Swedish-Norwegian animated film The Journey to Melonia.

Directed by Per Åhlin, the film is loosely based on William Shakespeare's The Tempest.

She was discovered by Swedish pop singer Meja in the early 1990s when Meja and her band, Legacy of Sound, visited Robyn's school as part of a musical workshop.

Impressed by Robyn's performance, Meja contacted her management and a meeting was arranged with Robyn and her parents.

Robyn recorded "Du kan alltid bli nummer ett" ("You Can Always be Number One"), the theme song for the Swedish television show Lilla Sportspegeln, in 1991 at age 12.

Robyn performed her first original song at that age on another television show, Söndagsöppet (Sundays).

At age 14, after completing middle school education in 1993, Robyn signed with Ricochet Records Sweden (which was acquired by BMG in 1994).

Robyn collaborated with producers Max Martin and Denniz Pop, who gave the singer a gritty (but popular) sound.

She began her pop-music career at age 15, signing with RCA Records in 1994 and releasing her debut single ("You've Got That Somethin') in Sweden. Later that year, Robyn's Swedish breakthrough came with the single "Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)". The singles became part of the album Robyn Is Here, which was released in October 1995. Robyn also contributed vocals to Blacknuss' 1996 single, "Roll with Me." She entered Sweden's pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 as co-writer and producer of "Du gör mig hel igen" ("You Make Me Whole Again"), which was performed by Cajsalisa Ejemyr. In Melodifestivalen 1997, the song finished fourth.

Her 1995 debut album Robyn Is Here produced two Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles: "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love".

Robyn's US breakthrough came in late 1997, when the dance-pop/R&B singles "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)" reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

She performed "Show Me Love" on the American children's show All That that year, and the songs also performed well in the UK.

Robyn re-released "Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)" internationally, but it was less successful than the other releases.

It was ineligible for the US charts because there was no retail single available, but it reached number 32 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.

"Show Me Love" was featured in the 1998 Lukas Moodysson film, Fucking Åmål, and the song's title was used as the title of the film in English-speaking countries.

As Robyn's popularity grew internationally, she was diagnosed with exhaustion and returned to Sweden to recover.

Her second and third albums, My Truth (1999) and Don't Stop the Music (2002), were released in Sweden.

Robyn's second album, My Truth, was released in Sweden in May 1999 and subsequently in Europe.

The single, "Electric", was a commercial success and propelled My Truth to the number-two position in Sweden.

The autobiographical album included the tracks "Universal Woman" and "Giving You Back".

Despite her US success with Robyn Is Here, My Truth was not released in that country, partly because it included two songs which referenced an abortion she had in her teens.

Robyn contributed to Christian Falk's 1999 debut solo album, Quel Bordel (What a Mess), appearing on "Remember" and "Celebration".

The following year, she appeared on "Intro/Fristil" on Petter's self-titled album.

In 2001, Robyn performed "Say You'll Walk the Distance" for the soundtrack of On the Line.

She signed a worldwide deal with Jive Records in July 2001, moving from BMG after the singer was "disillusioned with the lack of artistic control [she] had there"; a year later, Jive was acquired by BMG when it bought Zomba Records.

Robyn later said, "I was back where I started!"

In October 2002, she released the album Don't Stop the Music in Sweden.

The album's singles, "Keep This Fire Burning" and "Don't Stop the Music", received airplay in Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe.

The title track was later covered by the Swedish girl group Play, and the lead single ("Keep This Fire Burning") was covered by the British soul singer Beverley Knight.

In May 2004, Robyn's Best was released in the US.

It was a condensed version of her debut album, with no material from her later releases.

The decade-long relationship between Robyn and her label ended in 2004.

Robyn returned to international success with her fourth album, Robyn (2005), which brought a Grammy Award nomination.

The album spawned the singles "Be Mine!" and the UK number one "With Every Heartbeat".

In 2006, after her departure from BMG, Det Bästa Med Robyn (The Best of Robyn) was released in Sweden with material from her first three albums; notable omissions, however, were the singles "Don't Stop the Music" and "Keep This Fire Burning".

Robyn released a trilogy of mini-albums in 2010, known as the Body Talk series.

They received broad critical praise and three Grammy Award nominations, and produced three top-10 singles: "Dancing On My Own", "Hang with Me" and "Indestructible".

Robyn followed this with two collaborative EPs: Do It Again (2014) with Röyksopp, and Love Is Free (2015) with La Bagatelle Magique.

She released her eighth solo album, Honey, in 2018 to widespread acclaim.