An interview to be found in the Spring issue of têtu· magazine, on newsstands or by subscription.] With her ninth album, Sexistential, in stores this Friday, March 27, the Swedish pop star Robyn sheds her image of a solitary romantic to reveal another facet: that of a single mother with an amplified sexual appetite. An underrated icon of the international pop scene.
“Be Mine!”, “With Every Heartbeat”, “Dancing On My Own”… From decade to decade, hit after hit, Robyn has become the “queen of heartbreaks”. But at 46, the artist has decided to put aside this image that sticks to her skin and reinvents herself with her new album, , where her identity as a single mother – she gave birth, via medically assisted procreation (PMA), to a little boy in 2022 – and that of a free woman, at ease with her overflowing sexuality, confront each other. Backed by producer Klas Åhlund, with whom she had worked on Body Talk, her magnum opus released in 2010, the singer offers a nine-track set terribly effective, in which she explores her duality to the sound of bubbling dance-pop.
Last week, I sang “Dancing On My Own” at karaoke with friends. I have to tell you about it!
Love it! [Laughter.] I never tire of that song. However, I grew tired of that archetype of a sad woman that I had long embodied. When I re-listen to this track [which speaks of unrequited love] today, I think of the Robyn who wrote those lyrics and I see her less as a victim and more as a heroine. I simply didn’t have the perspective at the time to realize it.
Eight years passed between Body Talk and Honey, then eight more between Honey and Sexistential. Is that your lucky number, the one that lets you release an excellent pop album?
Eight years, already? [She pauses.] Damn, that’s true! After my previous tour, I wanted to quickly follow with an album, but there was the pandemic and it all got delayed. I then changed managers, I had a baby… The whole process slowed down.
What does this portmanteau, “sexistential”, mean to you, which is both the title of the album and that of the most experimental track on the record?
For me, the challenge was to translate my reality. In recent years, I had to face my fears about becoming a parent while continuing to have fun and meet people. The expectations the outside world projected onto me as a single mother made me feel claustrophobic. I feared making another sad album, and that is not the case: this record represents eight years of my life during which I had to renegotiate my understanding of love, pleasure, and intimacy.
In this track with very offbeat lyrics, you talk about your pregnancy!
It wasn’t easy to write! In my music, I only know how to talk about things I have directly experienced and I wanted to convey very specific experiences. I chose to do it with a certain irony and this humorous approach that freed me.
Sabrina Carpenter recently signed with Man’s Best Friend, a very hot album. Do you think we should bring this kind of music back into fashion?
Definitely! Our era reminds me of the 1990s, when my career began. There was a rather puritanical and conservative mentality in pop and I felt I couldn’t sexualize myself, for fear of feeling like prey. I have the same feeling today, except I am more confident in myself. It’s always a bad sign when modesty invades pop culture…
Thus you can feel in the lyrics of your new album a sense of liberation, even tending toward a spirit of rebellion…
Absolutely! But just because you feel that energy while listening to the album doesn’t mean I designed it in that same mindset. It was a creation process that was both very methodical and meticulous, during which I tried to evoke a sense of wild spontaneity. This idea of contrast really fed the whole project.
Is it also this thirst for freedom that pushed you to become an independent artist as early as 2005?
Absolutely, and I never regretted it! It was a huge decision and not the easiest to take, even though I had financial stability. I was supported and had a real network in the music industry. I think it’s more delicate today for young artists who want to go independent, especially because of the role of social networks which make it difficult for their music not to be buried by algorithms…
Many artists, such as Zara Larsson, Tove Lo, or Charli XCX, have cited you as an influence. And you, are you inspired by this younger generation of pop stars?
So much! Charli is a longtime friend and we always have insightful conversations when we cross paths. Addison Rae crafted a superb album last year. I also really like Mk.gee, even though he isn’t a pop artist. After the 1980s, when artists like David Bowie, Kate Bush, Prince or Madonna revolutionized pop, it was seen as shameful. I think we are becoming aware of its power again.
Is there a miracle recipe for making a memorable pop track?
You have to understand how rhythm affects melody and it is sometimes wiser to pare down than to add too many elements. Less is more! But in truth, everything is very instinctive. There is no recipe to follow, and that’s what I love about music. It’s a constant mystery that I absolutely do not want to solve.
