As the Swedish pop icon edits Dazed this week, she answered fan questions about her new album Honey, her love for Kate Bush and karaoke
This week, Robyn is taking over Dazed as a very special guest editor. She’s shining a spotlight on some of her fave club night spots and the emerging artists, designers and poets she loves. There’s a bumping mix on the way from an up-and-coming Swedish producer handpicked by the musician, and an enthralling film in collaboration with Dazed.
Honey, the artist’s sixth solo studio album, is set to drop October 26 – Robyn, the original fembot that galvanized a new era of dance-pop – describes it as her most ‘human’ production yet, one that began with heartache, depression and solitude. “I had to shut the world out to hear myself a bit better,” she told Dazed in her intimate profile on site. “It is a kind of self-care, to be so open to tackling your grief and sadness.”
Kicking the week off, Robyn jumped on our Instagram Stories to have an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session with fans and followers. For any Robyn stans that missed out, here’s what went down.
HONEY HAS ONLY ONE GUEST ARTIST: ZHALA
Robyn gave some concrete minor details about her upcoming sixth album Honey – it’s definitely getting a special vinyl release (let’s hope for some spectacular bee yellow record), and Zhala is the album’s only guest. Zhala Rifat is the only act signed to Robyn’s Konichiwa Records, apart from Robyn herself – she makes expansive, head-spinning electronic-influenced pop, and released her self-titled album back in 2015.
Zhala, according to Robyn, guests on the song “Human Being”. “I’m her biggest fan,” she said in her AMA. “She’s done some amazing, beautiful vocals on ‘Human Being’.”
When asked to sum up the forthcoming record, she described it as “layered, soft, glittery and strong”. Perfect.
ROBYN WILL BE TOURING TO PROMOTE THE ALBUM
Multiple questions came in from fans about whether Robyn plans to play more gigs. She’s already hinted at a big, still secret show, but she did confirm she plans to play more shows in the next year around Europe.
EVEN ROBYN GETS NERVOUS BEFORE SHOWS
Everyone gets nervous or psyched out, even multi-platinum Swedish pop supernovas. “The first ones are always nerve-wracking,” Robyn said. “But then it goes away – there’s nothing you can’t do, just ride it out and relax into it.” Something to think about, when you next throw yourself on the dancefloor and attempt the lithe body movements of “Call Your Girlfriend”.
Robyn also spoke candidly about her creative process – “It’s a delicate and complicated thing… something that takes time and needs a lot of care. I tend to move in the direction that feels good and makes me feel like the world opens up to me a little bit more. Rhythms can go on forever, beautiful sounds and melodies that comfort me.”
The musician speaks even more deeply about the creative intentions and journey towards Honey in her recent Dazed interview. She details that, after a period of heartache, she began working on her music alone, experimenting and building on her production skills and what she could create. Armed with limited pieces of equipment and software, Robyn began exploring more hypnotic, weird melodies, “the space in between” and introspective songwriting. You can read more about that process here.
She’s currently rehearsing for upcoming shows, and told fans that her favourite song to perform at the moment is the as-of-yet-unheard “Send to Robyn Immediately”.
HER DREAM COLLABORATOR IS TIMBALAND
Keeping things short and sweet, Robyn named super producer and rapper Timbaland as someone she’d love to collaborate with. Timbaland has produced megapop hits for everyone from Madonna to Aaliyah and Missy Elliott – could a creative partnership between these two hark back to the driving, spirited rap/pop hybrid Robyn ventured into on her iconic Body Talk?
HER BIGGEST INFLUENCE IS KATE BUSH (OR BONNIE TYLER FOR KARAOKE)
The musician also highlighted her love for Kate Bush, citing her as a major inspiration for her work. She credited her Hounds of Love and The Sensual World albums as huge influences on her current form. We all know Robyn is a passionate Prince fan, and the late artist got a shout out too. Over the past few years, she’s done some clubbing and partying all over the world, but chose legendary DJ Harvey, a purveyor of early disco and house in the UK, as a fave DJ.
When asked what her go-to karaoke tune is, Robyn picked out “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler, a racing 80s ballad banger. Pretty big, given the karaoke bars brought down by screeching versions of “Dancing On My Own” and “With Every Heartbeat” over the years.
Reverting briefly to her mother tongue, Robyn answered a fan’s question about her favourite time of day: “Morgonstund har guld i mun” – in English, that’s the proverb “the early bird gets the worm”.
SHE’S READING YUVAL NOAH HARARI
In her Dazed interview, Robyn spoke about how reading had influenced her current thinking when making this album. In her AMA, she once again cited Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s a book that explores humanity and a future post-humanity, individualism, and the developing consciousness. “I wish I had more time for books than I do at the moment,” Robyn admitted. But speaking about Harari, she said: “I think he has an intelligent way of describing the challenges we are facing as a species.”
ROBYN ON THE POWER OF MUSIC
One fan responded to the AMA on our Instagram with more of a statement about the power of Robyn’s music. “That is of course very moving and encouraging for me,” she replied. “I power up on music myself, so I know how that feels, and to me, that is really the best thing about music and the power I think it has. It can give people a break, and that is so important, so you can then go on to do the really important things in life.”
Speaking more at length with Dazed, Robyn builds on this sentiment, relating how she was influenced by the early demos of Michael Jackson, from Thriller to Off The Wall. She described the Honey process as “healing”, and spoke of her joy when she knows that people “mirror” themselves in her music. “That’s the whole point of it – not telling people what it is or how they’re supposed to feel... but you having a relationship with my song makes it real to me.”
Read more of our conversation with Robyn on site, or head to our Instagram and check out her AMA in our highlights. You can follow along with the Swedish pop visionary’s Dazed takeover this week at #RobynDazedGuestEdit.