Robyn is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer Robyn. It was originally released in 2005 in Sweden and Norway only by Konichiwa Records. It was later released in other territories throughout 2007 and 2008. The album represented a departure from Robyn's previous urban and R&B musical style, and explored synth-pop and dance-pop music, with inspirations from electronic duo The Knife and rock band Teddybears. It also marks Robyn's first album release on her own record label, Konichiwa Records, which she founded in 2005.
The album debuted at number one on the Swedish Albums Chart in 2005, becoming Robyn's first-ever number-one album on the chart. The album received a nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Five singles were released from the album: "Be Mine!", "Who's That Girl", UK number one song "With Every Heartbeat", "Konichiwa Bitches" and "Handle Me".
Background
In 2003, Robyn left her record label, Jive Records, because of the lack of artistic control offered to her by the label. The previous year she had released her third album, Don't Stop the Music, but felt disillusioned by the label's attempt to market her as the next Christina Aguilera in the United States. Robyn described the album as a "big compromise" and was upset because she "was going backwards" and not "doing what [she] wanted to".
That same year, Robyn returned home to Sweden and discovered the electronic music brother-and-sister duo The Knife while browsing through a record store. She became inspired by how the duo self-financed and released their recordings, and bought herself out of her recording contract with Jive Records. She was free from her contract, but did not want to sign with another major label because she felt that "it was totally illogical. Why would I do that? I felt like either I quit making music or I start my own record company". Six months after leaving Jive Records, Robyn founded her own record label, Konichiwa Records, and began recording songs for her fourth album.
Regarding the album's lyrical inspiration, Robyn told Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul in March 2008: "I think the biggest lyrical inspiration for this album was going back to when I was like 15 and on the subway listening to hip hop. Back then—because I didn't know many people in Sweden who knew about rap, it was like my own music world—where the lyrics were very direct. So I tried to return to that age when you're so strong and self-confident, while acknowledging there's also a part of being a teenager when you're sometimes very insecure and feel very fragile."
Singles
"Be Mine!", the album's first single release in Sweden, reached number three and spent nineteen weeks on the Swedish Singles Chart. The song received positive reviews from critics, and was named the fourth best song of 2005 by Stylus Magazine. The second single, "Who's That Girl", reached number thirty-seven in Sweden. Its lyrics discuss the feelings of a female who had been left beaten by the unpredictability of gender and image politics. The songs "Handle Me" and "Crash and Burn Girl" were released as radio-only promotional singles in Sweden and were accompanied by music videos that featured Robyn dancing in a nightclub. "Bum Like You" was released by Dolores Records on a limited edition 7" vinyl and was also featured on the soundtrack for FIFA 08.
The album's lead single in the United Kingdom, "Konichiwa Bitches", received positive reviews from critics due to its "hip-hop sensibilities" and ability to illustrate "the zeal [Robyn] takes in making music". The song received limited airplay and reached number ninety-eight on the UK Singles Chart. "With Every Heartbeat", a collaboration with Kleerup, was released as the second single in the UK. It reached number one on the UK chart, becoming Robyn's most successful single release in the UK. The album's third UK single, "Handle Me", backed by remixes by Soul Seekerz, reached number seventeen. "Be Mine!" was released as the album's fourth single on 14 January 2008, reaching number ten in the UK. "Who's That Girl" was the fifth UK single released from the album on 28 April 2008 and reached number twenty-six. "Dream On" was released on 17 November 2008 as the lead single from the special edition of the Robyn album, peaking at number twenty-nine.