''Robyn Is Here'' is the debut studio album by Swedish singer
Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...
. It was released on 13 October 1995 by Ricochet Records,
Ariola Records
Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...
and
BMG. The album peaked at number eight on the Swedish chart and was certified double platinum by the
Swedish Recording Industry Association
Grammofonleverantörernas förening (GLF), or the Swedish Recording Industry Association in English, is an organization representing the music recording industry of Sweden. It has compiled and published the official record charts for the Swedish mu ...
(GLF). In the United States, the album was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA),
and had sold more than 922,000 copies by June 2010, according to
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
.
Worldwide, the album has sold over 1.5 million copies.
The album is mainly written and produced by Swedish production team
Ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
, with all songs co-written by Robyn.
Denniz Pop
Dag Krister Volle (26 April 1963 – 30 August 1998), better known as Denniz Pop (stylized ''Denniz PoP''), was a Swedish DJ, music producer, and songwriter. He co-founded the recording studio Cheiron Studios in Stockholm in 1992.
Life and car ...
and
produced two of the album's four singles, "
Do You Know (What It Takes)
"Do You Know (What It Takes)" is a song by Swedish singer and songwriter Robyn, released as the third single from her debut studio album, ''Robyn Is Here'' (1996). In the United Kingdom, it was issued as Robyn's second single in November 1996, ...
" and "
Show Me Love". Both peaked at number seven in the US, while the latter peaked at number eight in the UK.
On 1 June 2004
BMG released ''Robyn's Best''. While titled like a greatest hits album, it is a repackaging of the US edition of ''Robyn Is Here''.
Critical reception
Writing for ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' in February 1998,
Peter Robinson described ''Robyn Is Here'' as an "impressive album" and highlighted it as an alternative to other contemporaneous pop acts; "While the music loses its edge stretched over 13 tracks, and at the same time surrenders its subtlety when heard on a song-by-song basis, ''Robyn Is Here'' is nonetheless a slinky, funky album, and for all those disappointed by the weediness of
Louise
Louise or Luise may refer to:
* Louise (given name)
Arts Songs
* "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005
* "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984
* "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013
* "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929
*"Louise", by Clan of ...
, disillusioned by the
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...
, or distracted by the hastily drafted in
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer, DJ and television presenter. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award f ...
lookalike factor of
All Saints, Robyn's your gal."
In his consumer guide for
MSN Music
''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008.
History
I ...
, critic
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
gave the album a B+ rating,
indicating "remarkable one way or another, yet also flirts with the humdrum or the half-assed".
Christgau described it as "So front-loaded it could almost be a vinyl album with a hot side and a cool side", but commented that "a few spins in, you notice a hint of velvet in her timbre—more like suede, really—that suggests not sensuality but emotional depth".
''Robyn's Best''
In 2004 a decade long partnership between Robyn and BMG ended. After hearing "
Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's That Girl?", an episode of ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!''
Music
* Who's Tha ...
", BMG reacted negatively,
encouraging Robyn to start her own label, founding
Konichiwa Records
Konichiwa Records is a record label founded by Swedish pop singer Robyn. The label has only one other artist signed, Zhala. The name "Konichiwa" is derived from the Japanese greeting こんにちは ( Konnichi wa (with 2 n's)), meaning "hello" or ...
one year later. ''Robyn's Best'' was released on 1 June 2004. While its title implies a greatest hits album, it is a repackaging of the US edition of ''Robyn Is Here'' with a revised running order and three tracks removed.
K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic gave the album two out of five stars and calls it "a shamelessly misleading and essentially worthless release that seems misguided even as a straight-up cash-grab attempt".
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
* Robyn – vocals ; background vocals
*
Jeanette Söderholm – background vocals
*
Johan Ekhé – background vocal arrangement
*
Mogge Sseruwagi
Mugambwa "Mogge" Sseruwagi (born 17 May 1978, in Kenya) is a Kenyan-Swedish actor/musician/presenter. He had a role in the soap opera '' Tre Kronor''. As an artist he is known as Masayah and has released two records. In 2006 he became a presente ...
– additional background vocals
* Joe Watts – additional background vocals
* Picks Sjöholm – guitars
*
Henrik Janson
Henrik Janson (born 11 March 1961) is a Swedish music arranger, guitarist, record producer and songwriter. Founding a band at thirteen, in 1974, Janson today works with both domestic and international artists.
Career
Early years
Janson was born ...
– guitars
* Mattias Thorell – guitars
*
Christian "Falcon" Falk – keyboards
* Niklas Medin – additional keyboards
* Päl Svenre – additional keyboards
* Per "Rusk Träsk" Johansson – saxophone
* Goran Kajfes – trumpet
* Ronny Farsund – horns
* S.N.Y.K.O. – strings
*
Janson & Janson – string arrangement
Technical
*
Ulf Lindström
Ulf Lindström (born 12 November 1947) is a Swedish theoretical physicist working in the fields of string theory, supersymmetry, and general relativity.
He earned his fil. kand. university degree at Stockholm University in 1972 and continued un ...
– production, arrangement, recording & mixing ; vocal production
*
Johan Ekhé – production, arrangement, recording & mixing ; vocal production
*
Denniz Pop
Dag Krister Volle (26 April 1963 – 30 August 1998), better known as Denniz Pop (stylized ''Denniz PoP''), was a Swedish DJ, music producer, and songwriter. He co-founded the recording studio Cheiron Studios in Stockholm in 1992.
Life and car ...
– production, arrangement, recording & mixing
*
– production, arrangement, recording & mixing
*
Christian "Falcon" Falk – production, arrangement, recording & mixing
*
Anders "BAG" Bagge
Sven Anders Bagge (; born 16 January 1968) is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer and partner with Peer Åström. The two songwriters / producers are known as Bagge & Peer. Bagge is also one of jury members for the TV4 si ...
– production, arrangement, recording & mixing ; vocal production
* Ronny Lahti – mixing
* Harry "Slick Harry" Sommerdahl – recording & mixing ; co-production
* Björn Engelmann – mastering
* Håkan Wollgård – engineering
*
Anders Lundin
Anders Erik Lundin (born 8 September 1958) is a Swedish television host, comedian and lyricist. Lundin was one of the first hosts in the world to host the show ''Expedition Robinson'', also known as '' Survivor''.
Lundin co-hosted the Eurovisio ...
– assistant engineering
*
Peter Swartling Peter Swartling (born 18 November 1964) was one of the Swedish judges on the TV talent show ''Idol'' on TV4. He made it clear that he wouldn't participate in the fourth season of ''Idol'' due to him being forced to commute between Sweden and United ...
– creative direction & executive production
* Alex Strehl – creative direction & art direction
* Marlene Waltman – hair & makeup
* Miles Cockfield – stylist
* Christian Coinbergh – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Authority control
1995 debut albums
Robyn albums
Ariola Records albums
Bertelsmann Music Group albums
RCA Records albums
Albums produced by Ghost (production team)
Albums produced by Max Martin
Albums recorded at Cheiron Studios
Albums recorded at Polar Studios