Icona Pop ( ) is a Swedish electropop duo which formed in 2009, with

electro house Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 130 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including Benny Benassi, Skrillex, Steve Aok ...

and

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

music influences. Its two members, Caroline Hjelt (born 8 November 1987) and Aino Jawo (born 7 July 1986), grew up in Stockholm and create what the Swedish press has described as music which "you can both laugh and cry to at the same time". They signed to

TEN Music Group TEN Music Group is a Swedish independent record label headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. The label was founded by Ola Håkansson in 2003. History The company was founded by Swedish singer, composer and producer, Ola Håkansson in 2003, in Stoc ...

in 2009 and are currently also in a label deal with Ultra Music. Their biggest hit to date has been " I Love It".

Career

Beginning

Caroline Hjelt (born 8 November 1987, of a Swedish mother and Sweden-Finnish father) and Aino Jawo (born 7 July 1986, of a Finnish mother and Gambian father) attended the same

music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

in Stockholm, but met by chance at a party in February 2009 and formed the duo. Four weeks later, they had written songs for their very first performance. Two years later, the two described their music as "classical pop melodies with drums and

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s". The English-language press, including ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' and ''

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

'', have praised the duo. ''The Guardian'' described the debut single "Manners" as "effortlessly cool". The duo have worked in the studio with producers including Style of Eye, Patrik Berger (

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 t ...

), Elof Loelv ( Niki & The Dove) and Starsmith. In fall 2012, they released an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

'' Iconic'' in the US and the album ''Icona Pop'' in Sweden. The duo have performed in those countries as well as, the UK,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, Canada, and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and have also been interviewed by members of the Swedish and worldwide press.

2012–2013: Breakthrough with "I Love It" and ''This Is... Icona Pop''

In the summer of 2012, they took part in a number of festivals including electro music festival Summerburst in Gothenburg and also appeared at the Stockholm Stadium, at the start of an international festival and broadcast via Sveriges Television (SVT). "I Love It", a pre-release of their self-titled debut album '' Icona Pop'' charted on Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish singles chart. The song, which features vocals from British recording artist

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...

, was also featured in the 2012 video game '' Need for Speed: Most Wanted'', in a German television commercial for

Coca-Cola Light Diet Coke (also branded as Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Diet or Coca-Cola Light Taste) is a sugar-free and low-calorie soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. It contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Unveiled on ...

in January 2013, the theme song to the MTV

reality-television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series ''

Snooki & JWoww ''Snooki & Jwoww'' (sometimes rendered ''Snooki & JWOWW'' in print and online sources) is an American reality television series on MTV starring Nicole " Snooki" Polizzi and Jennifer " JWoww" Farley. It is the second of three spin-offs of ''Jersey ...

'', and in an episode of the HBO comedy-drama television series ''

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

''and the popular vampire-teen drama television series ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. The series premiered on The CW on September 10, ...

''. The second single "Ready for the Weekend" was released on 11 September 2012. Both tracks appear on their second EP, released on 16 October 2012. "I Love It" was also used in the commercial for the

Samsung Galaxy S4 The Samsung Galaxy S4 is an Android smartphone produced by Samsung Electronics as the fourth smartphone of the Samsung Galaxy S series and was first shown publicly on March 14, 2013, at Samsung Mobile Unpacked in New York City. It is the succe ...

. Their EP ''Iconic EP'' peaked at No. 21 on the U.S. iTunes dance chart. In 2013, they embarked on a tour of the United States with Passion Pit and

Matt & Kim Matt and Kim (sometimes stylized MATT and KIM) are an American indie electronic duo from Brooklyn, New York City. The group formed in 2004 and consist of Matt Johnson (vocals/keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums). The duo is known for its upbeat d ...

. In January 2013, "I Love It" was featured in the third episode of the second season of ''

'', the comedy-drama series created by

Lena Dunham Lena Dunham (, born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is known as the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series ''Girls (TV series), Girls'' (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy ...

. Two months later, the duo was named one of Fuse's 30 must-see artists at the South by Southwest festival. The same month, "I Love It" was featured in the 16th episode of the fourth season, "Bring It On", of ''

''. On 26 March 2013, "I Love It" was performed on the week 2 results episode of '' Dancing with the Stars''. On 3 May 2013, the duo performed "I Love It" on the NBC late-night talk show '' Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' and on ABC's '' Good Morning America'' morning news/entertainment show. Three days later, "I Love It" was featured in the Fox musical-comedy series, '' Glee''. The song was performed by the "New Directions" in Glee's 22nd and final episode of season four, " All or Nothing". It was also featured in a 2013

ShoeDazzle ShoeDazzle is an American online fashion subscription service based in El Segundo, California. Each month the company debuts a selection of shoes, handbags and jewelry, and provides its members with a showroom curated to their indicated fashion p ...

commercial. On 19 May 2013, the duo performed "I Love It" at the ''Billboard'' Music Awards, wearing custom lit outfits by designer

Geoffrey Mac Geoffrey Mac (born March 24, 1977) is an American fashion designer. Life and career Mac attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he earned his BFA in 1999. It was in Chicago where the Geoffrey Mac brand was officially launche ...

. The song was featured in a commercial for the WNBA's forthcoming season that was aired during the 4th quarter of Game 7 of the

Heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...

-Pacers Eastern Conference Championship game on 3 June 2013. It was also featured in a commercial during the Spurs-Heat basketball game on 9 June 2013. On 4 June 2013, the duo released their single "

Girlfriend A girlfriend is a female friend, acquaintance or partner, usually a female companion with whom one is platonically, romantically, or sexually involved. In a romantic context, this normally signifies a committed relationship where the in ...

". Icona Pop revealed in an interview that they recorded their international album with all new songs. They said that "the new album isn't just going to be sixteen tracks like 'I Love It'" and that they are trying new genres and sounds. In July 2013, they received two Teen Choice awards for Choice Music Breakout Group and Choice Single: Group. On 28 July 2013, " All Night" was released as the official third single from the album. It gained moderate success on European charts. On 4 August 2013, the duo visited

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, where they performed at the Osheaga Festival. They also appeared on ''Ellen'' in December of that year.

2014–present

On 23 June 2014, the duo released a new single called " Get Lost" which gained less international attention. In the same period, the duo also performed as the opening act for Katy Perry and

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...

tours. They also collaborated with Tiesto for the song " Let's Go" and with Cobra Starship for the single "Never Been in Love" which became a successful hit in Italy. On 26 May 2015, the duo released the single "

Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

", a collaboration with

Erik Hassle Kaj Erik Persson Hassle (born 26 August 1988) is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter. His career started in 2008 with his first single, " Hurtful", which eventually reached No. 11 in Sweden and peaked at No. 2 in Denmark. His most successful sin ...

. The song peaked a few weeks later on the Billboard Dance Chart, making their second single to top that chart after ''All Night''. The song was also featured in the video game ''

FIFA 16 ''FIFA 16'' is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android and iOS. The ga ...

''. In July, the EP ''Emergency'' was released. It includes the critically acclaimed ''First Time'' and the smash-hit ''Clap Snap''. The duo was announced as an opening act for the North American leg of

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...

's "On the Road Again" tour in 2015. Also in 2015, their song "We Got The World" was featured in the movie '' Pitch Perfect 2''. On 23 February 2016, Icona Pop performed a new single, " Someone Who Can Dance" at the

Grammis The Grammis are music awards presented annually to musicians and songwriters in Sweden. The oldest Swedish music awards, they were instituted as a local equivalent of the Grammy Awards given in the United States. The awards ceremony is generall ...

in Stockholm. On 20 October 2016, the duo released their single " Brightside". On 16 June 2017, Icona Pop released a new single " GIRLS GIRLS", co-written by Tove Lo. In October 2017, they released a song with Australian duo

Peking Duk Peking Duk are an electronic music group made up of disc jockeys and music producers Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles. The pair first garnered attention in 2012 with the release of a Passion Pit bootleg remix. Their biggest hit "High" reached 5 on ...

called " Let You Down". In late December 2017, the duo released an EP called "Så mycket bättre 2017 – Tolkningarna" including 7 covered songs. In early March 2018, the duo collaborated with Avon on a music video called "All My Girls". In late April 2018, the duo was featured on a song called "Faded Away" by Sweater Beats. In late May 2018, Icona Pop said on their social media that they were currently working on their third studio album. In June 2019 the duo performed at St. Louis Pridefest. Icona Pop released a song with

R3hab Fadil El Ghoul ( ar, فضيل الغول; born 2 April 1986), performing under the stage name R3hab (stylized in all caps as R3HAB; pronounced "rehab"), is a Dutch-Moroccan disc jockey and music producer. Ranked at number 12 on the DJ Mag Top 1 ...

called "This Is How We Party" on 8 February 2019. On 26 July 2019, the duo returned with the first single from the upcoming third studio album – "Next Mistake". The Swedish duo have signed to Ultra Music as of 2019.

Discography

* '' Icona Pop'' (2012) * '' This Is... Icona Pop'' (2013)

Filmography

Tours

;As supporting act *

Marina and the Diamonds Marina Lambrini Diamandis (; el, Μαρίνα-Λαμπρινή Διαμάντη; born 10 October 1985), known mononymously as Marina (often stylised in all caps), and previously by the stage name Marina and the Diamonds, is a Welsh singer and ...

' The Lonely Hearts Club Tour (North America, 2013) *

Bangerz Tour The Bangerz Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer Miley Cyrus. It was held in support of her fourth studio album, ''Bangerz'' (2013). The tour visited the Americas, Europe, and Oceania through five legs. It spanned from February 14 ...

(North America and Europe, 2014) * Katy Perry's

Prismatic World Tour The Prismatic World Tour was the third concert tour by American singer Katy Perry, in support of her fourth studio album, '' Prism'' (2013). The tour began on May 7, 2014, in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the Odyssey Arena, concluding on October ...

(United Kingdom, 2014) *

On the Road Again Tour The On The Road Again Tour was the fourth headlining concert tour and second all-stadium tour by English-Irish boy band One Direction, in support of their fourth studio album, '' Four'' (2014). The tour began on 7 February 2015 in Sydney, Aus ...

(North America, 2015)

Awards

*Rober Awards Music Poll , - , 2012 , Themselves , Guilty Pleasure , *

Rockbjörnen Rockbjörnen (Swedish: ''the Rock Bear'') is a music prize in Sweden, divided into several categories, which is awarded annually by the newspaper ''Aftonbladet''. The prize was first awarded in 1979, and is mostly centered on pop and rock. In 2 ...

, - , 2018 , Themselves , Årets livegrupp , *P3 Guld , - , rowspan=2, 2014 , '' This Is... Icona Pop'' , Årets grupp , , - , Themselves , Guldmicken (årets liveartist) , *Sweden GAFFA Awards , - , 2018 , Themselves , Årets Grupp , * Gaygalan , - , 2014 , Themselves , Årets Artist , *Scandipop Awards , - , rowspan=2, 2014 , '' This Is... Icona Pop'' , Best Group Album , , - , rowspan=3, Themselves , rowspan=3, Best Group , , - , 2017 , , - , 2018 , *

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...

* Billboard Music Awards *

MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an a ...

Hungarian Music Awards The Hungarian Music Awards have been given to artists in the field of Hungarian music since 1992. The award categories are similar to Grammy Awards in the United States and Brit Awards in the United Kingdom. The awards were known as the ''Golden ...

{, class="wikitable" , - ! Year !! Nominated work !! Award !! Result , - , 2014 , '' This Is... Icona Pop'' , Modern Pop/Rock Album of the Year , *

iHeartRadio Music Awards The iHeartRadio Music Awards is a music awards show that celebrates music heard throughout the year across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia's digital music platform. Founded by iHeartRadio in 2014, the ev ...

{, class="wikitable" , - ! Year !! Nominated work !! Award !! Result !! Ref. , - , rowspan=2, 2014 , , " I Love It" (with

) , , Best Lyrics , , , , rowspan=2, , - , Icona Pop , , Best New Artist , , * SESAC Pop Awards {, class="wikitable" , - ! Year !! Nominated work !! Award !! Result , - , rowspan="2" , 2014 , , rowspan="2" , " I Love It" (with

) , , Songwriter of the Year , , , - , Song of the Year , , * Grammis Award {, class="wikitable" , - ! Year !! Nominated work !! Award !! Result !! Ref. , - , rowspan="3" , 2013 , , " I Love It" , , Song of the Year , , , , rowspan="3" , , - , Icona Pop , , Newcomer of the Year , , , - , Icona Pop , , Electronic/Dance of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2" , 2014 , , rowspan="2" , Icona Pop , , Artist of the Year , , , , rowspan="2" , , - , Electronic/Dance of the Year , , , - , 2016 , "

" , Song of the Year , , , - , 2018 , Icona Pop , Electronic/Dance of the Year , , , * APRA Awards (Australia) {, class="wikitable" , - ! Year !! Nominated work !! Award !! Result !! Ref. , - ,

APRA Music Awards of 2019 The APRA Music Awards of 2019 are the 37th annual awards given in the series of awards together known as APRA Awards, given in 2019. The awards are given in a series of categories in three divisions and in separate ceremonies throughout the yea ...

, " Let You Down" by

and Icona Pop , Dance of the Year , , , *Other awards {, class="wikitable" , - ! Award !! Nominated work !! Category !! Result !! Ref. , - , Gaffa , , Icona Pop , , Swedish Breakthrough of the Year , , , , , - , P3 Gold , , I Love It , , Song of the Year , , , , , - , Elle Gala , , Icona Pop , , Best Dressed Duo , , , ,

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Icona Pop 2009 establishments in Sweden All-female bands Atlantic Records artists Electro house musicians Electronic dance music duos Electropop groups English-language singers from Sweden Female musical duos Feminist musicians Musical groups established in 2009 Musical groups from Stockholm Swedish dance music groups Swedish DJs Swedish expatriates in the United States Swedish musical duos Swedish synthpop groups Swedish feminists Swedish women in electronic music 21st-century Swedish women singers Electronic dance music DJs Women DJs