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Robyn
Biography
An international pop star -- despite repeated problems with labels that halted her career's momentum several times -- Sweden's Robyn blends the gritty sound of American urban R&B with the sunny pop of her homeland. Robyn found a hit with Do You Know (What It Takes), which hit the Top Ten around the world, including the U.S. Born Robyn Carlsson in Stockholm in 1979, she traveled around the Continent with her parents' traveling theater group, also listening to classic American soul on the hi-fi. She wrote her first song at the age of 11 about her parents' divorce; at 12, she recorded the theme for the Swedish television show Lilla Sportspegeln.

Her big break came at 13, however, when the pop star Meja held a workshop at Robyn's school and heard her sing her song about her parents. In 1994, Meja got her a record contract with Sweden's Ricochet Records, which released her debut single, You've Got That Somethin' and the hit Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect). Though she was still only 16, Robyn began recording her debut album in 1995 with producers Max Martin and Denniz Pop and co-songwriters Ulf Lindström and Johan Ekhé. The results, Robyn Is Here, quickly topped the Swedish charts.