With the night sky providing some much-needed relief as Day 1 of Coachella came to a close Friday, the Mojave tent was aglow as a sea of hands threw around different objects: glow sticks, pulsing red LED lights, satchels of glitter that exploded in the air, and one girl, hoisted by a rather strong fellow, waving around the Swedish flag -– all while green strobes danced on the ceiling of the tent.
All of this for Electropop diva Robyn, who was ending the night as one of the top draws.
Having attracted one of the bigger crowds of the evening -- thousands of fans were stuffed into the tent -- the Swedish pop chanteuse ran through a fluid string of selections mostly taken from her acclaimed three-album series “Body Talk,” which saw a staggered release throughout 2010.
Known for sweat-inducing, club-ready electropop, Robyn didn’t have to do much legwork to keep the Mojave crowd dancing –- though by the end of her opening song, “Fembot,” she had broken a sweat, tossed off her jacket and cooed to the audience about how hot she was getting.
Avalon Hollywood is bustling with producers working to perfect Robyn’s two-song set during a recent afternoon rehearsal.
Though the Swedish pop chanteuse nailed a runthrough on the first shot of her hit single “Dancing on My Own,” she is now on her fourth take as she patiently waits for lighting and camera adjustments.
The pint-sized singer is teetering onstage at the nightclub -- thanks to platform construction boots -- as she semi-choreographs dance moves that she'll later spontaneously change. Later in the evening, the club would serve as host to Logo’s NewNowNext Awards, where she was performing.
“Let’s go guys,” she says to the crew -- her voice childlike, yet commanding as she shows the first sign of impatience.
Landing a plum slot on an awards show is key for Robyn, who despite releasing the critically acclaimed three-album series “Body Talk” last year, still isn’t a household name in America.
In the week leading up to Friday's kickoff of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Pop & Hiss offers a preview of some of this year's less established or underappreciated artists.
Who: Robyn
When: Friday
From: Stockholm
Chances are you overlooked Robyn's "Body Talk" series -- a shame, considering the Swedish pop chanteuse gave listeners three installments of sweat-inducing, club-ready electropop.
Though she's a megahit back home, Stateside, Robyn has struggled to tap into the crossover success she enjoyed with her late '90s hits "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)."
While all three discs managed to rule on the U.S. dance charts, she has yet to get much face time on American television -- excluding that one-minute commercial break performance on the 2010 Video Music Awards.
Anyone who has seen her live knows the Swede passes on the glittery productions and costume changes that her pop counterparts make mandatory in exchange for impromptu shimmying and extended groove sessions courtesy of her band.
To help our readers do some pre-Coachella homework, we asked Robyn to pick a handful of tracks from the “Body Talk” series that are essential for download.
“Oh, 'Don’t ... Tell Me What to Do,' 'Hang With Me' [check out the video below] and … it’s hard,” she said before struggling on another choice.
With three mini-albums totalling 21 tracks, there are lots of options to pick from, so we helped her out and suggested the throbbing “Fembot,” one of the standouts on "Body Talk Pt. 1."
“Yes, that’s a good one too,” she agreed.
Check back Thursday for a more in-depth conversation with the Swedish pop star.
