RS: For the "With Every Heartbeat" video, whose idea and concept
was the blocks and what do they symbolize to you?
Robyn: The blocks or the look of the video – that idea was shaped by
Styleworks, a production company that made the video. My first brief
to them was that I wanted this video to look like a rave. I wanted the
emotion of the song to come through. I didn't feel like I wanted to,
or that I even had to, tell the story of what goes on in the lyrics. I
wanted the video just to communicate what the song feels like when you
listen to it. So I wanted it to look like a rave, I wanted it to be
colors and shapes, basically. Then we kind of talked about what that
could be, and they had referenced back to this amazing animator that
used to do commercials for different brands and stuff during the '40s.
My video is not stop motion, but she was doing the same kind of things
using stop motion in the '40s. It's really beautiful, kind of organic,
with these amazing colors. They were really inspired by that kind of
aesthetic. We did the video against a green screen and they decided
to recreate this kind of world, with computers.
RS: Very cool. I've got to ask you who cut your hair, and where
did the look come from?
Robyn: Francisco Balasteros, and he's been cutting my hair for about
twelve / thirteen years. He's the one who cut my hair for the first
album and he still cuts it.
RS: What was the inspiration to cover Prince's "Jack You Off?"
Robyn: When I released "Be Mine" in Sweden, it was the first single
here, and instead of doing remixes, I decided to do a ballad version
of it. I spoke to Bjorn from Peter, Bjorn and John because I really
wanted to work with him and I felt like it was a perfect chance to do
that. So we decided to go into the studio and record this piano
version of "Be Mine," and then I also wanted to do a cover. I just
brought a couple of Prince records, because I thought that would be
fun. I put those records on, and "Jack You Off" came on and we both
kind of thought it was funny to do it like that. We recorded it right
there and then, so it just kind of happened, actually.
RS: Speaking of remixes, what's your favorite remix of one of
your songs right now?
Robyn: There's so many good remixes of songs on this album but I
think the favorite one that I have is a remix of Klas Ahlund, who
produced the original version of Be Mine. He also made a remix, it's
called Wasted Youth remix. It's a remix of Be Mine, and it's more
uptempo, it's inspired by the German band DAF.
RS: When you made this album three years ago, or most of the
songs three years go, did you have any idea it would have such a life
to it, that it's still coming out in different countries this much
later?
Robyn: You know, I had a very strong idea of what I wanted to do, and
I really believed in that idea, and I was very lucky to be able to
find these people here in Sweden that understood what I wanted to do
and believed in it as much as I did. I thought I was going to make
the best record in the world, but you never know before you've
finished what it's actually going to be. Of course I couldn't predict
this, but I knew I had a strong idea, and I think most of all I just
got rid of thinking about the results. I just did it because I wanted
to, and because it was fun. I tried not to think of any expectations.
I did it for me. And I think when you do that, you usually do a lot
better than when you think about what other people want you to do.
RS: Good answer. What would you like to say to all your fans out there?
Robyn: That I'm coming for them. That I'm so happy that they're still
there, and I think they're cool and beautiful and intelligent people/
Posted February 18, 2008
