Robyn has a new record coming out on March 27th. There are already the first releases with “Talk To Me”, “Sexistential” and “Dopamine”.
Robyn has announced her ninth studio album, “Sexistential”. The Swedish artist wants to return to clearly structured pop songs. The work, which will be released on March 27th, consists of nine tracks and, according to the press release, was created during a phase of profound personal changes – after the end of a long-term relationship, at what Robyn describes as a “zero point” where she had to realign her life.
She consciously decided to become a single mother and dealt intensively with questions of sexuality, closeness, independence and identity. You can already hear three songs from the LP.
Created during the pandemic with long-time companions
Work on “Sexistential” began in 2020 and was heavily influenced by the pandemic. Due to closed borders, Robyn worked exclusively with long-time Swedish companions. The record was produced by Klas Åhlund, with whom she has worked since her debut album “Robyn Is Here” (2005). The production team is complemented by two co-writers with Max Martin – the first collaboration between the two since “Body Talk” (2010). The only external collaboration involved is Joe Mount from Metronomy. Robyn dedicated a reworked version of “Blow My Mind” (2002) to her son.
Sound combination of pop and modern production
In terms of sound, “Sexistential” is intended to combine flawless pop structures with modern production. Robyn describes her way of working and attitude in the press release with the term “tantric” – as a combination of creativity, sensuality, relationships and life. The album title, which was initially intended as a joke, turned out to be an apt bracket for these themes. Looking back, she didn’t see “Honey” as a departure from emotional pop, but rather as preparation for “Sexistential”.
Dealing with desire and vulnerability
The central focus is on the examination of desire, need and vulnerability as well as the tension between emotional experience and biological processes. The first single “Dopamine” addresses desire as both an intense experience and a chemical process in the body. This perspective is also influenced by Robyn’s experience with in vitro fertilization (IVF) as a single mother, which made the influence of biological processes on emotions particularly clear to her.
Stream “Dopamine” here:
Parallel to the IVF treatment, Robyn consciously lived her sexuality freely, separated love from having children and openly reflected on these experiences in the self-deprecating title track. Humor and loss of control play an essential role. At the same time, Robyn critically examines relationship dynamics, expectations and toxic masculinity, for example in “Sucker for Love”.
Artistic vulnerability as a prerequisite for integrity
“Sexistential” wants to follow a clear stance: to leave expectations and role models behind and to understand artistic vulnerability as a prerequisite for integrity – especially in the context of aging in the pop industry. The songs are intended to span a range from separation and loss (“Really Real”, “It Don’t Mean a Thing”) to closeness and connection (“Talk to Me”, “Blow My Mind”) to hope and new beginnings.
Listen to “Talk to Me” and its music video here:
The final track “Into the Sun” processes Robyn’s return to herself and serves as a metaphor for a self-determined departure.
You can also already hear “Into the Sun”:
Artificial insemination in pop: These musicians speak openly about IVF
When stars talk about the topic of having children, one area often stays under wraps for a long time: artificial insemination. What is even more remarkable is how openly some musicians have spoken in recent years about their experiences with IVF, hormonal treatments and the pressure that can come with an unfulfilled desire to have children.
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Céline Dion made it clear early on that her family happiness didn’t just “happen”: after several attempts and a long, emotionally and physically stressful phase, she reported publicly about her path to pregnancy – and about the fact that her twins were only born after repeated IVF treatments.
Natalie Imbruglia also chose transparency when she announced the birth of her son in 2019 and revealed that she had become a mother using IVF and sperm donation. Her statements seemed like a conscious counter-model to the still widespread shame surrounding reproductive medicine: Imbruglia spoke about breaking taboos and normalizing alternative family models.
Christine Fan (known as Fan Fan) in Taiwan also went into unusual detail: In her book, she described the IVF process with medical details, the psychological stress and the physical side effects