You wouldnt go there if you didnt have to…. Its like going on arealadventure.
Ahead ofHoneys Oct. 26 release, Robyn reveals how she dug deep to craft her most vulnerable LP yet.
Ive enjoyed this period of me being a little bit more anonymous in my bubble.
Credit: Heji Shin
I know the breakup and Christians death had a major impact on you.
How did those moments manifest themselves on the record?The sadness happens quite early in the record.
Youve said that you got to a point where you didnt know how to make an album.
Mark Peckmezian
Did you lose a connection to music, too?No, I felt like it triggered me.
I was so emotional that everything I did became too messy.
I couldnt listen to music because it made me feel too many things.
Everything became intense and overwhelming.
As emotionally taxing as making this album was, it feels so smooth and free of that chaos.
It was nice to watch it come together because I didnt know if it was going to make sense.
I did that for a long time because I couldnt push through the way I normally do.
It was physically impossible because I was disabled by my sadness.
Thats why the music is soft: I didnt have the energy to do something pompous.
I tried to lure some pleasure out of myself, like, Hey, come back!
Lets go out and play!
[and] I just spent time in the studio with friends, did some traveling and clubbing…
I learned how to dance samba.
[It was] all about rhythm and groove.
Which night out reopened the floodgates?I had amazing experiences listening to DJ Harvey at Pikes in Ibiza….
Sometimes you have moments when music hits you the right way.
It was one of the first things that moved me in a long time.
It was about [finding the] rhythm that made my body feel good.
Parts of Kate Bushs music have it, like Running Up That Hill.
Prince has done it.
There was important energy in [Body Talk] of trying my strengths and powers.
It was nice to let it go and be more dynamic…
I tried to explore other moods and feelings…
I wanted to do something more layered and rhythmically different, but it wasnt conceptual.
And Mr. Tophat produced Beach2k20, which is the strangest song on the album.
Its more like Drakes Hotline Bling as an impressionistic tone poem.Thats what I love about Mr Tophat.
What felt contrived about it?Missing U is one of the songs I was working with.
I needed to understand myself better so you can put them into a song.
You worked with a small number of collaborators forHoney.
How did you pool them together?The first person I got in touch with was Joseph.
The others were collaborations….
Writing on other peoples music or writing together is always how I work.
Most of the time I finish what I start.
Is that hope or assertion?
Because fans love your songs about heartbreak!you might take it however you want!
Even if I told you what I hope for, the scary thing about life is I dont know.
