It Happened Last Night

Robyn Returns to the U.S.

NEW YORK: The electro-pop Swede brings her glittery jams to the Highline Ballroom for her first Stateside performance in over a decade.
Robyn / Photos by Jackie Roman
Robyn / Photos by Jackie Roman

With her Rakamonie EP still fresh on store shelves, former teen-pop starlet Robyn made an great second impression at the Highline Ballroom last night (Feb. 5), logging her first stop back in the U.S. since crashing mainstream radio with her 1997 hit, "Show Me Love." Popping her shoulders and wriggling her hips next to two synchronized drummers and a keyboardist, the pixie-like platinum blonde seamlessly ripped through select Rakamonie cuts as well as tunes from her 2007 self-titled effort. After cooing her way through electro-buzz jams such as "Crash and Burn" and "Konichiwa Bitches," Robyn barely seemed to take a breath between her buttery vocal trills, making thumpers such as "With Every Heartbeat" and "Who's That Girl" fuel the sold-out crowd's raucous, non-stop energy.

Come encore time, Robyn embraced her dance-pop past to deliver a stripped-down performance of "Show Me Love." Featuring a simple pairing of soaring vocals and a bleeping synth line, fans got their chance to fill in the track's lush harmonies. A punked-out version of the playfully sexy "Jack U Off" and "Be Mine," complete with an acoustic piano, left the masses totally sated. Welcome back, Robyn!

We asked: Robyn puts the sass back into pop with songs like "Konichiwa Bitches" and "Jack U Off." Who do you think could benefit from a Robyn tutoring session?

Name: Heather Inglis
Age: 26
Hometown: London, UK
Occupation: Dancer
"Simple Plan, and other generic bands like that."

Name: Justin Goldbach
Age: 25
Hometown: Avon Lake, OH
Occupation: Non-Profit
"Kylie Minogue. She projects the same type of image, but the lyrics could be spicier."

Name: Jessica Skornicka
Age: 26
Hometown: Delafield, WI
Occupation: Advertising
"It would have to be Alicia Keys, because she's really soulful, but could sex it up."

Name: Qraig Degroot
Age: 37
Hometown: East Rutherford, NJ
Occupation: Executive assistant
"Amy Grant, because she needs a little risqué in her Christianity thing to put her back on the charts."

Name: David Baker
Age: 20
Hometown: Melbourne, AUS
Occupation: Student
"Cat Power, because she seems to hide behind that fringe a lot of the time."

Name: Daria Albert
Age: 27
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Occupation: Works at Phillip Lim
"Generally, people in the pop world don't like to write their own music, and I'd hope that's something they can all learn."

Name: Sarah Avrin
Age: 23
Hometown: Staten Island, NY
Occupation: Publicist
"Christina Aguilera, if she actually used her sass in a fun way instead of a slutty way. Same with Britney."

Name: Devin Jacimtho
Age: 22
Hometown: Cape Cod, MA
Occupation: Pre-med student
"Britney, because unfortunately, she can't write her own songs or sing live."

More photos after the jump...

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