Skip to content
Premieres

Watch Zhala and Robyn’s Nirvana-Inspired ‘Prophet’ Live Video

Zhala, Robyn, "Prophet," Swedish Grammis, stream, video

Robyn sure knows how to pick ’em. The Swedish pop gladiator’s frayed-wire collaboration with O.G. Neneh Cherry, “Out of the Black,” hasn’t even hit stores yet, and once again the “Dancing on My Own” royal is on the other side of a supremely well-chosen “featuring” credit. This time the artist in question is fellow Swedish singer Zhala, who also happens to be the first-ever signing to Robyn’s longtime label Konichiwa Records. In a statement about the decision, Robyn said, “When Zhala sings the heavens open and the stars come down to hover over my head and I feel like anything is possible.” A bit over the top, sure, but their duet “Prophet” — the title track of Zhala’s brand-new EP, available via iTunes and Spotify — is an unexpectedly alien, predictably impressive bit of out-there electronic pop that suddenly picks up the pace at the end. The pairing between Robyn’s generous emotional clarity and the Konichiwa newcomer’s habitual-shaking techno experimentation turns out to be a thrilling one; listen below. Zhala and Robyn’s performance together at last night’s Swedish Grammis ceremony is another smart combination, setting “Prophet” amid a live recreation of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video; watch that above. Here we are now. Are we not entertained?