Icona Pop

Icona Pop (English: /aɪˈkɒnə pɒp/) is a Swedish electropop duo that formed in 2009, with electro house, punk and indie pop music influences.[5] Its two members Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, grew up in Stockholm and create what the Swedish press has described as music which "you can both laugh and cry to at the same time".[6][7] They signed to TEN Music Group in 2009 and are currently also in a label deal with Ultra Music.[8] Their biggest hit to date has been "I Love It". Since September 2012, they have been based in Los Angeles and New York City.

This article is about the group. For their self-titled album, see Icona Pop (album).

Icona Pop
Icona Pop performing at the Way Out West festival in Gothenburg, Sweden in August 2014
Background information
OriginStockholm, Sweden
Genres
Years active2009–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websiteiconapop.com
Members
  • Caroline Hjelt
  • Aino Jawo

Career

Beginning

Caroline Hjelt (born 8 November 1987, of a Swedish mother and Sweden-Finnish father[9]) and Aino Jawo (born 7 July 1986, of a Finnish mother and Gambian father[10]) attended the same music school in Stockholm,[11] but met by chance at a party in February 2009 and formed the duo. Four weeks later, they had written songs for their very first performance. Two years later, the two described their music as "classical pop melodies with drums and synths".[12]

The English-language press, including NME, The Guardian, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork Media, have praised the duo.[13][14][15] The Guardian described the debut single "Manners" as "effortlessly cool".[16] The duo have worked in the studio with producers including Style of Eye, Patrik Berger (Robyn), Elof Loelv (Niki & The Dove) and Starsmith.[17]

In fall 2012, they released an extended play Iconic in the US and the album Icona Pop in Sweden. The duo have performed in those countries as well as, the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Hong Kong and have also been interviewed by members of the Swedish and worldwide press.

2012–13: Breakthrough with "I Love It" and This Is... Icona Pop
Main articles: Icona Pop (album) and This Is... Icona Pop
Icona Pop at Michalsky StyleNite of Berlin Fashion Week, August 2013

In the summer of 2012, they took part in a number of festivals including electro music festival Summerburst in Gothenburg and also appeared at the Stockholm Stadium, at the start of an international festival and broadcast via Sveriges Television (SVT).

"I Love It", a pre-release of their self-titled debut album Icona Pop charted on Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish singles chart. The song, which features vocals from British recording artist Charli XCX, was also featured in the 2012 video game Need for Speed: Most Wanted, in a German television commercial for Coca-Cola Light in January 2013,[18] the theme song to the MTV reality-television series Snooki & JWoww, and in an episode of the HBO comedy-drama television series Girls and the popular vampire-teen drama television series The Vampire Diaries. The second single "Ready for the Weekend" was released on 11 September 2012. Both tracks appear on their second EP, released on 16 October 2012. "I Love It" was also used in the commercial for the Samsung Galaxy S4.[19]

Their EP Iconic EP peaked at No. 21 on the U.S. iTunes dance chart. In 2013, they embarked on a tour of the United States with Passion Pit and Matt & Kim. In January 2013, "I Love It" was featured in the third episode of the second season of Girls, the comedy-drama series created by Lena Dunham. Two months later, the duo was named one of Fuse's 30 must-see artists at the South by Southwest festival.[20] The same month, "I Love It" was featured in the 16th episode of the fourth season, "Bring It On", of The Vampire Diaries. On 26 March 2013, "I Love It" was performed on the week 2 results episode of Dancing with the Stars. On 3 May 2013, the duo performed "I Love It" on the NBC late-night talk show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and on ABC's Good Morning America morning news/entertainment show. Three days later, "I Love It" was featured in the Fox musical-comedy series, Glee. The song was performed by the "New Directions" in Glee's 22nd and final episode of season four, "All or Nothing". It was also featured in a 2013 ShoeDazzle commercial.

On 19 May 2013 the duo performed "I Love It" on the Billboard Music Awards, wearing custom lit outfits by designer Geoffrey Mac.[21] The song also is featured in a commercial for the WNBA's forthcoming season that was aired during the 4th quarter of Game 7 of the Heat-Pacers Eastern Conference Championship game on 3 June 2013. It was also featured in a commercial during the Spurs-Heat basketball game on 9 June 2013.

On 4 June 2013, the duo released their single "Girlfriend". Icona Pop revealed in an interview that they recorded their international album with all new songs. They said that "the new album isn't just going to be sixteen tracks like 'I Love It'" and that they are trying new genres and sounds. In July 2013, they received two Teen Choice awards for Choice Music Breakout Group and Choice Single: Group.[22]

On 28 July 2013, "All Night" was released as the official third single from the album. It gained moderate success on European charts. On 4 August 2013, the duo visited Montreal, where they performed at the Osheaga Festival.[23] They also appeared on Ellen in December of that year.[24]

2014–present

On 23 June 2014 the duo released a new single called "Get Lost" which gained less international attention.[25][26] In the same period, the duo also performed as the opening act for Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus tours. They also collaborated with Tiesto for the song "Let's Go" and with Cobra Starship for the single "Never Been In Love"[27] which became a successful hit in Italy. On 26 May 2015, the duo released the single "Emergency", a collaboration with Erik Hassle. The song peaked a few weeks later on the Billboard Dance Chart, making their second single to top that chart after All Night. The song was also featured in the video game FIFA 16. In July the EP Emergency was released. It includes the critically acclaimed First Time and the smash-hit Clap Snap. The duo was announced as an opening act for the North American leg of One Direction's "On the Road Again" tour in 2015. Also in 2015, their song "We Got The World" was featured in the movie Pitch Perfect 2. On 23 February 2016, Icona Pop performed a new single, "Someone Who Can Dance" at the Grammis in Stockholm. On 20 October 2016, the duo released their new single "Brightside". On 16 June 2017, Icona Pop released a new single "GIRLS GIRLS", co-written by Tove Lo. In October 2017, they released a song with Australian duo Peking Duk called "Let You Down".[28] In late December 2017, the duo released an EP called "Så mycket bättre 2017 – Tolkningarna" including 7 covered songs. In early March 2018, the duo collaborated with Avon on a music video called "All My Girls". In late April 2018, the duo was featured on a song called "Faded Away" by Sweater Beats. In late May 2018, Icona Pop said on their social media that they were currently working on their third studio album. In June 2019 the duo performed at St. Louis Pridefest. Icona Pop released a song with R3hab called "This Is How We Party" on 8 February 2019.[29][30] On 26 July 2019, the duo returned with the first single from the upcoming third studio album – "Next Mistake". The Swedish duo have signed to Ultra Music as of 2019.[8]

Discography
Main article: Icona Pop discography

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Trolls Satin and Chenille Voice role
2017 Trolls Holiday
2020 Trolls World Tour

Tours
As solo supporting act

Awards
  • Rober Awards Music Poll
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2012 Themselves Guilty Pleasure Nominated
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2018 Themselves Årets livegrupp Nominated
  • P3 Guld
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2014 This Is... Icona Pop Årets grupp Nominated
Themselves Guldmicken (årets liveartist) Nominated
  • Sweden GAFFA Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2018[34] Themselves Årets Grupp Won
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2014 Themselves Årets Artist Nominated
  • Scandipop Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2014[35] This Is... Icona Pop Best Group Album Nominated
Themselves Best Group Nominated
2017[36] Won
2018[37] Won
YearNominated workAwardResult
2013"I Love It" (with Charli XCX)Choice Single: GroupNominated
2015Icona PopChoice Music Group: FemaleNominated
YearNominated workAwardResult
2014"I Love It" (with Charli XCX)Top Dance/Electronic SongNominated
YearNominated workAwardResult
2014Icona PopBest Swedish ActNominated
YearNominated workAwardResult
2014 This Is... Icona Pop Modern Pop/Rock Album of the Year Nominated
YearNominated workAwardResult
2014"I Love It" (with Charli XCX)Best LyricsNominated
YearNominated workAwardResult
2014"I Love It" (with Charli XCX)Songwriter of the YearWon
Song of the YearWon
YearNominated workAwardResultRef.
2013"I Love It"Song of the YearNominated[38]
Icona PopNewcomer of the YearWon
Icona PopElectronic/Dance of the YearNominated
2014Icona PopArtist of the YearNominated[38]
Electronic/Dance of the YearWon
2016 "Emergency" Song of the Year Nominated [39]
2018 Icona Pop Electronic/Dance of the YearNominated [40]
YearNominated workAwardResultRef.
APRA Music Awards of 2019 "Let You Down" by Peking Duk and Icona Pop Dance of the YearNominated [41]
  • Other awards
AwardNominated workCategoryResultRef.
GaffaIcona PopSwedish Breakthrough of the YearWon[42]
P3 GoldI Love ItSong of the YearWon[43]
Elle GalaIcona PopBest Dressed DuoWon[44]

See also

References
  1. Patel, Puja (25 June 2012). "Icona Pop Talk Shop: Swedish Duo on Romance and Revenge". Spin. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  2. Stewart, Allison (20 August 2015). "Icona Pop got started at — where else? — a party". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  3. Sheffield, Rob (3 December 2012). "Icona Pop: Iconic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  4. Kent, Chloe (11 May 2013). "On the Verge: Icona Pop crash-lands into public eye". USA Today. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  5. Tweet Stockholm TT Spektra. "Icona Pop gör dansmusik med punkattityd" (in Swedish). Svd.se. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  6. "Icona Pop gör dansmusik med punkattityd". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  7. "Svenska Icona Pop hyllas världen över!" (in Swedish). Universal Music Sweden. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  8. "Icona Pop Sign to Ultra Music, Share 'Next Mistake' & Reflect on 10 Years: 'We've Become Boss Ladies' (Exclusive)". Billboard.com. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  9. Rantanen, Kimmo (15 July 2014). "Suositulla ruotsalaisbändillä suomalaistausta: "Olen hyvin suomalainen"". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 August 2019. ... Hjeltin isän puolen isovanhemmat ovat suomalaisia.
  10. Nika, Colleen. "Meet Icona Pop: Sweden's Latest Stylish Dance Invaders". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  11. Patel, Puja. "Icona Pop Talk Shop: Swedish Duo on Romance and Revenge". SPIN Magazine. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  12. ""Tillsammans är vi odödliga" – Kultur" (in Swedish). SVT.se. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  13. Sheffield, Rob (3 December 2012). "Iconic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  14. "Icona Pop Know What's 'Good for You' – Premiere". Rolling Stone. 15 October 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  15. "Rising: Icona Pop". Pitchfork Media. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  16. Cragg, Michael (7 March 2011). "New music: Icona Pop – Top Rated". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  17. "Icona Pop | NEW! Artist – The Ace & TJ Show". Acetj.channel961.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  18. Coca Cola Light startet Jubiläumsjahr mit neuer "Night-Boost"-Kampagne Archived 21 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine – Press release of Coca Cola Company on 14 January 2013.
  19. "Samsung Galaxy S4 TV Advert - Group Play". YouTube.
  20. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. Hawkins, R. "2013 Billboard Music Awards performance photos". Rollingout.com.
  22. "Teen Choice Awards Nominations: Choice Music Breakout Group, Choice Single: Group". Teenchoice.com. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  23. "Line Up festival, musique et arts Osheaga". Webarchive.loc.gov. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivhm_Wg0GLo
  25. Harris, Aisha (23 June 2014). "Icona Pop's New Song Is a Perfect Addition to Your Summer '14 Playlist". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  26. "Icona Pop Still Shooting for Song of the Summer With 'Get Lost'". Time. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  27. Ehrlich, Brenna. "Icona Pop And Cobra Starship May Restore Your Faith In Love -- Or At Least Love Songs". MTV News. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  28. "Peking Duk (Ft. Icona Pop) – Let You Down", Genius.com, retrieved 1 September 2019
  29. "iTunes - Music - This Is How We Party (with Icona Pop) - Single by R3HAB". iTunes Store.
  30. "R3HAB (Ft. Icona Pop) – This Is How We Party". Genius.com. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  31. Cyrus, Miley Ray (12 November 2013). "Guess who else is coming with me & @iconapop on #bangerz tour".
  32. "Katy Perry To Be Joined By Special Guests Icona Pop On 'Prismatic' UK Arena Tour". Capital FM. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  33. "Icona Pop to Support One Direction on North America Tour". billboard.com. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  34. "GAFFA-Priset 2018 – här är alla vinnarna". gaffa.se.
  35. "The 2014 Scandipop Awards: The Winners!". Scandipop.co.uk. 3 February 2014.
  36. "The 2017 Scandipop Awards: The Winners!". Scandipop.co.uk. 16 January 2017.
  37. "The 2018 Scandipop Awards: The Winners!". Scandipop.co.uk. 25 January 2018.
  38. "Nominerade #Grammis17". Grammisgalan. 15 December 2016.
  39. "2016 Archives - Page 2 of 2". Grammisgalan.
  40. "2018 Archives". Grammisgalan.
  41. "2019 APRA Awards nominees announced". noise11. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  42. Video (n.d.). "Icona Pop tackar för GAFFA-Priset" (in Swedish). Gaffa. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  43. Staff (18 January 2013). "Icona Pops "I love it" är årets låt!" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  44. Staff (11 January 2013). "Årets Bäst Klädda (Duo): Icona Pop" (in Swedish). Elle (Sweden edition). Retrieved 7 March 2013.
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