The Swedes (Part 1)

Sweden is known for many things. It’s blue and yellow flag, it’s yellow haired population, and that it is a big country located somewhere near Finland and Denmark (geography is not my strong point). However, I would like to throw something else in the mix and praise them for another thing they are good at. And that is that as far as pop music is concerned, the Swedes do it best (when I speak of pop music, I am referring not to the technical term of “popular music”, but the “bubble gum” dance infused melodies). Generally speaking, Europe is the greatest geographical area for pop music (Euro Pop), and I have been known to sing the praises of Her Majesty’s England in producing music. However, you can’t argue with facts, and the facts are these.

Robyn:
You may remember this blond pixie from her 1997 hits “Do You Know (What It Takes)” and “Show Me Love.” I have a special place in my heart for her because she was the first non-Disney CD I ever owned. And man, in my 6th grade class, she was it. She was cooler than the Backstreet Boys (for some reason) and ever cooler than the Spice Girls (also not sure why). She disappeared a little during the early 2000’s, only to resurge on the scene having shook off the shackles of her previous record label, and began to make her own sound. The wonderful electro-pop sound that we hear on our radios so much today. She had stayed fairly famous in Europe during this time, but had not cracked America again. With her next project, she would embark on a 3 CD release in one year, the “Body Talk” mini albums. Rolling Stone said about this project and the final combined CD that "It all adds up to the best dance-pop album of 2010, 15 songs that are both immaculately catchy and packed with quirks". At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 86, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim." My personal favorites include: Dancing on My Own, Hang With Me, Indestructible, Time Machine, and Call Your Girlfriend. This Swede knocked it out of the park. See Dancing On My Own Music Video (WARNING: she's a terrible dancer)

RedOne:
This next entry may not be as familiar of a name. His real name is Nadir Khayat, and he is a producer and songwriter. Let me list some of the songs he has produced: Just Dance, LoveGame, Poker Face, Bad Romance, Alejandro, On the Floor, I Like It. That’s right folks, he is the mega-producer behind Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, and is considered by some to be the key to Lady Gaga’s success. Whether you love her or hate her, she has dominated the last few years in pop music and he has been a key contributor to all her albums. He has been nominated for multiple Grammy awards and has been the #1 producer on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. There are many more bright years ahead for this Swede. I would post a Lady Gaga music video or song, but there would be lots of WARNINGS for those. So, see youtube if you care.

This is the end of today’s entry. I will continue with another post tomorrow, as this one has already gone on too long. If you are not convinced yet, wait for my last two pieces of evidence. You will be.