Robyn has lifted a seven-year hiatus from new music with the fresh single “Dopamine,” which arrived with little warning today (Nov. 12) from new record label Young. The track was co-written with longtime collaborator Klas Åhlund and Taio Cruz, and produced by Robyn and Åhlund.
“Everyone has a phone where they see their heart rate, and we’re learning how to decode our emotions through the hormones and chemical substances in our bodies,” Robyn says. “It’s almost like we don’t even accept that we’re human anymore, like we’re trying to shoot ourselves out of it and explain every single thing — which I think is great, but that’s also why the world is shit — this idea that you can figure out and win life or something. The doubleness of ‘Dopamine’ is having an emotion that is super real, super strong, intense, enjoyable or painful, and at the same time knowing that this is just a biological process in my body — and then not to choose religion or science. To just accept that they’re there together and to be able to go in between.”
An accompanying video for “Dopamine” is also out, starring Robyn and directed by photographer Marili Andre.
Robyn has been quiet on the musical front since 2018’s Honey, which debuted at a career-best No. 40 on the Billboard 200. Since then, she’s made sporadic appearances on projects by Jamie xx, S.G. Lewis and Neneh Cherry, and has also popped up for surprise concert cameos with Gracie Abrams and Charli xcx.
The artist is widely known for her 2010 single “Dancing on My Own,” which has been streamed more than 405 million times on Spotify.
