By Geoffrey Rowlands
Being dumped by a lover is not the usual route to pop stardom. But the after-effects of her broken heart led Aino Jawo to a meeting with Caroline Hjelt, the girl who would become her partner in Swedish electro-house punk duo Icona Pop.
“We had a mutual friend,” explained 26-year-old Aino. “She was very concerned about me after the break-up. I was in a really bad place. She knew Caroline and I had a shared interest in music so thought getting us together might help to lift my depression.
“It couldn’t have worked out any better. We had this instant friendship. Our meeting was at a party but it was like the party didn’t exist. Everything was happening around us but we were locked in conversation. The next day, Caroline came over to my place and we wrote our first song together.”
The first half of what is now a four-year partnership saw the girls evolve their musical style and decide upon a name. This originated from a chance remark during a dinner party attended by Caroline’s mother.
“She was with a group of Italian friends,” explained Caroline, 25. “The conversation got around to us and they said we were going to be the next pop icons. But they said it in Italian, which is icona pop. We’d been trying to find the right name. When we heard the story, we immediately thought Icona Pop was perfect.”
Developing from the neon lipstick and body paint they wore in the video for their 2011 debut single, Manners, the girls have become famed almost as much for their fashion sense as their music. So much so that the Swedish version of Elle magazine named them Best Dressed Duo for 2013.
“We were happy to receive the award,” Caroline stated. “But we’re not followers of fashion trends. We travel so much and, with just 23 kilos of baggage allowance, we borrow from each other or mix and match all the clothes we have.”
The songs on their two EPs, Nights Like This and Iconic, established Icona Pop on the international dance music scene. But it is their current US single, I Love It, which has become their breakthrough hit on the mainstream market. The girls owe much of this success to the use of I Love It in popular television shows.
“It’s the theme song for the MTV reality show Snooki and JWoww,” Aino remarked. “It’s also been on The Vampire Diaries and Girls. We even performed I Love It on Dancing With The Stars so we have had a lot of mainstream exposure.” Ironically, I Love It was not written by Aino and Caroline.
“It was a case of being in the right place at the right time,” Caroline admitted. “The beats were created by our producer Patrik Berger for a British artist named Charli XCX. She wrote the lyrics and recorded the song but didn’t think it was right for her.
“We were doing a writing session with Patrik a few weeks later and he played I Love It for us. We thought it was a perfect Icona Pop song. We added our vocals, along with a whole bunch of other stuff, and the rest is history.”
IN BRIEF
Blasted into space
Thirty Seconds To Mars frontman Jared Leto has made what he describes as a short film rather than a pop video to accompany the band’s latest single, Up in the Air.
Working under his directorial name of Bartholomew Cubbins, Jared has created a series of striking visual images with the help of noted personalities such as burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, US Olympic gymnasts McKayla Maroney and Jordyn Wieber, artist Damien Hirst, photographer Maxwell Snow, author Neil Strauss plus a host of animals and extras.
Jared says his work is “an epic, bizarre, hallucinogenic journey through an incredible surreal landscape.” Judge for yourself by viewing the film at www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9uSyICrtow
For anyone who may be troubled by flashing imagery in Jared’s film, a lyric video for Up in the Air is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrFQRn2yYWs.
The song has already become the first commercially produced pop single to be blasted into space. A copy was included among the cargo of supplies and scientific experiments sent up to the International Space Station. It is not known if parent album, Love, Lust, Faith & Dreams, which is set for release on May 21, will also be received by the ISS astronauts.
The band’s three previous LPs can be heard at www.myspace.com/thirtysecondstomars/music/albums.
Back with a bang
Rob Zombie is apparently back to his best. Reviews of the former White Zombie frontman’s more recent solo work have not been so good. But his newly issued fifth studio album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, has received nothing but critical acclaim.
The video for lead single, Dead City Radio and The New Gods of Supertown, is the first of 15 postings at www.youtube.com/user/RobZombieVEVO.
He has also just released his latest film project. The Lords of Salem is a horror movie written, produced and directed by Rob. It stars his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, and premiered to positive reviews last September at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Much more of Rob’s musical output, both with White Zombie and his solo work, can be heard at www.myspace.com/robzombie/music/albums
Creating chart history
Scottish DJ / producer Calvin Harris has made UK chart history by becoming the first act to register eight top 10 singles from the same album. The mark was achieved with tracks from Calvin’s third studio album, 18 Months, when I Need Your Love, his collaboration with Ellie Goulding, climbed from number 11 to number seven. In doing so, Calvin broke a record set twice by Michael Jackson. He had seven top 10 singles from both his 1987 album, Bad, and 1991’s Dangerous.
New album from The House Of Love
It is 25 years since The House Of Love released their eponymous debut album. After a positive start to their career, personnel changes and the decline of fan interest eventually led to the group disbanding in 1993.
The break-up took a heavy toll on founding member Guy Chadwick. Despite forming two other short-lived bands and releasing one solo album, Guy has since admitted to suffering such severe depression that he felt unable to function properly for several years.
The House Of Love eventually reformed in 2003 releasing their fifth studio album, Days Run Away, two years later. Although they played occasional concerts, fans could be forgiven for wondering if another album would ever be made.
A message last December on the band’s Facebook page finally confirmed the completion of a new album. She Paints Words in Red has just been released to generally favourable reviews. The video for lead single, A Baby Got Back On Its Feet, is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=75tFgExtBD8 Links to numerous House Of Love song videos and live performances can also be found on this webpage.