Robin Stjernberg turns 30 years old. Photo: Claudio Bresciani / TT
From childhood talent to the victory in the Melodifestivalen 2013 - competitions have been a common thread in Robin Stjernberg's life. The dreams have helped him move forward, but it is cooperation that is the key to everything, he emphasizes.
- In the music industry in general, there are a lot of questions about what you have done: "What fat references do you have on the merit list, then?". While in Nashville, people are asking, "What's your story?"
Robin Stjernberg tries to explain what it is that makes him enjoy working with songwriting in Nashville, USA. The well-known music city is usually associated with country, but has also become a mecca for pop music. Robin came there three years ago, when he felt it was time to take it a step further. From "just" being an artist to also earning a living as a producer and songwriter. From having the small Swedish music industry as a base to trying to take the step to an international stage.
For Robin, Nashville was an enticing destination. It is the city where the first question for newcomers is what is even "story" and the second: "Can you play a little for us?". A creative climate that suits Robin.
- Everything is spontaneous there and they shit in who I am and what I have done. It's all about musicality and writing songs. They also do not have many pop producers there, and I for my part want to take part in their "lyricism", their way of writing and putting things into words is absolutely incredible. Mixing it with Swedish pop will be very nice.
As an artist, he got his breakthrough first in "Idol" in 2011, then on an even broader front with the winning song "You" in the Melodifestivalen 2013. It was no coincidence that led him there - Robin's upbringing has been lined with singing competitions, and he has literally practiced shout "Hello Globen" since middle school.
- From when I was eleven to maybe 17, I always shouted "Hello Globe!" before I was going up on a stage. It was like a mantra. People asked why. And I just: "Because one day I will be at the Melodifestivalen and then I will be in the Globe". It was his father who drove between countless talent competitions, which over the years became bigger and more important. In 2011, he came in second place after Amanda Fondell in "Idol" and got a record contract.
A couple of years later, it was time for the competition, Melodifestivalen. There is a clip on Youtube from the final where you see that it takes almost two minutes for a teary-eyed and overwhelmed Robin Stjernberg to understand that he has won.
- It was completely genuine. I had dreamed about this since I was a little boy, he says.
- But after Mello, I felt that I want people to understand the work behind it, that I spend many, many hours sitting and creating this music. It is easy to focus on how many likes you get on a selfie, rather than on the music you have made. It's a bit problematic for me.
A few years after the breakthrough, he retired. For the money he had earned on the tour after the victory, he could sit and learn to produce for a few years. As an artist, he always had to wait for the producers to have time. Now he can handle the "prodding" in his own studio and also write for other artists.
Last year he released a single with Jill Johnson, wrote the song "Where do we go" which John Holiday sang in the final of the American TV competition "The voice", and released his first solo single in a while, "Pretty" . He has also collaborated with Megan Thee Stallion, Sandro Cavazza and Estraden.
He has come a long way when it comes to cultivating dreams. But he wants to continue to develop with the music and be part of new contexts. The forward movement is the important thing, it and the cooperation with others.
- Nothing in my career or in my life I have done myself. Cooperation is the key to everything, in one's relationships, in the profession, says Robin Stjernberg, who says that he is "in a constant process where he works forward".
- I'm looking for something, but I do not know exactly what it is. I just know I'm chasing something all the time. Every day in the studio, I chase the song, and hope I get something good. I like to be in that constant chase, and feel like I'm not stopping. That would be my nightmare, I think. That is the thread of my life, I just want to move forward and experience as much as I can.
Robin Stjernberg
Congratulations to 30 years on February 22, 2021.
Do: Singer, producer and songwriter. Current with the single "Pretty".
Lives: Stockholm.
Family: The family that is spread across the country.
This is how he celebrates his birthday: “I am thinking of taking three days off over my birthday, I have not been off that much, only four days over Christmas. Chew something good, and treat myself to a little whiskey. Then maybe I'm having a brak party when I'm 31.
Turning 30: “It is not the number that matters. I think people who are 50 can be young. In the face of aging, I'm just grateful to have another year. ”
Listening to right now: A Spotify list with 1970s music. "Because I do everything but retro in the studio, I get a break when I listen to it."
Gets happy from: “Positive energy. But it is difficult to find the light in these times. I try to create happiness by thinking excessively positively. And it helps, so it's a hot tip.
Idol: “It has always been my father. I was so young when I knew what I wanted to do, it was just music, music, music. And he supported me, drove me to all the talent hunts and laid the foundation for me. He has also fought in headwinds, and is a living proof that it works if you work hard for something. ”
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