Icona Pop

Icona Pop

Icona Pop are a Swedish dance and electropop duo from Stockholm, formed in 2009 and active since then. The group consists of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, who both grow up in Stockholm and describe their music as something listeners can both laugh and cry with at the same time.

Background and style

The duo start out with electro house, punk and indie pop influences, while later descriptions also place them within alternative pop, bubblegum dance, bubblegum pop, dance, EDM and electro. They sign to TEN Music Group in 2009, and later release music through Big Beat.

Releases and songs

Icona Pop first draw wider attention when “Manners” appears on Kitsuné Maison Compilation 10 in late 2010. The song then comes out as their debut single in 2011 and reaches number 15 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. That same year they release their debut EP, Nights Like This.

Their second EP, Iconic EP, follows in 2012 and includes “I Love It”, written by Patrik Berger, Linus Eklöw and Charlotte Aitchison (Charli XCX), who also sings on the track. Their self-titled debut album is released later in 2012, and an international debut album follows in 2013. “I Love It” becomes their biggest hit, reaching number 7 on the US Hot 100 and becoming one of the biggest hits by a Swedish artist since Roxette.

Other singles from the 2013 era include “We Got The World” and “Girlfriend”, while “All Night” receives a gold certification in Canada and reaches number 1 on the US Dance chart. “Just Another Night” also charts on the US Dance chart.

In 2014 they release “Get Lost”, which leans more towards teen pop and country than their earlier EDM sound, and becomes their first single since “Girlfriend” to enter the Swedish singles chart, peaking at number 58. In 2015 they release “Emergency”, which becomes their second biggest hit in Sweden, earns platinum certification there, and peaks at number 19. An accompanying Emergency EP follows with the title track and two new songs. They also preview “Someone Who Can Dance” at the Grammis Awards, with Zara Larsson singing the second verse and Elliphant adding a new verse after the second chorus on the performance version, while the single version leaves out the guest vocals.

Tours and live work

Icona Pop tour heavily in 2014, opening for Miley Cyrus on the Bangerz tour and Katy Perry on the Prismatic tour. They later support One Direction on the North American leg of the On the Road Again tour while promoting Emergency EP in the US and Canada.