Icona Pop (English:/aɪˈkɒnəˈpɒp/eye-KON-əPOP) are a Swedishsynth-pop[1] duo that formed in 2009, withelectro house andindie pop music influences.[5] Its two members,Aino Jawo (born 7 July 1986) andCaroline Hjelt (born 8 November 1987), grew up inStockholm and created what the Swedish press has described as music which "you can both laugh and cry to at the same time".[6][7] They signed toTEN Music Group in 2009 and are currently also in a label deal withUltra Music.[8] Their biggest hit to date has been "I Love It".
Caroline Hjelt (born 8 November 1987, of a Swedish mother andSweden-Finnish father[9]) and Aino Jawo (born 7 July 1986, of a Finnish mother andGambian father[10]) attended the same music school in Stockholm,[11] but met by chance at a party in February 2009 and formed the duo. Four weeks later, they had written songs for their first performance. Two years later, the two described their music as "classical pop melodies with drums andsynths".[12]
In fall 2012, they released anextended playIconic in the US and the albumIcona Pop in Sweden. The duo have performed in the aforementioned countries as well as countries such as the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada and Hong Kong, and have also been interviewed by members of the Swedish and worldwide press.[citation needed]
2012–2013: Breakthrough with "I Love It" andThis Is... Icona Pop
In the summer of 2012, they took part in a number of festivals including electro music festival Summerburst inGothenburg and also appeared at theStockholm Stadium, at the start of an international festival and broadcast viaSveriges Television (SVT).
"I Love It", a pre-release of their self-titled debut albumIcona Pop charted onSverigetopplistan, the official Swedish singles chart. The song, which features vocals from British recording artistCharli XCX, was also featured in the 2012 video gameNeed for Speed: Most Wanted, in a German television commercial forCoca-Cola Light in January 2013,[18] the theme song to the MTVreality-television seriesSnooki & JWoww, and in an episode of the HBOcomedy-drama television seriesGirlsand the popular vampire-teen drama television seriesThe Vampire Diaries. The second single "Ready for the Weekend" was released on 11 September 2012. Both tracks appear on their second EP, released on 16 October 2012. "I Love It" was also used in the commercial for theSamsung Galaxy S4.[19]
Their EPIconic EP peaked at No. 21 on the U.S.iTunes dance chart. In 2013, they embarked on a tour of the United States withPassion Pit andMatt & Kim. In January 2013, "I Love It" was featured in the third episode of the second season ofGirls, the comedy-drama series created byLena Dunham. Two months later, the duo was named one ofFuse's 30 must-see artists at theSouth by Southwest festival.[20] The same month, "I Love It" was featured in the 16th episode of the fourth season, "Bring It On", ofThe Vampire Diaries. On 26 March 2013, "I Love It" was performed on the week 2 results episode ofDancing with the Stars. On 3 May 2013, the duo performed "I Love It" on the NBClate-night talk showLate Night with Jimmy Fallon and on ABC'sGood Morning America morning news/entertainment show. Three days later, "I Love It" was featured in the Foxmusical-comedy series,Glee. The song was performed by the "New Directions" in Glee's 22nd and final episode of season four, "All or Nothing". It was also featured in a 2013ShoeDazzle commercial.
On 19 May 2013, the duo performed "I Love It" at theBillboard Music Awards, wearing custom lit outfits by designerGeoffrey Mac.[21] The song was featured in a commercial for theWNBA's forthcoming season that was aired during the 4th quarter of Game 7 of theHeat-PacersEastern Conference Championship game on 3 June 2013. It was also featured in a commercial during theSpurs-Heat basketball game on 9 June 2013.
On 4 June 2013, the duo released their single "Girlfriend". Icona Pop revealed in an interview that they recorded their international album with all new songs. They said that "the new album isn't just going to be sixteen tracks like 'I Love It'" and that they are trying new genres and sounds. In July 2013, they received twoTeen Choice awards for Choice Music Breakout Group and Choice Single: Group.[22]
On 28 July 2013, "All Night" was released as the official third single from the album. It gained moderate success on European charts. On 4 August 2013, the duo visitedMontreal, where they performed at the Osheaga Festival.[23] They also appeared onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show in December of that year.[24]
On 23 June 2014, the duo released a new single called "Get Lost" which gained less international attention.[25][26] In the same period, the duo also performed as the opening act forKaty Perry andMiley Cyrus tours. They also collaborated withTiesto for the song "Let's Go" and withCobra Starship for the single "Never Been in Love"[27] which became a successful hit in Italy.
On 26 May 2015, the duo released the single "Emergency", a collaboration withErik Hassle. The song peaked a few weeks later on the Billboard Dance Chart, making their second single to top that chart afterAll Night. The song was also featured in the video gameFIFA 16.[28][29] In July, the EPEmergency was released. It includes the critically acclaimedFirst Time and the smash-hitClap Snap.[citation needed]The duo was announced as an opening act for the North American leg ofOne Direction's "On the Road Again" tour in 2015. Also in 2015, their song "We Got The World" was featured in the moviePitch Perfect 2. On 23 February 2016, Icona Pop performed a new single, "Someone Who Can Dance" at theGrammis in Stockholm.[30][31]
On 20 October 2016, the duo released their single "Brightside". On 16 June 2017, Icona Pop released a new single "GIRLS GIRLS", co-written by Tove Lo.[citation needed] In October 2017, they released a song with Australian duoPeking Duk called "Let You Down".[32] In late December 2017, the duo released an EP called "Så mycket bättre 2017 – Tolkningarna" including 7 covered songs.[citation needed] In early March 2018, the duo collaborated with Avon on a music video called "All My Girls". In late April 2018, the duo was featured on a song called "Faded Away" by Sweater Beats. In late May 2018, Icona Pop said on their social media that they were currently working on their third studio album. In June 2019 the duo performed at St. Louis Pridefest. Icona Pop released a song withR3hab called "This Is How We Party" on 8 February 2019.[33][34] On 26 July 2019, the duo returned with the first single from their upcoming third studio album – "Next Mistake". The duo have signed toUltra Music as of 2019.[8]
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