Robyn

A pop star on her own terms, Robyn only became more acclaimed as she became more independent. After some early success in the '90s as a more traditional pop artist -- her 1995 debut album, Robyn Is Here, featured work by famed producer Max Martin -- Robyn responded to the label issues that hindered her momentum and creativity by forming her own label, Konichiwa Records. With 2005's Robyn, she introduced her gleaming yet heartfelt take on synth pop. Though it took several years for the album to be released worldwide, it garnered accolades that included Swedish Grammys as well as Grammy nominations in the U.S. Robyn continued to innovate in the 2010s: Body Talk, a series of mini-albums, launched two of her most iconic singles, "Dancing on My Own" and "Call Your Girlfriend." During the eight-year gap between this album and the cathartic dance music of 2018's Honey, her influence was felt and heard in the work of ambitious and idiosyncratic pop artists such as Lorde, Carly Rae Jepsen, Poppy, and Charli XCX.