Robyn Loau
Encyclopedia
Robyn Loau is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. During 1991–1994 she was lead singer of pop group, Girlfriend
.
, with fellow vocalists Jacqui Cowell, Siobhánn Heidenreich, Lorinda Noble and Melanie Alexander. From their debut single, Take It from Me, released in January 1992, the band's popularity sky rocketed, which peaked at number one on the ARIA Singles Charts
.
The fantasy of teenage boys and idols of teenage girls, Girlfriend adorned the cover of teen magazines across the country. As their popularity continued to rise, publicity was high, as was public demand. Shopping centre appearances would see the girls mobbed by their fans. Success continued with their second single "Girl's Life" also becoming a top 20 hit. Girlfriend's debut album, Make It Come True, sold over 140,000 copies, and became Australia's highest selling debut CD—until Silverchair
's Frogstomp
.
A third single, "Without You", was also a top 20 hit and Girlfriend further impacted on the Australian fashion scene. Their trendy style and funky attire help launched their own fashion label available through Myer. Make it Come True had another two singles released from the album. Bad Attitude and Love's On My Mind secured the bands success, enough to see the girls head overseas to Europe, where they enjoyed moderate success. However it was Japan that embraced the group as their own. So much so that Girlfriend re-recorded the single "Take It from Me" in Japanese. They also recorded a number of Japanese-only tracks. The Make It Come True album was repackaged with these extra tracks and released in Japan with the new name of Girl's Life.
1993 saw the release of the up-tempo single "Heartbeat", the first single from the bands second album, It's Up To You. To coincide with the album and single release, the Heartbeat Tour
travelled the country to promote the bands new material and look. Even though the album did not have the same impact as the first, it still spawned 2 top 50 tracks, "Heartbeat" and the ballad "Wishing on the Same Star".
Loau left the band in mid-1994 to pursue a solo career. The four other members, continued performing and re-named themselves GF4. However, the group disbanded in 1996 after two further singles.
) immediately caught the attention of listeners across the country; receiving heavy airplay on Alternative radio station Triple J and peaking just one place shy of the top 20 singles sales chart.
Loau's next single Love Addiction (featuring EMF singer James Atkin) continued to cement her reputation as a world-class musician and a few months later Loau's debut album Malaria (recorded while working on the Siva Pacifica project) received a promotional release within Australia.
Malaria was well-received by Australian critics, drawing comparisons to Portishead and Neneh Cherry. In a four star review, Rolling Stone Magazine proclaimed Malaria 'A wickedly classy solo debut'. However, with only weeks to go until the commercial release of the album, Loau (along with several other Australian artists) was dropped by her label PolyGram
due to their merger with Universal Music, and the album was shelved.
The following years saw little music output from Loau, with the main exceptions being a cover of Duran Duran
's "The Wild Boys
" for the various artists Duran Duran tribute album UnDone in 1999; and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
theme "Never Miss The Water" in 2003.
's Ray of Light
Era.
The song managed to hit the Top 50 of the ARIA Physical Singles Chart, going top 20 on the ARIA Chart in both NSW and Victoria. It was top 5 on the AIR independent artist chart and was listed as the 29th highest selling indie single of 2007.
"She Devil" was performed in the Charlie's Bar on the TV soap opera Neighbours (25 October 2007 Aust and on the second last episode screened on the BBC February 8 in the UK).
Loau covered the track "Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime" by The Korgis
which was used to promote the 2008 series of The Biggest Loser across cinema, TV and radio. It was released as a double A-side single with "Foreign Life" penned by Loau and Sven Tydeman.
By plugging-in the Loau pre-loaded USB wristband to their computer (or newer model car and mobile phone/handset with USB port) the user gets “Malaria: The Lost Album” in mp3 format, a Josh G Abrahams remix, a PopRepublic.tv interview, bonus music videos and 2 short documentaries/EPKs. To play, the wristband is simply unfastened and inserted into the USB port where the files can be played or transferred to an mp3 player.
The same year, Loau also made a guest appearance on the Street Warriors's
album Unstoppable Force (on the song "How Much You Mean To Me").
A new single "Never Let You Down" (written with Cameron McGlinchey
) will be released in October 2010.
, Idiot Box drew warm reviews from critics locally and internationally and debuted at number 10 at the Australian Box Office. The film was also released in the US and UK. Loau played the female lead role of Lani, a drive through bottle shop attendant. Loau starred alongside actors Ben Mendelsohn
and Jeremy Sims
.
In the late nineties, Loau also appeared in the Paul Fenech
-directed film Somewhere in the Darkness. Loau has also appeared in critically and commercially successful TV dramas such as Wildside and All Saints
.
(as a member of SIVA PACIFICA)
SOLO
Girlfriend (band)
Girlfriend was a five-girl pop group from Australia, formed in the early 1990s. Their debut album Make It Come True was released in 1992 and became a major hit in Australia with hit songs such as "Take It From Me" and "Without You"...
.
Girlfriend
Robyn Loau first came into the spotlight as the lead singer of Australian all girl pop group GirlfriendGirlfriend (band)
Girlfriend was a five-girl pop group from Australia, formed in the early 1990s. Their debut album Make It Come True was released in 1992 and became a major hit in Australia with hit songs such as "Take It From Me" and "Without You"...
, with fellow vocalists Jacqui Cowell, Siobhánn Heidenreich, Lorinda Noble and Melanie Alexander. From their debut single, Take It from Me, released in January 1992, the band's popularity sky rocketed, which peaked at number one on the ARIA Singles Charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
.
The fantasy of teenage boys and idols of teenage girls, Girlfriend adorned the cover of teen magazines across the country. As their popularity continued to rise, publicity was high, as was public demand. Shopping centre appearances would see the girls mobbed by their fans. Success continued with their second single "Girl's Life" also becoming a top 20 hit. Girlfriend's debut album, Make It Come True, sold over 140,000 copies, and became Australia's highest selling debut CD—until Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
's Frogstomp
Frogstomp
Frogstomp is the debut album of Australian rock band Silverchair. It was released in Australia in early 1995, when the members were only 15 years of age, by a subsidiary of Sony Records and reached number one on the album charts. On 20 June 1995, Frogstomp was released by Epic Records in the U.S...
.
A third single, "Without You", was also a top 20 hit and Girlfriend further impacted on the Australian fashion scene. Their trendy style and funky attire help launched their own fashion label available through Myer. Make it Come True had another two singles released from the album. Bad Attitude and Love's On My Mind secured the bands success, enough to see the girls head overseas to Europe, where they enjoyed moderate success. However it was Japan that embraced the group as their own. So much so that Girlfriend re-recorded the single "Take It from Me" in Japanese. They also recorded a number of Japanese-only tracks. The Make It Come True album was repackaged with these extra tracks and released in Japan with the new name of Girl's Life.
1993 saw the release of the up-tempo single "Heartbeat", the first single from the bands second album, It's Up To You. To coincide with the album and single release, the Heartbeat Tour
Heartbeat Tour
The Heartbeat Tour is a UK tour by singer-songwriter Jessie J in support of her album, Who You Are.-Background:The tour was announced on 1 June 2011 on London Radio Station, Capital FM.General sale tickets for The Heartbeat Tour were released on 3 June 2011.She originallly announced 11 UK dates...
travelled the country to promote the bands new material and look. Even though the album did not have the same impact as the first, it still spawned 2 top 50 tracks, "Heartbeat" and the ballad "Wishing on the Same Star".
Loau left the band in mid-1994 to pursue a solo career. The four other members, continued performing and re-named themselves GF4. However, the group disbanded in 1996 after two further singles.
Siva Pacifica
Loau was the face and voice of the South Pacific project Siva Pacifica. Loau worked with producer Anthony Copping to arrange a CD, similar to Deep Forests work, capturing the voices of the native island people. After its completion, Loau travelled the world introducing countries across Europe to the ancient music of the islands. Siva Pacifica was released internationally and found its way into the homes of over 100,000 people.Solo Artist
Loau's debut solo single Sick With Love (written with and produced by AdamskiAdamski
Adamski is an English dance music producer, prominent at the time of acid house for his tracks "N-R-G" and "Killer" .-Career:...
) immediately caught the attention of listeners across the country; receiving heavy airplay on Alternative radio station Triple J and peaking just one place shy of the top 20 singles sales chart.
Loau's next single Love Addiction (featuring EMF singer James Atkin) continued to cement her reputation as a world-class musician and a few months later Loau's debut album Malaria (recorded while working on the Siva Pacifica project) received a promotional release within Australia.
Malaria was well-received by Australian critics, drawing comparisons to Portishead and Neneh Cherry. In a four star review, Rolling Stone Magazine proclaimed Malaria 'A wickedly classy solo debut'. However, with only weeks to go until the commercial release of the album, Loau (along with several other Australian artists) was dropped by her label PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
due to their merger with Universal Music, and the album was shelved.
The following years saw little music output from Loau, with the main exceptions being a cover of Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
's "The Wild Boys
The Wild Boys (song)
"The Wild Boys" is the twelfth single by Duran Duran, released in October 1984.The song was the only studio track on the live album Arena, and was produced by Nile Rodgers, who had previously remixed the single "The Reflex"...
" for the various artists Duran Duran tribute album UnDone in 1999; and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
The Sydney Mardi Gras is an annual LGBTQI pride parade and festival in Sydney, Australia, and draws in thousands of visitors from around Australia and overseas...
theme "Never Miss The Water" in 2003.
She Devil / Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime
2007 saw the release of a new single from Loau, "She Devil". The single was released and Who Magazine compared it to MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's Ray of Light
Ray of Light
Ray of Light is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on March 3, 1998 by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records. After giving birth to her daughter Lourdes, Madonna collaborated with Patrick Leonard and William Orbit in developing the album...
Era.
The song managed to hit the Top 50 of the ARIA Physical Singles Chart, going top 20 on the ARIA Chart in both NSW and Victoria. It was top 5 on the AIR independent artist chart and was listed as the 29th highest selling indie single of 2007.
"She Devil" was performed in the Charlie's Bar on the TV soap opera Neighbours (25 October 2007 Aust and on the second last episode screened on the BBC February 8 in the UK).
Loau covered the track "Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime" by The Korgis
The Korgis
The Korgis are a British pop band, originally composed of singer / bassist James Warren and singer / drummer Andy Davis , both former members of 1970s band Stackridge, along with unofficial members violinist Stuart Gordon and keyboardist Phil Harrison.-Career:The Korgis released their first single...
which was used to promote the 2008 series of The Biggest Loser across cinema, TV and radio. It was released as a double A-side single with "Foreign Life" penned by Loau and Sven Tydeman.
Malaria: The Lost Album
In July 2008 Loau's critically acclaimed 'lost' debut album Malaria was finally released to the public. As well a digital and limted CD release; the album was also one of the first albums by an Australian artist to be released on USB wristband format.By plugging-in the Loau pre-loaded USB wristband to their computer (or newer model car and mobile phone/handset with USB port) the user gets “Malaria: The Lost Album” in mp3 format, a Josh G Abrahams remix, a PopRepublic.tv interview, bonus music videos and 2 short documentaries/EPKs. To play, the wristband is simply unfastened and inserted into the USB port where the files can be played or transferred to an mp3 player.
Only Human
In August 2009, the single "Hard" (with Josh Abrahams) was released as a download. The music video (also available on iTunes) was shot on the Northern Beaches by The Hive production crew (Cameron D'arcy, Ed Coyle, AFI award winning cinematographer Denson Baker and Samson and Delilah/Australia colourist Trish Cahill). It will be included on Loau's next album, Only Human, which is due for release in 2010. Songwriters and producers include Robyn Loau, Josh Abrahams (Puretone), Future Sound Of Melbourne, Skin and Len Arran (Skunk Anansie).The same year, Loau also made a guest appearance on the Street Warriors's
Street Warriors
Street Warriors are an Australian hip hop group. The group is made up of brothers Abie and Warwick Wright from Local Knowledge. They perform in both English and the Awabakal language...
album Unstoppable Force (on the song "How Much You Mean To Me").
A new single "Never Let You Down" (written with Cameron McGlinchey
Cameron McGlinchey
Cameron McGlinchey is the former drummer of the Australian band Rogue Traders. He originally was just part of the live band, and then joined as an official member in 2005. He was a member of Maeder and has previously toured with NoKTuRNL and former Young Talent Time singer Natalie Miller....
) will be released in October 2010.
Acting career
The feature film Idiot Box saw Loau's acting debut. Directed by David CaesarDavid Caesar
David Caesar is an Australian television and film director and writer.He grew up in Turlinjah on the south coast of NSW and attended school in nearby Moruya where he was school captain in his senior year....
, Idiot Box drew warm reviews from critics locally and internationally and debuted at number 10 at the Australian Box Office. The film was also released in the US and UK. Loau played the female lead role of Lani, a drive through bottle shop attendant. Loau starred alongside actors Ben Mendelsohn
Ben Mendelsohn
Paul Benjamin "Ben" Mendelsohn is an Australian actor.-Early life:Mendelsohn was born in Melbourne, Australia, the son of Carole Ann and Frederick Mendelsohn. He attended Heidelberg Primary School and Banyule High School. His father is a prominent medical researcher who heads the Howard Florey...
and Jeremy Sims
Jeremy Sims
-Personal life:He was educated at Wesley College, Perth, 1977–83. Sims was married to film director Samantha Lang. They have two daughters, Frederique and Evelyn Rose.-Career:...
.
In the late nineties, Loau also appeared in the Paul Fenech
Paul Fenech
Paul Fenech is a film maker, television and film actor and writer from Sydney, Australia, best known for his role in Pizza and Swift and Shift Couriers .-Career:...
-directed film Somewhere in the Darkness. Loau has also appeared in critically and commercially successful TV dramas such as Wildside and All Saints
All Saints (TV series)
All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...
.
Albums
- 1992 Girlfriend - Make It Come True
- 1993 Girlfriend - It's Up To You
- 1997 Siva Pacifica - Siva Pacifica
- 2008 Malaria: The Lost Album
- 2010 Only Human (TBR)
Singles
(as a member of GIRLFRIEND)- 1992 Take It From Me (AUS#1)
- 1992 Girl's Life (AUS#15)
- 1992 Without You (AUS#18)
- 1992 Bad Attitude (AUS#28)
- 1993 Love's On My Mind (AUS#65)
- 1993 Heartbeat (AUS#36)
- 1993 Wishing on the Same Star (AUS#44)
(as a member of SIVA PACIFICA)
- 1997 Mana
- 1997 Mana (Part II)
- 1997 Aloha
SOLO
- 1997 Sick With Love (AUS#21)
- 1997 Love Addiction
- 1998 Got That Kinda Feelin' (Float On)
- 2003 Never Miss The Water
- 2007 She Devil
- 2007/08 "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime/Foreign Life" (As featured on The Biggest Loser- iTunes only release)
- 2009 Hard - (with Josh Abrahams)
- 2010 Never Let You Down