MC's Music Lounge: Robyn’s new link-up with Max Martin is a pop music masterclass 30 years in the making

Max Martin was a young musical protégé when he first started working with Robyn, a Swedish teenager who was on the brink of worldwide prominence. Close to 30 years later, the two are back together crafting quality pop music, which Max Martin himself is no stranger to doing. Robyn, on the other hand, is back to doing what she does best: turning pop music into a feeling you dance through and think about later. This time around, she wants to talk about sex.

Robyn and Max Martin are a musical power couple, with their first collaborations existing in a pre-Britney Spears world, unknowingly setting the tone for the shoes that Britney would eventually fill. The labels wanted Robyn to be who Britney became, but she had a different career path in mind. To this day she still doesn’t perform those songs from the 90s. Robyn has the pipes and musical instincts to make a bubble-gum pop masterpiece, but she always wanted to go a little deeper than that and as a result, she strayed from the genre all together. It would take her more than a decade to find a space in pop music where she felt creatively fulfilled, and it was then that Robyn and Max would cross paths again in 2010. Max can build a pop song like no other writer, making hits that hit your body first and then your mind. Meanwhile, Robyn’s brand of hyper-pop has the ability to dance its way straight to your soul. It’s a match made in pop heaven.

Robyn’s promotional trek is in overdrive, with her first televised performance of the era on The Late Show performing the absolutely bonkers track “Sexistential”. Some Gen Zs and Alphas online found it to be cringe but are they qualified to judge? Robyn was brat before brat was even a thing. From the sounds of the three tracks released so far, it seems the album is a mix of more traditional electro pop tracks and more experimental tunes. Sexistential the album will be available March 27^th, and it’s been a long time coming.

Next week is the arrival of Hilary Duff’s newest single “Roommates” which she has been teasing on social media over the last week. Perfectly timed with the news of the toxic mom group drama that has graced our feeds over the last week. With that, as well as the 25^th anniversary of Lizzie McGuire, Hilary’s online presence is the strongest it’s been in years. This week is big for comebacks including Robyn, French Montana & Max B, Bruno Mars, Ari Lennox and A$AP Rocky. Plus, a 2000s pop classic gets a resurgence thanks to one a TV show that has become a phenomenon.

Listen on…

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“Talk To Me” by Robyn

Robyn’s new link-up with Max Martin is a pop music masterclass 30 years in the making. She famously worked with the Max back in 1997 on “Show Me Love” and “Do You Know What It Takes”, and again in 2010 on the track “Time Machine”. Fifteen years later the dynamic duo have teamed up once more and have created another classic, unmistakably “Robyn” smash. Sonically, it’s electro pop with a tinge of sophistication. Lyrically, it’s perfectly horny, written during the pandemic, about all the ways you can stay sexually turned on without physical touch. In other words, she wants you to talk dirty to her. I love a good talker, it can be a fine line between creepy and sexy, but the right person can always make it work.

The single hums with that icy yet warm tension that she’s mastered. The entire album Sexistential is a love letter to her rediscovering her sexuality after becoming a mother back in 2023. A sexual liberation if you will, but for Robyn it goes deeper. She says that her “purpose in life is to stay horny”, and that means horny about everything not just sex. Music, Love, Passion, you name it, it’s the desire that she wants to maintain. “Talk To Me” is a tamer more radio-friendly expression of those things, but take a listen to “Sexistential” if you really want to get unhinged.

“Punk Rocky” by A$AP Rocky

Rocky’s fourth studio album Don’t Be Dumb drops this Friday and is expected to be a cinematic extravaganza. Danny Elfman is on board to produce a majority of the tracks while the one and only Tim Burton designed the album cover. The album is Rocky’s foray into the world of indie and psychedelic rock and the first single “Punk Rocky” is a stoner’s dream, with a low-key vibe and clever lyrics. It’s the trippy, chaotic music video that really sells it, however. There are only two words that need to be used to describe the feeling: Winona Forever. The instant I saw Winona Ryder in those red sunglasses and that Beavis and Butthead t-shirt I was locked in.

Winona’s 80s and 90s fashion are constantly referenced in popular culture so seeing her in that piece felt nostalgic for a time I wasn’t even truly alive for (so basically, the best kind of nostalgia lol). Winona is arguably one of Tim Burton’s first and certainly most iconic muses, so her cameo makes sense for the world that Rocky is building. This is particularly exciting for me as a listener since it’s going to be the first time I ever truly listen to an A$AP Rocky album from start to finish, and if any of you reading this are on this same journey, I look forward to kiki’ing about it very soon.

“Ever Since U Left Me” by French Montana, Max B

When the song opens with a sample from KC & the Sunshine Band, you know you’re in for a party. An attempt at a TikTok smash sure, but the song is fun and Bar Mitzvah-ready. Well, the clean version at least. Who can say no to the melody from “That’s The Way (I Like It)”, you just have to dance. The song comes from the pair’s latest mixtape, the third in a series that began all the way back in the late 2000s. This release in the series is Max B’s first since getting out of jail, and sees the reunion of two beloved hip-hop artists from that time. The two went straight to work after Max’s November 2025 release and 22 songs later, Coke Wave 3.5: Narcos has arrived. The two have such an undeniable chemistry when they perform together, and you can hear it reflected impeccably on this song. For a mixtape that contains a lot of serious moments, this song is an opportunity to have fun and not take themselves too seriously.

“I Just Might” by Bruno Mars

Upon my first listen to this automatic radio smash, I was unimpressed and to be honest, I’m still a little underwhelmed. Sonically, it’s very similar to the sound that the masses have associated with Bruno, which in my eyes makes it a safe choice. Maybe the best option given how long it’s been since he’s released an official “first” single, but to me it sounds like a Justin Timberlake throwaway. “I Just Might” has that same quality that songs like “Happy” by Pharrell have. You just know it’s going to be played everywhere and anywhere for years to come and escaping it is just not an option, so naturally the most logical thing to do is to give in and drink the Kool-Aid.

I’m still human and a catchy song is a catchy song, besides I am never one to deprive myself of anything so if I must sing a chorus to scratch an itch, then I’m going to do that. And that is why this mid track makes it onto my list this week. Plus, the discourse online surrounding the song is just everything. From the mashups with Barry White’s “Can’t Get Enough of You Love” to some creators adding Old Navy imagery over the video, the song is endlessly memeable and in today’s world, that means it’s a hit. Bruno is gearing up to head out on his first North American tour in years and he’s bringing Anderson.Paak, Leon Thomas, Raye and Victoria Monet along with him. Now that’s a line up if I ever saw one. Between Jill Scott, Robyn, Bruno, BTS, and Harry Styles, it seems that 2026 is gearing up to be the year of the comeback. Rihanna, if you’re listening, your time is coming.

“Twin Flame” by Ari Lennox

The recent surge of mid-tempo R&B tracks has been so exciting to experience. Ari Lennox is getting in on the action as her upcoming album Vacancy is set to drop later this month. “Twin Flame” is a jam that takes a sultry turn in the second part of the song. The instrumentals are layered and give room for her incredible vocals to shine while maintaining the playful personality of the lyrics. It’s reminiscent of the vibe from Ariana Grande’s Positions album, and is coincidently co-produced by one of Ari’s main producers from that time, Tommy “TBHits” Brown. He has a co-writer and producer credit on almost every song on that album, and he’s sharing that magic touch now with another Ari.

It’s been four years since her last album and she’s sounding better than she ever has. It’s certainly becoming a quick fan favourite, even I’ve gotten messages urging me to listen to it and I can confirm that was with great reason – it’s a whole bop. I have to point out the hilarious coincidence that her album cover is almost identical to the cover of Hilary Duff’s upcoming album. Is there some kind of memo that all the girls need to be doing the same pose on their album covers?

MC’s VIRAL PICK

“All The Things She Said” by t.A.T.u.

If you like gay sex, then I’m sure that you’ve watched all of Heated Rivalry backwards and forwards by now. As you can imagine, I am a fan of both of those things, shocker! While Connor and Hudson’s butts have been major highlights for me, another gem is the music in the series and the way it has been resonating with audiences. One of those tracks is “All the Things She Said” by t.A.T.u. – a song that once it enters your mind, it stays there for weeks on end.

The 2000s pop hit was prominently featured in the fourth episode of the series in a club scene that has gone mega viral and is integral to the love story between the characters Shane and Ilya. That version, of course, is a house remix, and while it certainly slaps, it doesn’t even come close to the original. The song is getting re-introduced to Millennials while Gen Zers are discovering it for the first time, however I feel proud to say that not only do I still bump the song in almost every gym session, but it also never left my zeitgeist. In fact, my crew and I were just screaming it on a Miami party bus after a few too many glasses of champagne.

The controversial pop anthem was a hot topic of conversation back in 2002 when it was released due to the two vocalists making out in the video. In the mid-2000s, anytime you saw a same sex anything it was controversial, especially in this case where through the years both singers from the band confirmed they weren’t even lesbians. That it’s now being associated with one of the biggest pieces of gay media to come out in recent years feels full circle and dare I say poetic. The original version of the song has now charted on Spotify’s Top 200 Daily Streams chart for the first time ever and continues to gain momentum every day.

@ohmyquaddd This song has been on repeat since Friday 12:59 AM #figureskating #adultfigureskater #adultfigureskating #heatedrivalry #allthethingsshesaid ♬ All The Things She Said - t.A.T.u.

@crayspace so umm… shall we pause for a bit? 🫣 #heatedrivalry #mlm #couple #uk ♬ All The Things She Said - t.A.T.u.

@mwiktto all the things she said (shane ver.) x #heatedrivalry #ilyarozanov #connorstorrie #shanehollander #hudsonwilliams ♬ original sound - mwi-ji

@kylemfox it’s not Ciel but it will do @devw3537 #heatedrivalry #lgbt🌈 #fyp ♬ All The Things She Said - Harrison

It’s a new year which means a new “MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE” Spotify playlist is officially live. You can add it here to keep up to date with my weekly picks throughout the year.