On his new album "Boyology", Danish pop singer Asbjørn pleads for a different understanding of masculinity - and encourages gay men in particular to embrace their vulnerability.
Back in 1984, Herbert Grönemeyer asked "When is a man a man?". Almost four decades have passed since then, and the question still lingers. The Danish pop singer Asbjørn is also preoccupied with it. Ultimately, this question is also about his own identity as a queer man and a new self-image of masculinity.
Emancipation from the traditional male ideal
This debate runs like a red thread through his new, now third album. It is, as the 29-year-old says, his "emancipation from the traditional male ideal and the invisible expectations in society and of ourselves as to what a man should or should not be". Asbjørn expresses this most clearly in his melancholy, reflective song "Be Human" in succinct verses: "I don't wanna be a man/ If man means power, to not empower others". And "I don't wanna be a man/ If man means violence instead of showing kindness."
With a wistful falsetto, Asbjørn sings about mendacious, outdated and toxic notions of masculinity. In the end, he asks: "Can I just be human? / Can I just be me?" Simply being yourself, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, is one of the messages that Asbjørn has packaged in clever yet danceable pop. Just like the message: above all, believe in yourself and don't pretend, even when it comes to matters of love.
A sung "Fuck you..." to his old record company
The singer, musician and producer, who grew up near Aarhus, seems to be speaking from his own experience. Several songs tell of broken relationships and at the same time of the fear of firm commitments. "Remember my Name" is one of them, another very emotional track driven by electronic beats. The verse lines "Rember my name, the boy that got away" can be understood as a message to an ex who was caught cold by the break-up. For Asbjørn, however, the song also has a completely different, very personal interpretation. Strictly speaking, it is a "I can do it without you" greeting to his old record company. However, the material he had worked on for his third album in his adopted home of Berlin was not commercial enough for them.
"I was deeply hurt by the cynicism of the industry," admits Asbjørn. That's why he retreated to a summer house in Denmark, "where I could shout at the sea to ignite the last remnants of my resilience and prove them wrong."
Inspired by Lyykie Li, Robyn and other great artists
In the eleven songs on "Boylogica", Asbjørn shows what he has learnt from his musical role models such as Lyykie Li, Timbaland, Robyn and Missy Elliott. Above all, however, he shows that an intimate and intense confrontation is also possible in dancefloor and radio-friendly songs - with one's own and with society's expectations of interpersonal relationships and supposedly typical gender behaviour.
"like a queer coming-of-age short film"
Asbjørn about his "The Boyology Series" on YouTube
Asbjørn thought he had long since overcome these expectations, but then realised to his own surprise that he was "suppressing his love pain in this super stereotypical way". For him, this realisation was the catalyst for this album. And there is no doubt in his mind that he is drawn to men when it comes to love. His videos, like those for his first two albums, are unambiguous and open-hearted. Asbjørn has selected three songs from the new album and produced videos for them that, as he says himself, are intended to feel "like a queer coming-of-age short film". This "The Boyology Series" can be seen on YouTube.
The new album by Asbjørn: "Boyology" has been released by Embassy of Music.
Official website of Asbjørn:
Asbjørn live on 8 April 2022 at Lido Berlin
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