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Lolly Pop | |
---|---|
Birth name | Brooke R. Calder |
Born | 1975 (age 48–49) |
Genres | Electronic |
Occupation(s) | Vocalist, songwriter, producer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, synthesizer |
Years active | 2002–present |
Website | Official website |
Lolly Pop is a persona of Brooke R. Calder, as produced by Ricardo Autobahn, Monte Moir and Doctor Fink.
Biography
Raised between the United States and Zimbabwe, Africa, Calder relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to work as a dancer for Prince in 1994. After being cast in the New Power Generation (NPG)'s "Get Wild" video, she was awarded a studio apprenticeship with NPG keyboardist Morris Hayes. Post completion, she served as a label intern with Twin/Tone Records, marketing side projects of Information Society and Semisonic.
Post Twin/Tone, Calder assembled electro-kitsch trio TELEPHONE!, which introduced Lolly Pop. Circa 2006, Pop was re-positioned as a solo artist produced by Fink, Moir and Autobahn. In 2007, the video for "Elevator Operator" was featured on RockAmerica while the single was used in the Dash Mihok film, Loveless in Los Angeles. That same year, Pop appeared at Winter Music Conference, guested in the Paul Moering short film, Climbing Trees, and worked closely with First Avenue.
Next recruited as the female vocalist for British outfit POP INC, Calder continued to contribute vocals to and/or produce U.S. acts Afraid Of Americans (A*O*A), glean (guesting Rick McCollum of The Afghan Whigs), The Red Hour as well as U.K. units Cuban Boys and The Rude Awakening. With The Rembrandts' Phil Solem, Calder co-wrote the theme song for the Launch TV comedy Graham Crackers.
In 2019, she appeared in the video for Jellybean Johnson's "Put Some Jelly On It" and co-wrote lyrics for the Johnson-helmed Regal The Rare collaboration "Blue Goo", bookending decades of creating with members of The Minneapolis Sound. As a result of her long-term contributions, she was elected an honorary board member of the Minneapolis Sound Museum in 2023.
Calder recently collaborated with BBC award-winning director Martin Gooch on Everybody Loves Dancing, co-founded Manual Control Records and runs Calder Creative (a music consulting firm) in Philadelphia.
Charitable efforts
During 2019, Calder helmed a suitcase and donations initiative for survivors of the Drake fire. Throughout 2017, A*O*A donated their sales profits to the NODAPL Legal Fund and continue to provide a $1 royalty to RAICES for each maxi-single sold. In 2004, Calder partnered with First Avenue to raise money for the Tubman Alliance, and organized a female-fronted festival dubbed Girlfest.
Discography
- 1999: BURNING SHAKESPEARE - No Juliet EP - Self Released
- 2000: THOUSAND VOID CRUSH f. BURNING SHAKESPEARE - "Radio Free" - Sursumcorda Records
- 2001: BROWN RAINBOW - Underground Soundtracks (Various tracks) - Self Released
- 2002: TELEPHONE! - Love... EP - Self Released
- 2003: TELEPHONE! - *69 EP - Self Released
- 2003: CHUCK LOVE - Continuous (Song: "Perfect") - Om Records
- 2004: TC ELECTROPUNK VOLUME 1 (Song: "Life on Hold")
- 2004: DORY/1DJ - 8Bits (song: "Encore") - Self Released
- 2005: TC ELECTROPUNK VOLUME 2 (Song: "Elevator Operator")
- 2005: SUNNY SMACK - Mezzanine Girls (Song: "Mezzanine") - Self Released
- 2006: THE CUBAN BOYS - Satellite Junkyard (Song: "Claudine Is Blue") - Banoffeesound
- 2006: THE CUBAN BOYS - BBC Radio (Song: "Walking In The Air") - Banoffeesound
- 2007: LOLLY POP - Elevator Operator (Danny Morris remix video) - Rockamerica
- 2007: LOLLY POP - Elevator Operator (Digital maxi single) - Modo Disco (UK)
- 2007: LOLLY POP (Self-titled debut and remixes) - Modo Disco (UK)
- 2008: THE PLASTIC CONSTELLATIONS - We Appreciate You (Songs: "Stay That Way", "So Many Friends") - Longtime Listener
- 2009: POP INC. - "Looking 4 The KLF" (Video - original edit and download card/maxi single) - Modo Disco (UK) / Rockamerica
- 2009: TC ELECTROPUNK VOLUME 5 (Song: POP INC. - "Disenchanted")
- 2010: ANDRA - "Love Is 4 Suckaz" Mixtape (Song: Models & Bottles) - Krucial Noize/Kerry Brothers Jr
- 2010: POP INC. vs. SYMPHONO - "Looking 4 The KLF" (Single) - Ninthwave Records
- 2011: POP INC. - "BLVD (Boulevard of Broken Dreams)" (Video/DVD, digital maxi single)
- 2012: TC ELECTROPUNK VOLUME 6 (Song: POP INC. - "Hollywood Kills")
- 2014: glean - Echoes & Waves (EP)
- 2014: GRAHAM CRACKERS THEME SONG - "Steady On (True Blue)" featuring Phil Solem
- 2015: TOUCH GUITARS COMPILATION (Song: glean - "Mother") - Iapetus Berlin
- 2015: glean - Shadows & Sand (EP)
- 2016: A*O*A - "I'm Afraid of Americans" (Digital single)
- 2017: AIDAN CASSERLY - Spoken (Song: "April 21st")
- 2017: THE RUDE AWAKENING - "Pride" - Electro London
- 2017: LOLLY POP - LINGERIE: Lost Remixes & Bonus Tracks - Banoffeesound Records
- 2018: A*O*A - "I'm Afraid of Americans" (Remixes)
- 2019: FRODE HOLM - Third (Engineer, Vocal Producer, Backing Vocals)
- 2021: THE RED HOUR - "Cracks" - Manual Control Records
- 2022: BROOKE R. CALDER - "Everybody Loves Dancing" (Video and Digital Single) - Manual Control Records
- 2023: REGAL THE RARE f. Brooke R. Calder & Jellybean Johnson - "Blue Goo"
- 2024: BURNING SHAKESPEARE - RADIO-FREE EP (Digital Reissue)- Manual Control Records - In Pre-sale
- 2024: BROOKE R. CALDER - "Everybody Loves Dancing" (Remixes) - Manual Control Records - Release Date TBA
References
- Kelly, Joe. "Musicians Reveal Podcast". Musicians Reveal: Brooke R. Calder.
- Greenwood, Ashley. "Morris Hayes talks Prince, Bono and Obama". Vantage Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-12-21.
- "Loveless in Los Angeles (2007)". IMDb. Archived from the original on Oct 14, 2022.
- Moehring, Paul (10 June 2009). "Climbing Trees". Vimeo. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
- "Jellybean Johnson". Realmusicradio.com. Archived from the original on Oct 25, 2021.
- "Blue Goo (Single feat. Ty Prophecy, Dalè, and…". Coyotemusic.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- Onile-Ere, Bisi (7 June 2023). "Minneapolis Sound Museum honors local music legends". Fox9.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- Everybody Loves Dancing - Brooke R. Calder f. Jeff Sherman on YouTube
- "Manual Control Records". Manualcontrolrecords.com. Archived from the original on Dec 2, 2022.
- "Drake Hotel fire extinguished, city orders partial demolition". Karell.com. 25 December 2019.
- "I'm Afraid of Americans : RAICES REMIXES, by A*O*A". A-o-a.bandcamp.com.
- "Contact Us : Who We Are : Tubman". Tubman.org.
Additional sources:
- City Pages Magazine, February 14, 2007
- Rift Magazine, February 2007
- Star Tribune, February 9, 2007
- St. Paul Pioneer Press July 27, 2006
- Rift Magazine, November 2005
- Star Tribune, March 18, 2005
- City Pages, May 25, 2005
- Stone Roller Magazine, May 2004