Sally Shapiro is the pseudonym of a Swedish vocalist and the name of the

Italo disco Italo disco (variously capitalized, and sometimes hyphenated as Italo-disco) is a music genre which originated in Italy in the late 1970s and was mainly produced in the 1980s. Italo disco evolved from the then-current underground dance, pop, ...

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...

duo composed of Shapiro and musician Johan Agebjörn. On 28 April 2016, Sally Shapiro announced the end of their 10-year career alongside the release of the final single "If You Ever Wanna Change Your Mind". They returned from retirement in January 2018 for a collaboration with

Ryan Paris Fabio Roscioli (born 12 March 1953), known by his stage name Ryan Paris, is an Italian singer, songwriter, musician and actor who gained international popularity in 1983 for the worldwide hit single " Dolce Vita", written and produced by Pierlu ...

called "Love On Ice". In 2021, they signed with

Italians Do It Better Italians Do It Better is an independent record label based in Portland and West Hollywood. It was started by Johnny Jewel and Mike Simonetti on July 20, 2006, to focus on Jewel's projects Glass Candy and Chromatics and later Desire, Symmetry an ...

and announced the 2022 release of their fourth studio album ''Sad Cities''.

History

Shapiro grew up listening to Swedish pop and disco and the band was influenced by

Eurobeat Eurobeat refers to two styles of dance music that originated in Europe: one is a British variant of Italian Eurodisco-influencedAng, Ien & Morley, David (2005). "Cultural Studies: Volume 3, Issue 2". ''Routledge''. pgs. 171, 173, 170. . "Eurorec ...

and

. Agebjörn shed some light on the choice of the fictional stage name in an October 2007 interview with ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' magazine: Sally Shapiro's debut album, 2007's ''

Disco Romance ''Disco Romance'' is the debut studio album by Swedish electronic duo Sally Shapiro. It was released in Europe on 22 November 2006 by Diskokaine and in North America on 30 October 2007 by Paper Bag Records. Track listing Personnel * Sally ...

'', was produced by Agebjörn. The album received strong reviews, and Shapiro was championed by many prominent music blogs including

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

. The album was released in North America on 16 October 2007 by Canadian-based indie label

Paper Bag Records Paper Bag Records is a Canadian independent record label, artist management company, and music publishing company founded in 2002 and based in Toronto. History The label was created to focus on the Toronto-area indie rock music scene. Initial si ...

; it is a ten-track album featuring artwork by Canadian designer Geoff Wilson. Shapiro is notable for shunning publicity and has never revealed her real name. However, in an interview with Swedish webzine ''Judy'' in September 2007, she talked for the first time about considering performing live: In spring 2008, Sally Shapiro went on a short DJ tour, but on a February 2009 post on Sally Shapiro's Myspace blog, Agebjörn stated that Sally would not perform again: On 15 April 2008, Sally Shapiro's remix album '' Remix Romance Vol. 1'' was released worldwide by Paper Bag Records. Some of the names on this remix album are

Junior Boys Junior Boys are a Canadian electronic pop group, founded in 1999 in Hamilton, Ontario by Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark. Dark left the project shortly after, and was replaced by engineer Matt Didemus. The duo initially gained critical praise ...

, Jon Brooks, Lindstrøm,

Holy Fuck Holy Fuck is a Canadian electronica band from Toronto. They were a part of Dependent Music, a music label and artist collective that began in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 2004 until its closing. They were then a part of the Young Turks label and in ...

and

Juan Maclean John MacLean, better known by the stage name of the Juan MacLean, is an American electronic musician. History MacLean was guitarist for the post-hardcore band Six Finger Satellite, based in Providence, Rhode Island. The band was struck by sever ...

. Quickly following ''Vol. 1'', '' Remix Romance Vol. 2'' was released on 17 June 2008. It contains remixes by

Dntel James Scott Tamborello, (born 1975) also known by his stage name Dntel , is an American electronic music artist and DJ. Aside from his main solo project, Tamborello is also known as a member of the groups The Postal Service, Headset, Strictl ...

, The Russian Futurists,

Solvent A solvent (from the Latin language, Latin ''wikt:solvo#Latin, solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a Solution (chemistry), solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas ...

and

Alexander Robotnick Maurizio Dami, known professionally as Alexander Robotnick, is an Italian electronic musician. He made his debut on the Italian music scene as the founding member of Avida, a dance-cabaret band featuring Daniele Trambusti and Stefano Fuochi. Bio ...

. This volume is only available as a download. Sally Shapiro's single "Miracle" was released on 16 June 2009. It is similar in style to previous Shapiro singles. Their second studio album, ''

My Guilty Pleasure ''My Guilty Pleasure'' is the second studio album by Swedish electronic duo Sally Shapiro. It was released on 21 August 2009 by Permanent Vacation. Track listing Personnel * Sally Shapiro – vocals * Johan Agebjörn – producer (tracks ...

'', was released in August 2009. Like the previous work, it was recorded alone. In 2011, the duo revealed that they had been working on new material to be released in the near future. In 2012, they officially announced their third album, "Somewhere Else", which was released in 2013. The album was produced by Agebjörn, and featured collaborations with Cloetta Paris' Roger Gunnarsson and Le Prix. The album's leading single, "What Can I Do", was released in December 2012. In 2016, Sally Shapiro released a single entitled "If You Ever Wanna Change Your Mind", intending it to be their last song. In June 2021, the duo released a new single, "Fading Away", reversing their decision to retire. A new album entitled ''Sad Cities'' was released on 18 February 2022. Sally Shapiro's fifth record, ''

Ready to Live a Lie ''Ready to Live a Lie'' is the fifth studio album by Swedish synthpop duo Sally Shapiro. It was released on 30 May 2025, via Italians Do It Better. Background Released three years after the duo's ''Sad Cities'' in 2022, ''Ready to Live a Lie'' i ...

'', was announced on 15 March 2025, and was released on 30 May.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2006) * ''

'' (2009) * ''Somewhere Else'' (2013) * ''Sad Cities'' (2022) * ''

'' (2025)

Compilation albums

* ''The Collection'' (2016)

Remix albums

* '' Remix Romance Vol. 1'' (2008) * '' Remix Romance Vol. 2'' (2008) * ''My Guilty Pleasure – Remixes'' (2010) * ''Elsewhere'' (2013) * ''Sweetened'' (2013)

Singles

* "I'll Be By Your Side" (2006) * "Anorak Christmas" (2006) * "Jackie Jackie (Spend This Winter with Me)" (2008) * "Spacer Woman from Mars" (with Johan Agebjörn, Rude 66 and Elitechnique) (2008) * "He Keeps Me Alive" (2008) * "Miracle" (2009) * "Love in July" (2009) * "The Explorers" ( CFCF featuring Sally Shapiro) (2009) * "Don't Be Afraid" (

Anoraak Anoraak is the musical project of French musician Frédéric Rivière, multi instrumentalist, singer, producer and DJ, former drummer of Pony Pony Run Run and member of the Valerie Collective along with artists such as College, Maethelvin, The ...

featuring Sally Shapiro) (2010) * "Casablanca Nights" (Johan Agebjörn featuring Lovelock & Sally Shapiro) (2011) * "Alice" (Johan Agebjörn featuring Le Prix, Fred Ventura & Sally Shapiro) (2011) * "Spacer Woman From Mars" (Johan Agebjörn featuring Sally Shapiro) (2011) * "What Can I Do" (2012) * "Starman (featuring Electric Youth)" (2013) * "If You Ever Wanna Change Your Mind" (2016) * "Fading Away" (2021) * "Forget About You" (2021) * "

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

" (

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

cover, 2023)

References

External links

Official websiteSally Shapiro's MySpaceJohan Agebjörn websiteDISKOKAINE is Sally's Label Worldwide except North AmericaPaper Bag Records is Sally's Label in North America
*
Judy.se interview with Sally Shapiro, in SwedishSwedish Dancing Queen Comes to Canada
AOL Music Canada article
Sally Shapiro article
November 2007
Venus Zine articleOut articleDummy interviewStream: "The Leftovers" (with Loney Dear)
{{Authority control Electronic music duos Italo disco groups Musical groups established in 2006 Paper Bag Records artists Swedish synth-pop groups Swedish musical duos Male–female musical duos Musical groups from Gothenburg