FEMINA

**Labels** | SmashBox ∙ Alejandro

**Femina Karbro** (born **Lana Katerina Karbro** on 11 May 1967), known professionally as simply **FEMINA**, is a Reshan singer, songwriter, record producer, musician, and fashion designer. Born to a working-class family in Riffer, Karbro began her career in 1983 after completing elementary school and opting not to attend high school. Beginning her career performing in nightclubs and bars using falsified identification, Karbro was signed to independent record label SmashBox Music in 1987.

Karbro released her debut album, *A Million Colors* (1988), with SmashBox, which became a modest success in the underground club scene. She quickly became known for her sexually explicit lyrics and costumes. Her second studio album, *Feel It Coming* (1989), was able to successfully transition Karbro from a niche market to mainstream appeal with the success of its lead single "Cream". Karbro later went on to achieve widespread international success throughout the 1990s, releasing four studio albums. In the early-2000s, Karbro's album sales began decreasing and after continuous delays at the hands of her record label, she left SmashBox in 2006 and signed with Alejandro Records. Her first album with Alejandro, *The Word of God* (2008), became a large success and relaunched Karbro's career with her international chart topping single "Talk to Me".

Karbro has received numerous accolades throughout her career, and has been dubbed the "Queen of Electronic Music" by the Reshan media. In 2016, she was ranked forty-fourth by *Zipper Magazine* on their "100 Greatest Women in Pravian Music" list. She has become well-known due to her highly explicit sexual lyrics, intricate self-made costumes, and high-energy improvisational performances. She is often regarded as one of the most-frequently censored artists in Pravia. Karbro has released twelve studio albums throughout her career, and is the only Reshan artist to have at least one number-one hit in every decade since the 1980s.

## Life and career

### Early life

Karbro was born as Lana Katerina Karbro in Riffer, Elin to parents Otto Karbro and Olaksandra Kettinberg. Otto worked in a factory, while Olaksandra worked as a preschool teacher. The family was working-class, and Karbro grew up with an older brother, who is on the autistic spectrum, and two younger sisters. She has described her family as "traditional and conservative". At age five, Karbro was sexually abused by her older brother who was eight years old, at the time. She has stated that her parents simply tried to cover up the incident, and she never received any sort of comfort while her brother received no punishment.

Karbro attended elementary school in Riffer, where she performed well academically but showed little interest in academic subjects. Her parents encouraged her to study so she could become a doctor or lawyer, but Karbro rarely did work in school except for in art or music classes. While in elementary school, Karbro was a member of the fashion design club and made costumes for her school's theatre productions, which is where she learned of her love for fashion design. Karbro has described herself as a "loser" in school, and that her only friends were "the gays and the hookers". At age thirteen, Karbro became impregnated by her boyfriend at the time. She received an abortion and after discovering this, her boyfriend broke up with her and spread a rumor around school that she poked holes in their condoms so he'd stay with her. Karbro has stated that this had a great negative effect on her self-esteem as a teenager, and was a contributing force in her low self-worth during her youth. Karbro graduated from elementary school in 1983, and opted not to attend high school against her family's wishes. She ultimately remained in Riffer and began her professional music career.

### 1983–1990: Early career and initial success

After ending her schooling, Karbro purchased a fake driver's license to allow herself entrance into nightclubs. At these nightclubs, Karbro began performing sets and eventually became known throughout Riffer due to her high-energy performances and overtly sexual lyrics and mannerisms. In 1985, an executive from Asmer Music Resha approached Karbro offering a recording contract, but she made him leave as she believed that he was simply trying to hit on her.

In 1986, Karbro permanently moved to Hederhelm and settled in the Mino borough. In Hederhelm, Karbro was able to further her career and began began performing more original songs during her nightclub sets. The following year, she was signed to independent label SmashBox Music and began work on her debut studio album. In 1988, she released the album's lead single "Fuck It All Away", which was an electroclash song heavily influenced by punk music. The song was not a commercial success and was not allowed to be played on mainstream radios due to its lyrics, but still became a modest success within the underground dance music subculture. Her debut studio album, *A Million Colors* (1988), was released later that year and peaked within the top fifty on the Reshan albums chart.

After the release of *A Million Colors*, Karbro immediately began work on her followup album. She revealed to her record label that she intended on making this album "the one that makes [her] a legend". Its lead single, "Cream", was released in February 1989. Lyrically, the song spoke about ejaculation, but its true meaning was hidden by clever double entendres regarding individualism and freeing oneself. She didn't reveal the true meaning of the song's lyrics until 1998. Musically, the song also saw a departure from the style featured on her debut, and instead was heavily inspired by synthpop and disco. The song proved itself to be a sleeper hit, and went on to top the charts in thirteen countries five months after its release.

Karbro released her sophomore studio album, *Feel It Coming* (1989), later that year. The album proved to be a large success much like its lead single, reaching the peak position in ten countries and being certified platinum in fifteen. It was the second-best selling album of the year in Resha, and is nowadays looked at as an iconic example of Reshan music of the 1980s. It produced three other singles; two of which also became top ten hits in Karbro's home country. Karbro promoted the album with the *I Feel the Cream Tour*.

### 1990–2000: Continued success with SmashBox

Karbro began writing new material for her third studio album while on the *I Feel the Cream Tour*, and began recording once the tour completed in 1990. Her third studio album, *Cherry Bomb* (1991), was released in 1991 and was preceded by the release of the single, "Magic". "Magic" saw a continuation of the style of music present on *Feel It Coming*, which elicited both criticism and praise from fans and critics. Both the album and the lead single were critical and commercial successes.

Karbro went on to release three other studio albums within the 1990s: *Gargoyles* (1993), *Rosemary* (1996), and *Let the Light Guide Me Home* (1998). All three of the studio albums proved themselves to be critical and commercial successes, and produced several chart topping and top ten singles. She promoted the albums with Pravian tours, and in 1997 was dubbed the "Queen of Electronic Music" by the Reshan media.

### 2000–2009: Decline, departure from SmashBox, and *The Word of God*

After the success she experienced in the 1990s, Karbro released her seventh studio album, *Android* (2001), in 2001. The album was preceded by the lead single, "Anymore", which did not peak within the top forty in any country and received poor reviews from critics. *Android* received a similar fate, reaching only the tenth position in Resha and receiving the lowest sales figures of all of her releases. She later announced *The Android Tour*, which ended up having 30% of its shows canceled due to a lack of ticket sales.

Following the failure of *Android*, Karbro revealed that she was working on a new studio album, titled *Breakfast*, that she expected would be released in 2003. She released her upcoming studio album's lead single, "Red Light", in December 2002, but it did not chart in any country. Following the failure of "Red Light", Karbro revealed to the public that the album was getting rewritten and that it would likely not be released until 2004 or 2005. After the continued delay of *Breakfast*, Karbro revealed in 2006 that the album was scrapped and that she had parted ways with SmashBox.

A month later, Karbro revealed that she had signed a contract with independent label Alejandro Records and was working on new music. In December 2007, she released her first single with Alejandro, "Talk to Me". The song was a punk-inspired dance-rock song that took influence from her first two albums. It successfully relaunched Karbro's career and reached the number-one position in thirteen countries. Karbro went on to release the widely successful comeback album, *The Word of God* (2008), and embarked on the financially successful *The Word of FEMINA Tour*.

### 2009–present: Success with Alejandro

Following the success of *The Word of God*, Karbro had successfully relaunched herself as an A-list musician in Resha and internationally. After the completion of *The Word of FEMINA Tour*, she began work on her followup release. In 2010, she released the album's lead single, "Ooh La La". The song became a wide success, and peaked at number-one in eleven countries. It was followed by the widely successful number-one hit "Strict Machine". Both "Ooh La La" and "Strict Machine" were included on her ninth studio album, *Treats*. *Treats* was certified multi-platinum in Resha and became the best-selling album of 2010.

Karbro has went on to release three other successful albums in the 2010s: *Stun Guns* (2013), *Skinny Dipping* (2015), and *Teddybears and Rum* (2017), which all have been certified platinum in multiple countries. With "Serpentine", the lead single off of *Teddybears and Rum*, Karbro became the first female artist in her 50s to receive a number a number-one hit in Resha.

## Personal life

Karbro legally changed her name from Lana Katerina Karbro to Femina Karbro in 1997. She stated that the reason for the name change was so that her legal documents would use the name Femina, a nickname that she's went by since age twelve. She has stated that her nickname has no "real meaning", and that she began using it because of her dislike for her birth name.

Karbro has resided in the Hammalukka borough of Hederhelm since 1990.

### Sexuality and relationships

After the release of her debut studio album *A Million Colors*, listeners were keen to note the use of both male and female pronouns in the songs. Karbro declined to comment on her choice of pronouns regarding love interests in her songs, and rumors began to spread that she was a lesbian. Karbro came out as bisexual in 1992, stating that she was unwilling to come out publicly due to what her family would think. She has identified herself as "an androgynous, bisexual, queer".

Karbro has notably never been married, never had children, and has never been linked publicly to any other celebrities. In 2004, Karbro stated that she did not enjoy dating as she did not believe in monogamous relationships.

### Family life

Karbro has had a rocky relationship with her family, which has frequently been documented in tabloids and gossip television shows. She has described herself as "the black sheep of the family", and stated that her relationship with her parents had been shaky ever since childhood. In 1990, her parents completely cut her off because of her raunchy stage persona, and she has not spoken to them since. She has not spoken to her brother since moving to Hederhelm, and only remains in contact with her two younger sisters.

### Religious and political beliefs

Karbro was baptized in the Church of Resha as both of her parents are practicing members. She completed her Holy Communion in 1975 and her confirmation in 1980. Karbro abandoned the church in 1985, and stated that she "never actually believed in it". She has since identified herself as an atheist on numerous occasions, and has frequently criticized the church.

Despite identifying herself as "non-political", Karbro has frequently spoken out on Reshan politics. She is a registered member of the Green Party, but has never voted in an election. Karbro has frequently criticized the Reshan monarchy, particularly Otto IV. In 1998, she called herself a republican for the first time. However, by 2008 she had relaxed her beliefs on the monarchy, stating, "I've met the Queen, and she's actually a very good person. Personal beliefs aside, I'm proud that she's representing our nation rather than anyone else". Karbro has openly revealed her support for the legalization of cannabis in Resha, and has called for the relaxation of anti-drug policies altogether.

## Discography

*Main article: FEMINA discography.*

* *A Million Colors* (1988)
* *Feel It Coming* (1989)
* *Cherry Bomb* (1991)
* *Gargoyles* (1993)
* *Rosemary* (1995)
* *Let the Light Guide Me Home* (1998)
* *Android* (2001)
* *The Word of God* (2008)
* *Treats* (2011)
* *Stun Guns* (2013)
* *Skinny Dipping* (2015)
* *Teddybears and Rum* (2017)