Timeline
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Hobo Humpin Slobo Babe
First documented Single in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
Biography
Biography
Whale was a Swedish alternative rock group active from 1992 to 1999.
Career
Gordon Cyrus and Henrik Schyffert met while working on a commercial and decided to collaborate on a music track. Schyffert recruited his then-girlfriend, Cia Berg, to perform vocals. The band enjoyed some success, particularly in the European market. Their first single, 1993's "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe", was positively received by critics and received heavy spins in the Euro dance club scene and saturation airplay on MTV. It reached the Top 10 in Denmark and Norway, Top 30 in the Netherlands and Austria, Top 40 in Sweden, and No. 24 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also reached No. 46 on the UK Singles Chart in 1994, and when reissued in 1995, reached No. 15.
The music video for "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe", directed by Mark Pellington, won the first MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video in 1994.
Whale toured with Tricky, Blur and Placebo.
In the late 1990s, the band's official website stated that their original name was Southern Whale Cult 1987, and that several albums had previously been released under that name. This was later admitted to have been a joke; the band had copied a presentation by The Cult and simply changed the name of the band in the text.
Whale disbanded after the 1999 single "Deliver the Juice
Deliver the JuiceSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Deliver the Juice (Underdog remix)3:472Deliver the Juice (radio edit)3:373Into the Strobe (unplugged)6:08", to little fanfare.
Post-breakup
Schyffert has pursued a television and comedy career, while Cyrus has worked in audiovisual marketing and design.
Studio albums
We Care (1995, Virgin Records/Hut Records)
All Disco Dance Must End in Broken Bones (1998, Virgin/Hut)
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 8 | 49.7th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 9 | 81.7th |
| Studio albums | 2 | 78.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 4 | 75.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 6 | 19.5th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (9 release groups · 2 studio albums)
Albums · 2
1995 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:01:32
1Kickin’3:472That’s Where It’s At4:163Pay for Me4:254Eurodog3:375I’ll Do Ya8:266Electricity4:137Hobo Humpin’ Slobo Babe4:008Tryzasnice4:459Happy in You4:5910I Miss Me4:1111Young Dumb n’ Full of Cum5:1412I’m Cold8:2613Born to Raise Hell1:13All Disco Dance Must End in Broken Bones
1998 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 11 tracks · 54:09
1Crying at Airports5:222Deliver the Juice5:113Roadkill4:174Smoke5:255Losing Ctrl4:126Four Big Speakers3:527Go Where You're Feeling Free5:098Into the Strobe6:099Puma Gym2:5210No Better4:20112 Cord Song / Subcultures in the USA7:20
Single · 6
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Hobo Humpin Slobo BabeSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 13:301Hobo Humpin Slobo Babe4:01 2Lips5:03 3Eye 8 4 24:26 | 1993 | ||
| 1995 | Pay for MeSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 10:041Pay for Me (LP Version)4:27 2The Now Thing5:37 | 1995 | ||
| 1995 | I'll Do YaSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracks · 22:371I'll Do Ya (edit)4:00 2The Now Thing (X)5:36 3Sexy M.M.4:34 4I'll Do Ya (full version)8:27 | 1995 | ||
| 1998 | Four Big SpeakersSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 15:281Four Big Speakers3:50 2Four Big Speakers (Cut La Roc remix)6:04 3Four Big Speakers (μ-Ziq remix)5:34 | 22 June 1998 | ||
| 1999 | Deliver the JuiceSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 13:321Deliver the Juice (Underdog remix)3:47 2Deliver the Juice (radio edit)3:37 3Into the Strobe (unplugged)6:08 | 1999 | ||
| — | Crying at AirportsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks1Crying at Airports (Radio Edit) 2Heavy Stick 3Spitting Indoors | — |
EP · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Pay For MeSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 26:191Pay For Me4:26 2I Think No3:37 3Darling Nikki4:28 4Buzzbox Babe4:26 5Trying9:22 | 1995 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Whale head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 8 | 49.7th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 9 | 81.7th |
| Studio albums | 2 | 78.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 4 | 75.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 6 | 19.5th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cia Berg | — | present | |
| Gordon Cyrus | — | present | |
| Heikki Kiviaho | — | present | |
| Henrik Schyffert | — | present | |
| Jon Jefferson Klingberg | — | present | |
| Jörgen Wall | — | present | |
| Tricky | — | present | |
| Tricky | — | present |
Where this record comes from
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7289f08a-0788-4214-af74-ad10d7c6ae05discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7289f08a-0788-4214-af74-ad10d7c6ae05core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1467670genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1467670seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_%28band%29biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_%28band%29
Why this artist is in the database
- List of Swedish musicians
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q1467670 · MusicBrainz: 7289f08a-0788-4214-af74-ad10d7c6ae05
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