famous swedish bands. Sweden is a country of musical talents

I remember this album from childhood - a shabby envelope with a record produced by Balkanton took pride of place in that modest part of the parent vinyl collection that passed through the department of pop music. Then, however, I did not take ABBA seriously, implying that all this was self-indulgence and frivolity. He was, of course, fundamentally wrong - when he matured, it became clear that there was no better pop group in the history of mankind. ABBA composed golden melodies in some inhuman quantities, turned disco into a universal language for talking about love and beauty, and most importantly, they knew how to create a happy and extremely rare feeling of some kind of endless harmony in the world around. There could be other albums of the group in this place - but a special self-willed absurd joy seizes me personally at the first chords of "When I Kissed the Teacher", so let it be this one. Moreover, my own vinyl collection now begins from that very disc.

2. The Knife "Silent Shout"

The duet of Olof and Karin Dreyer is one of the most important bands of the 21st century: because they managed to translate into sound a serious conversation on significant topics (feminism, economic inequality, exploitation, etc.) in a way that does not make you sleepy - And so I want to keep thinking about it. "Silent Shout" of all The Knife's records is perhaps the most balanced - there is already a weighty political content, but there are no radical attempts to get away from the usual song structures that the band turned to in the future. Prickly, sharp, icy electronics, giving the effect of uncomfortable, but useful alienation; caustic, paradoxical voices; polished Nordic melodism and post-industrial digital groove: "Silent Shout" poses the most uncomfortable questions for listeners while they trample their feet on the dance floor.

3. Samla Mammas Manna “Måltid”

Prog rock is often considered to be heavy and pretentious music, and, in general, not entirely unreasonably, but these funny mustachioed people from the city of Uppsala easily refute the universality of the stereotype. One of the founders of the Rock In Opposition movement, which combined musical avant-garde with political, Fred Frith's accompanists and comedians who liked to sing more about the circus than about love, Samla Mammas Manna played complex music with a light heart - so that even ten-minute rock suites with confused melodic plots in their performance sound like a well-performed practical joke. A marvelous band whose volatile style seems to be at its best on this 1973 record; it's a pity, they are mostly known by experts in the very genre that Samla Mammas Manna so delightfully refuted.

4. Refused "The Shape of Punk to Come"

From Russia, Sweden may seem like a reserve of socialism with a human face - it is not surprising that many musicians here turn out to be witty leftists. The rugged men of Refused made their best album by asking themselves the question: can punk and hardcore successfully fight the system and the establishment if they use the same conformist musical schemes as weapons? The resulting response, "The Shape of Punk to Come", sends the fierce physiological energy of hardcore on a journey through the entire spectrum of challenging sounds: here you have jazz liberties, and electronic howls, and sudden experiments with the usual song dramaturgy; all this, surrounded by justifiably furious guitar electricity and meaningful quotes from Allen Ginsberg, Henry Miller and Colonel Kurtz. A strong thing - Refused, one could probably even blame them for being too smart, but this music answers such claims with a direct blow to the jaw.

5. Neneh Cherry "Blank Project"

Luxurious comeback of the vocalist of the wonderful post-punk band New Age Steppers and the performer of the memorable nostalgic hit "Buffalo Stance", directed by British electronic artist Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet). An outstanding example of Scandinavian minimalism in music (about Scandinavian here, of course, for a red word - after all, both composers have long lived in London): in most songs on this album there is nothing but rhythm-setting drums, tiny synthetic details and voices, while there is enough content, drive and passion here for other careers. With the help of the Blank Project, Cherry coped with the death of her mother - and sometimes here you can almost physically feel how a person fills a void inside himself with music; and how this music heals.

6. Junip "Fields"

Curly lyricist José Gonzalez is more to be loved in his solo form: classical guitar, nylon strings, soulful voice and melancholic covers of The Knife and Massive Attack. It all sounds really nice, but, in my opinion, Junip, founded by Gonzalez, is even better - it does not have the snottyness that is inevitably characteristic of the “sad man with a guitar” genre, and there is a very special groove: these songs have some elasticity, they seem to move forward quickly, but without effort, as if on an air cushion. Plus, all the same conciliatory melodies, vocals, equivalent to the line “my sadness is bright”, and a general soothing feeling; "Fields" is the kind of song that turns pain into memory.

7. Stina Nordenstam "The World Is Saved"

Scandinavia in general and Sweden in particular are rich in singing voices of such quality and character that it is no longer so important what exactly they sing (although, as a rule, they sing worthy things). Here is Stina Nurdenstam, whose every song inevitably gives rise to a feeling of disturbing innocence of the world; a girl who sings with the voice of a child who has grown up too early. In her early albums there is more variety jazz and experiments with texture; «The World Is Saved» is already a later and conventional period, an independent domesticated electropop typical of the mid-2000s, which specifically sounds like it was recorded in a lonely hut. It is this sound environment that seems to help Nurdenstam's voice sound the most accurate. There is a very touching relationship with these songs; I want to hide and save them - I'm not dramatizing, I'm holding your hand, in such a repertoire.

8. Jens Lekman "I Know What Love Isn't"

“Every hair knows your name”, “Some kind of dandruff on your shoulder”, “I need a pair of cowboy boots” – the sentimental bard-mockingbird Jens Lekman even names the songs in such a way that it is impossible not to listen. Lekman's music is such a chanson for the most romantic and dreamy; openwork vignettes assembled from pianos, strings, a deliberately vulgar saxophone and other embellishments that are very appropriate for these songs precisely because they do not take themselves seriously. Lekman sings about a broken heart and other troubles, on the one hand, in earnest (in any case, in terms of melodic beauty and sublimity of the voice, everything here is according to the canons); on the other hand, with a fair amount of self-irony, constantly mocking himself and the listener a little; that is why in these sugar songs a semantic gap is created, introducing a charming paradox into them. How was it about the classic - "I love you, even though I'm mad."

9. Lykke Li "Wounded Rhymes"

This recording is an example of how inscrutable the paths of success are: the composition “I Follow Rivers” in a cheerful remix was at one time the absolute champion of radio airplay; so the dark princess of Swedish indie pop suddenly became a star in Russia. However, the album, of course, is not valuable for this anecdote, but for its monochrome frosty sound, loud semi-mystical vocals and songs that behave as if they are hiding something secret and terrible. Lykke Lee went to Los Angeles to record the album - and the American partners added scope and depth to her distant Scandinavian beauty, but left the main thing: solemn bitterness, twilight grace, frosty echo; aristocratic pop music of the era of brilliant decline. This album, which nobly sings of lust and calls songs with names like “Silence is a blessing”, and sounds like high pop poetry, ambitiously and justifiably elevates everyday personal feelings.

10. The Field "From Here We Go Sublime"

The debut of Stockholmer Axel Willner, which immediately brought him to the elite of modern techno - and rightly so. Willner refined and brought to its logical conclusion the sound patented by the Kompakt label. This can be called luxurious minimalism: on the one hand, the steadfast observance of genre conventions with an even beat and general asceticism in the design field; on the other hand, the maximum mitigation of the generally harsh style through airy samples and fragments of other people's forgotten successes. At The Field, voices and chords of the most comforting and patterned quality grow around an unrelenting bass drum; his tracks can bewitch - and, perhaps, they work better not even in a club, but at home. Someone said that techno in its formality, in essence, reflects everyday life with its ubiquitous rituals that mark the rhythm of everyday life; Axel Willner makes this life very beautiful and comfortable.

11. Hans Appelqvist Bremort

A rare person - so rare that there is not even an article about him in the English-language Wikipedia. By the way, very vain - because the music is also rare, in the very best sense. As far as can be judged from the information found, Appelqvist is a kind of journalist-artist - he records real conversations of people and other sounds found and surrounds them with music: chamber, almost toy and for some reason terribly piercing folktronics, somewhat reminiscent of recordings, say, of Pierre Bastien. They speak here, of course, mainly in Swedish - which, for people who do not know the language, adds a strange charm. Sketches of arrangements, pizzicatos, miniature melodies and even occasional choruses with verses here seem to grow through the fabric of the ordinary - and in a sense once again prove that life is also a great art.

12. Goat "World Music"

A group of cheerful conspiracy theorists who called their team a good word "Goat", lives in Gothenburg, but claims to come from a village in the north-east of Sweden, where, thanks to a witch doctor, they practiced the voodoo cult for a long time - until respectable Christians burned the village to the ground. Most likely, this is a fiction, but it is not completely clear; in any case, the spirit of Goat's music is conveyed well by this story. They play constantly sparkling from tension, legitimately weighted globalist rock, in which you can hear the tribal rhythms of Africa, and oriental roulades, and witty tricks of fellow countrymen like the same Samla Mammas Manna; they sing in an exceptionally cheerful chorus – in general, “World Music” gives the impression of an incomprehensible, but extremely fascinating ritual. Which is further reinforced at concerts, where the Goat put on masks and wild costumes and arrange an exceptionally spectacular bedlam; skipping is not recommended.

13. Club 8 "The People's Record"

These people also work with African motifs - but they use them for much more peaceful purposes. A duo that has been modestly working for the good of Swedish music for twenty years now, Club 8 released "The People's Record" in 2010, having by that time visited a variety of territories, ranging from eurodance to trip-hop. Romance with Africa and its guitar and melodic melodiousness was the best for them - the mobile ethnic groove turned out to be very appropriate for this music; the result is an extremely charming twee-pop, usefully enriched in rhythms and dances. This, of course, is not particularly obliging music - but it can pretty much decorate life in any circumstances.

14. Fire! Orchestra Exit!

The most exuberant figure in Scandinavian jazz, Mats Gustafson, is good in almost all of his appearances - but he really plays to break his heart and eardrums when his free trio Fire! turns into an orchestra of improvised music of the highest category. Feast of musical Dionysianism for 28 people, “Exit!” (as, in fairness, and other recordings of the ensemble) provides grounds for any comparisons - from the titans of the sixties free vocals to the Canadian post-string, and most importantly - it sounds like an exceptionally rich, meaningful and dashing dialogue of space and chaos, order and disorder. The case when “for our and your freedom” is not a sentence, but a toast.

15. Roxette Crash! Boom! Bang!"

We started with nostalgia - and we will finish with it. I won't pretend to listen to this album often; I will not even try to formulate the world-historical significance of the Roxette group. Crash! Boom! Bang!" in the specific embodiment of a pirated audio cassette wrapped in an awkward photocopy of the original checkered cover, it is as much a symbol of the era as The Prodigy album with a rabid crab or the Mumiy Troll video where Lagutenko portrays a hairdresser. School discos, where the white dance is the worst; tape recorders that chew music; Swedish rock-pop, in which guitar solos were combined with shameless pubertal melodicism; house parties that ended up turning off the lights and slow dancing to the Scorpions and just the title track of this record, “Crash! Boom! Bang!”, which then seemed infinitely poignant – and it still seems so.

June 26, 2010, 00:15

Pleasant, having its own special recognizable style. Sweden has given the world a lot of really good bands. Although mostly pop bands, they are one of those who do not cause disgust, because they do not pound on the head with repeated two notes and three words, to match modern music ... Swedish vocal and instrumental ensemble ABBA (ABBA) was one of the most successful bands in the history of pop music and the most popular group created in Scandinavia. The ensemble was created in 1972 and named after the first letters of the names of the performers. The quartet consisted of Agnetha Fältskog (vocals), Bjorn Ulvaeus (vocals, guitar), Benny Andersson (keyboards, vocals) and Anni-Frid Lingstad (vocals).
The first success in their homeland came to them in 1972 after recording the song "People Need Love" (People Need Love). In June 1972, the song was released as a single and this became the band's "point of reference". In March 1973, the first long-playing album appeared called “Call me, call” (Ring Ring). The song of the same name hit the top of the Swedish hit parade. The beginning of the international take-off of the quartet is considered to be the victory at the Eurovision Song Contest in England in April 1974 with the song "Waterloo" (Waterloo). Since the release of "S.O.S." in 1975, the band's melodies have occupied the top lines of the English hit parade. They became the first in Europe to hit number one on the charts in all English-speaking countries (United States, England, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand). We can say that the 1970s were the time of ABBA. Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Stockholm in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest and guitarist John Norum. Although many refer to the group as glam metal, their style combines elements of hard rock and heavy metal. Europe gained worldwide fame in the 80s. XX century, after the release of their third album The Final Countdown (1986), which became a huge commercial success, selling over three million copies in the US alone. From 1986 to 1992 the band sold over 20 million albums worldwide and thus ranked 4th on the list of the most successful projects from Sweden. Whether you like rock or not, you still know ROXETTE. It is impossible not to know this group, at least that's what its fans say, and there are many of them all over the world. ROXETTE's music is varied. Here and lyrics, and incendiary rhythm, philosophical and cheerful texts. As for the direction in music, the work of this group is classified as pop-rock, although there are often compositions in the style of country music and blues. For some, this music is pop. For someone - real rock. Opinions differ, but one thing can be unequivocally stated: this is good music, this beautiful songs, this is true professionalism in execution. Ace of Base The founders of the group are Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg, the musicians experimented in the techno style. Initially, the band was called Kalinin Prospect (“Kalinin Avenue”), CAD (Computer-Aided Disco), then Tech-Noir, but in the end it was renamed Ace of Base (there is a play on words in the name, so there are several translation options, for example, “ace of trumps.” But as Ulf explained, the chosen phrase itself sounds good, and the first studio of the group was in the basement of a car service, hence the translation “aces of the studio”). The sisters of Jonas Berggren, Jenny and Lynn, were involved in the Ace of Base project, who studied music and sang in the local church choir. Thus, the contours of the group were drawn, which became the four. The first song recorded by Ace of Base was the single "Wheel of Fortune". But the song did not create enough excitement in Sweden, as the Swedes themselves considered this song too naive, predictable and uninteresting. But the group was not going to despair and began to look for a record company that would undertake to publish their compositions. And in March 1992, the Danish label Mega Records drew attention to them. In the same year, the song "Wheel of Fortune" was re-released for the third time, which managed to reach number two on the Danish charts. Encouraged by the first success of their song, Ace of Base set about creating their first album. At this time, the demo recording of their song "All That She Wants" drew the attention of Denniz Pop, who was known for writing songs for Dr. Alban. The song "All That She Wants" instantly became famous and took first place in the charts in 17 countries, until the album "Happy Nation" appeared on the horizon. Two songs from this album - "The Sign" and "Don't Turn Around" suddenly became popular not only in Europe, but also in Russia and Asia. E type, real name Boo Martin Erik Eriksson. His musical career started quite early, but only in 1991, after meeting with Strakka Bo, did he get his first popularity. The three singles he released brought him to one of the most famous Swedish TV stations, but the next solo single "I" m falling "(1993) again did not have much success. The real success came a year later, when such famous Swedish produced by Denniz Pop, Max Martin and Amadin.In the summer of 1994, their first joint work was released - the composition "Set the world on fire", which soared in the Swedish charts (#1 on the dance chart and #2 on the sales chart) and soon went gold. And the next single "This is the way" was #1 on the sales chart. In November 1994, the self-titled debut album was released. , which became No. 2 in Sweden.In addition to the two already mentioned songs, the composition "Russian lullaby" and the ballad "Do you always (have to be alone)" were also released as separate singles from this album. Scandinavian female vocalists as Therese Lof ( former member"pop" bands "One More Time") and Linda Andersson, backing vocals were provided by Martina Edoff and Anni Krats-Gutto. Army of Lovers Collective was founded in 1987. Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda and La Camilla can rightfully be considered the creators of the team. After releasing several maxi-singles in the late eighties with songs that were originally arranged, light-sounding disco, Army of Lovers recorded their super-successful, later cult-favorite, debut album "Disco Extravaganza", which included such classic hits of the group as Ride The Bullet and My Army of Lovers. The innovative sound of the album and the unforgettable, playful, bright video clips made the entire music industry talk about the band. The band's second album "Masssive Luxury Overdose" was released in 1991 and became even more successful. The first single - Crucified soared to the top of the charts in 13 countries around the world and stayed at number one on the US Hi-Energy Dance Chart for 6 months. For the next, no less successful single - Obsession, an unusual video clip was shot, which received a huge number of all kinds of awards. This song has become the most favorite among Army of Lovers fans.
Vacuum, a Swedish 1980s symphonic synth-pop/symphonic rock/synth-pop band. and dance music of the 1990s. Formed in 1996. The idea of ​​creating VACUUM belongs to the ex-member of the popular pop trio ARMY OF LOVERS Alexander Bard, who, after light dance pop, decided to form a more serious group. In addition to Bard (bass player and producer), the group included Mattias Lindblom, ex-member of the little-known band CEYCAMORE LEAVES (vocals) and Marina Shipchenko (keyboards). Lindblom's juicy baritone and his Viking appearance, combined with symphonic arrangements and lyrics about distant planets, space, religion, did not go unnoticed, and the group quickly gained popularity, occupying first positions in the charts European countries(Sweden, Italy, Greece) and especially the countries of the former CIS (Russia, Estonia, Ukraine). In 1998, in Russia, where the group performs quite often, about 2 million copies of VACUUM albums were sold, with the bulk of them being pirated products. In the future, the group began to gravitate more towards pop style and dance music, moving away from the symphonic sound. When recording the second album, Seance At The Chaebol, synthesizers were used instead of a symphony orchestra. The third album, Culture Of Night, released in 2000 under the Cheiron Studios label, contains several new tracks as well as remixes of earlier tracks. Yaki Da are a Swedish band whose biggest hit is "I Saw You Dancing". Yaki-Da formed in 1994. The band's name comes from the nightclub of the same name in Gothenburg. At first, the owners of the club had nothing against a musical group with a similar name, but later changed their minds. So the name "Yaki-Da" could only be used when the group performed in Sweden, and outside it became known as "Y-D". Their first album, containing the songs "Show Me Love" and "I Saw You Dancing", became very popular not only in Europe but also in South Korea, where it sold 400,000 copies. Their second album, A Small Step For Love, was not as successful as the first and was never released in Europe. The song "Show Me Love", written by Jonas Berggren for the album Pride, was re-recorded and covered by Ace of Base in 2002. The song was included in the album "Da Capo". Bosson, real name Steffan Olson, was born on February 21 in a small quiet town near Gothenburg. Steffan claims that he fell ill with music at the age of 6, when he first performed Christmas verses in public. Like many teenagers in the early 90s, he was a fan of Boys II Men, Jodeci, Babyface. Bosson's first band was called "Elevate", they quickly gained popularity and won the right to record at Jam Lab Studios at a local music competition. The guys recorded 3 singles and went on tour in Europe. But Steffan really wanted to make a solo career and persuaded him to record his song "Baby don't cry". This track was liked by the MNW brand, which released it into rotation in the fall of 1997. The song topped the dance charts in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe, and was also the title track of his first album, The Right Time. Steffan took on the pseudonym Bosson. It means "son of Bo". The artist's father's name is Bo. According to the artist himself, such names are quite common in Sweden. For example, Anderson or Hudson. In general, in Sweden it is very popular when names end in son. Bosson developed his skills as a composer, poet, programmer and vocalist by recording at home in Gothenburg, a large city in southwestern Sweden. But as soon as it was time to seriously work on the American debut album, Steffan settled in Los Angeles. At the end of 1999, Steffan began work on a new album in the euro-dance style. In 2000, he goes on an extended US tour with Britney Spears. He performed with Lenny Kravitz, Jessica Simpson, N`Sync, Westlife. Records the track "Never, Never, Never" with the great guitarist Al Di Meola. In 2001, the album "One in a million" was released, named after the title song, which was chosen as the lead musical theme to the film "Miss Congeniality" with the participation of Sandra Bullock. She personally invited Steffan to the recording. As a result, the song hit the top 10 of the European charts and was nominated for a Golden Globe.

If you're wondering why Sweden has so many talented musicians and long-running hits, let's start at the beginning and take a look at Swedish kids. A taste for music is instilled in them almost from birth.
Anders Nunstedt, music journalist and editor of the newspaper Expressen, sees the children's music schools as the main reason for the success. In the 70s, 80s and to this day, education in them was not compulsory - but extremely popular. “Over the past decades,” says Nunstedt, “the breakthrough made by artists of the ABBA level has become an example for young Swedish bands who believe in themselves and in the fact that little Sweden can have a huge impact on world show business” .
Everything is fair. Free instruments and places in the classrooms for children are guaranteed by music schools. In turn, schools are guaranteed a comfortable existence by local authorities. A Swedish child can try many instruments until he hits the strings that awaken his musical talent.
Europe drummer Jan Hoogland, who spent two years in music school as a child, recalls: “I sat down at the drum set at thirteen, hearing the drum solo for the first time by Cozy Powell, who became my idol. This wild power covered me, all I could say to myself then: “Wow!” In addition to drums, I can play guitar and keyboards, but it's not as punchy."

2. And, of course, it's better to sing along

Many of those Swedes who are not deprived of musical ear and voice (and most of them) perform in amateur choirs. According to the Swedish Choral Union, in a small country 600,000 choristers sing in 500 choirs. There are no more singing ensembles per capita in any country in the world! The choral tradition of Sweden goes back to its song folklore. It can be heard everywhere today - for example, on Midsommar, the holiday of the summer solstice, or on the eve of Christmas.

3. Rock fans in power

In 1997, the Swedish government established its own Music Export Prize, which is awarded to those citizens of the Kingdom who have achieved particular success in the global music market. Previous winners have included Swedish House Mafia, singer Robin, music producer Max Martin, members of ABBA, The Hives, The Cardigans and Roxette.
Daniel Johansson, music industry researcher at Linnaeus University and founder of TrendMaze, explains: “Sweden's well-functioning social system allows anyone in the country to play music regardless of their income. For Swedish musical miracle hides nothing less than the public welfare of the country. Hence the support for artists by the Swedish government, for example, through the National Council for Culture.”
Each year, the Council awards one billion SEK (116 million euros) in grants to the best young artists. “Most of the established songwriters and producers got the opportunity to master this activity thanks to the support of society,” says Daniel Johansson. - If they had to combine music lessons with a five-day working week they wouldn't have been as successful."
Another interesting initiative is the Nordic Playlist project, an online platform created by the Nordic states to distribute the latest Scandinavian music around the world.

4. Swedes behind the scenes

You might be surprised to learn how many tunes that made their way to the top of the pop charts hide the work of Swedish composers. For example, musician Max Martin, who wrote hits for Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Pink and Usher, as well as for the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. Or - songwriter Johan "Shellback" Schuster. His track record includes collaboration with Maroon 5, as well as first place on the Billboard chart, in the nomination "Best Producer". Finally, the third (but by no means the last) example is the Swedish producer RedOne, aka Nadir Hayat, who wrote for Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, rapper Pitbull and boy band One Direction.
“Many of the songs that rocked all over the planet in the 90s and 2000s were born through the efforts of world pop stars and Swedish producers within the walls of the famous Cheiron Studios in Stockholm,” says Anders Nunstedt, “Artists such as the Backstreet Boys or Britney Spears came to Cheiron Studios light and left with hits guaranteed to top the Billboard charts.”
The legendary studio was originally called SweMix. In 1986, it was founded by producer Denniz Pop - it was he who wrote the hit "Everybody", the main one in the discography of the Backstreet Boys. Already in the 90s, when the international record label BMG bought the studio, leading Swedish producers and DJs were called to work at Cheiron Studios, polishing arrangements for the main songs of the era in it. Denniz Pop passed away suddenly in 1998 and the studio had to close its doors. However, natives of Cherion Studios - Max Martin and other producers - these days are only expanding the production of hits for export.
The Swedish show industry also boasts some of the best clip makers. Johan Renk came up with the video sequence for the songs of Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Madonna. Director Jonas Åkerlund has revolutionized music videos by creating video masterpieces for Lady Gaga, Moby, Christina Aguilera, Pink and U2.

Swedish groups:

Top five sales records (including both albums and singles):

1. ABBA - over 300 million
2. Roxette - over 70 million
3. Ace of Base - 50 million
4. Europe - more than 20 million
5. The Cardigans - over 15 million

... and a fly in the ointment
Written by Europe hit "The Final Countdown" recently ranked number two on Rolling Stone readers' list of the worst songs of the 80s. The Swedes, however, are not offended: any mention leads to a reprint.

5. Independence in fashion

In Sweden, many artists want to be their own boss, from songwriting to launching record labels and promotional campaigns. Singer Robin, this approach, of course, helped break out into pop stars. Among Swedish artists, she is far from the only one who proves by her example that one on the musical field is also a warrior. Konichiwa Records, founded by her in 2005, provides the rear for the singer in everything: in studio work, PR and, of course, in the creative process. Robin recalls her previous collaborations with major record labels without nostalgia: “At some point, I realized that enough was enough for me - I have to build my own musical career, make decisions and perform those songs that I like.” As a result, she is not dominated by producer dictates, and Robin's style and sound cannot be confused with anything.
The number of such indie labels in Sweden is constantly growing. Rapper Rebstar owns Today is Vintage Records. Electronic duo The Knife formed Rabid Records. And thirteen independent Swedish artists and musicians, including Lykke Lee and the band Peter Bjorn & John, have come together to form the INGRID community.

"Icona pop" is another Swedish pop group that climbed into the top ten of the American Billboard chart. Their single "I love it" took over young minds and at number seven on the Hot 100 chart. The peppy song was also loved in the USA, where it was performed in one of the episodes of the popular TV series Girls.

6. Internet pioneers

Many Swedish artists personally track their music sales online. The online music platform SoundCloud allows the artists themselves to record and distribute new tracks online. Among the active users of the site, along with twenty million music lovers and professional musicians, is the Swedish singer Lykke Li, whose songs can be heard there.
DJ Tim Bergling (1989-2018), who became known worldwide as Avicii, launched his Internet venture X You, which claims to be the largest online studio on the planet. Thanks to X You, 4199 musicians from 140 countries have already released 12,951 ready-made melodies, samples, sound effects, drum and bass parts.
Finally, it was in Sweden that they came up with the Spotify music service platform. Created in 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorenzon, the idea behind this startup was to enable Internet users to listen to and share millions of songs by bringing together common network their computers and smartphones. Many Swedish artists also have accounts on Spotify. In 2016, the social network Facebook was also integrated with the popular music service. From now on, you can get acquainted with new songs through the friend tape.

Swedish DJs

In 2011 Swedish House Mafia was the first Swedish band to play at New York's legendary Madison Square Garden. All tickets were sold out in nine minutes!

In 2012, Swede Avicii became the first electronic musician to perform at Radio City Music Hall, one of the most prestigious concert halls New York.

In DJ Magazine's Top-100 DJ Poll chart, three Swedish projects made it to the top twenty at once: Avici (3rd place), Swedish House Mafia (12th place) and DJ Alesso.

7. Heroes of Eurovision

Annual musical competition Melodifestivalen has been Sweden's most watched TV show for decades. For a couple of cherished hours, postponing any business, four out of ten million Swedes gather at the screens. Any of them: from schoolchildren to pensioners - this evening discovers in themselves music critic personally choosing the best contestants. The Melodifestivalen winner represents the country already at Eurovision, the highest rated TV show in the world.
Sweden has won the Eurovision Song Contest six times. The last of the triumphs in 2015 at the competition in Vienna was won by Mons Selmerlev. In the unspoken list of musical powers of the Old World, Sweden confidently ranks second after Ireland, which has seven victories in Eurovision.
The song contest finally turned into a national sport for the whole country in 1974, when the Swedes ABBA won the Eurovision for the first time with their, perhaps, the main hit “Waterloo”. In 2013, the circle closed: ABBA members Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and the Swedish musical prodigy Avici composed the official anthem "We Write History" for Eurovision. This story, apparently, will not be completed for a long time to the end.

Swedish Eurovision winners
2015, Vienna - Mons Selmerlöw "Heroes"
2012, Baku - Loreen "Euphoria"
1999, Jerusalem - Charlotte Perelli "Take Me to Your Heaven"
1991, Rome - Carola "Fångad av en stormvind"
1984, Luxembourg - Herrey's "Diggi-loo Diggy-ley"
1974, Brighton - ABBA "Waterloo"

8. ABBA effect

The legacy and importance of ABBA for today's Sweden cannot be overestimated. Their sound, achievements and discoveries have become a kind of relay baton for generations of Swedish musicians. Or a magic wand - to create more and more hits. “Sweden has a rich tradition of folk music,” says Jan Hoogland, “but many artists are increasingly drawing inspiration from previous generations. Just as the rock band Spotnicks, popular in the 60s, already influenced the work of ABBA in the 70s, ABBA also influenced Roxette and many, many others in the 80s.
And in the same way, following ABBA - at one time the main group of the planet after The Beatles - Roxette, Europe and Nene Cherry achieved their fame in the 80s and 90s. Their initiative was already picked up in the 90s by Eagle-Eye Cherry, Ace of Base and The Cardigans. And the latter, with dashing songs, threw a bridge already in the 2000s - to the constellations of rock musicians new wave like The Hives, Peter Bjorn & John and Jens Lekman. Today, whatever genre you take, the Swedes will also dominate the charts - for example, the performers Lykke Li, Avici or Robin.
Today, everyone can try to unravel the secret of ABBA's success - in the museum of the legendary band, located on the Stockholm island of Djurgården. The famous four refused to open the pantheon exclusively in their honor. For greater modesty, the Swedish Music Hall of Fame was created within the same walls.

* According to research by Joel Waldfogel and Fernando Ferreira of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Sweden is the number one exporter of pop music in the world in terms of GDP. It is followed by Canada, Finland, Great Britain, New Zealand and the USA (according to data for 1960-2007).

Sasha Romanova, editor-in-chief of kyky, promised not to write about Eurovision at an open meeting. we keep our word, especially since the final of the competition was not particularly interesting, and the victory of the Swede Mons Selmerlöv was long ago predicted by bookmakers. swedish music beautiful even without any Eurovision, which we invite you to see immediately.

Ace of Base

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These simple guys and girls from Gothenburg have sold 30 million copies of their albums worldwide. How many pirated records in the 1990s were distributed throughout the expanses of the former USSR - no one will ever count, but at least - the same number. Under "All What She Wants" with a pensive look, they moved the body in discos, under "Happy Nation" they shed a lone tear. And these, by the way, are songs from the debut album of the Swedes! Ace of Base is practically a family business: the band was created by Ulf Ekberg and Jonas Berggren, who invited his sisters Lynn and Jenny to join the band. It was the girls who became the weak links: first one left, then the second. But "Buddha" and "Joker" do not lose heart: they took two new vocalists to help themselves and are still performing.

Opeth

Since 1995, when Opeth released their debut album, they have been one of the most inventive bands in metal music. The Swedes took everything that was best invented in death, black and doom metal, mixed it in precise proportions, embellished it with complex structures, beautiful melodies and strong lyrics. In the last decade, Opeth's music has become softer (it seems that sooner or later this happens to all metalheads), but has not become either simpler or more boring. And most importantly, it has not lost its atmosphere: the current Dream Theater, in comparison with Opeth, seems like soulless techies.

Army of Lovers

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Clowning and shocking, conflicts with the authorities and clips banned on MTV. Musical God measured Army of Lovers only eight years, during which they managed to thunder all over the world. And all because they were serious people, although they did dance music. Songs in English, French and Hebrew, biblical motifs mixed with erotica - it was not so easy to come up with all this. But Alexander Bard succeeded. After the dissolution of the group, the brain of Army of Lovers wrote books, conducted sociological research, and studied the Barodian song in the Vacuum group. AoL's calling card was "Sexual Revolution", but other hits are not forgotten. For example, "Crucified" and "Israelism" sound in the program "What? Where? When?". Here it is, the recognition of brain merit!

The Hives

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The Swedish quintet has existed since 1989, but only became popular in the 2000s, in the wake of the garage rock and roll craze. The Hives play real rock and roll - crazy, stylish and arrogant. Their first international compilation was called "Your New Favorite Band" and damn it! - the name justified itself. Among other things, The Hives is one of the best concert bands on the planet: each of their concerts is like theatrical performance, during which the group plays with the viewer, disturbs him and even puts him in awkward positions. An invariable concert trick of the Swedes is to instantly stop in the middle of a song and freeze in complete silence in ridiculous poses for a few minutes.

Esbjorn Svensson Trio

Piano jazz trio equally inspired by classical Hungarian composer Béla Bartók and Radiohead. EST's music is modern, but not abstruse or complex (unlike the vast majority contemporary jazz), so the trio's work is quite suitable for beginners who want to start their own journey through the endless world of jazz. Esbjörn Svensson Trio were welcome guests at the largest jazz festivals, because they always played with a return, with a pull, were live, real; they received awards in packs, their music over the years became more and more mature and more beautiful, and sales - more and more voluminous. Alas, in 2008 this beautiful story was cut short: the pianist Esbjørn Svensson died while deep-sea diving.

Cardigans

In terms of difficulty in pronunciation, the name of the city of Jönköping can compete with Icelandic volcanoes. Honestly, we don’t know anything about this city, except that in 1992 people with similar typically Swedish surnames - Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson - created Cardigans there. Two years later, the group is already on tour in Europe, after four they record a platinum album, and after six they present their main hits - “Erase And Rewind” and “My Favorite Game”. By the way, the Cardigans are the only ones from our list who reached Belarus with the same squad that achieved fame - back in the summer of 2006, at the Estrella Star Show at the Minsk-1 airport.

Roxette

Friends advised Marie Fredriksson not to sing with Per Gessle - this, they say, would harm her solo career. Good thing she didn't listen to them! The duo quickly became popular in Sweden, but from the very beginning they wanted to conquer the world. Randomness helped. American student, who was in Sweden on an exchange, brought the Roxette disc to the radio in his native Minneapolis. Listeners all the time asked to repeat the song "The Look", it soon spread throughout the country, and then - lo and behold! Became #1 in the US. Now the Swedish papers are calling Per the King of Pop, and the Roxette members are still in uniform: releasing solo albums and no, no - yes, and they will gather a full house at Wembley Stadium.

Katatonia

At the dawn of the 90s, the Swedes, along with three bands from England (Anathema, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride), stood at the origins of death / doom-metal - a style of slow and terribly depressing heavy music, from which gothic-metal later "hatched". Katatonia broke up three years after its creation, but in 1996 returned with the most powerful disc "Brave Murder Day" - and no longer disappeared from the radar. Over time, growling vocals were replaced by melodic ones, the music became lighter and softer, but the depressive mood was preserved in full: even emo crybabies in the second half of the 2000s looked quite cheerful compared to Katatonia.

The Knife

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Subtle pop music with synths from the 80s and the sexy vocals of the Swedish diva Karin Dreyer Andersson. Over the 15 years of its existence, The Knife duet has collected almost all the Swedish music awards - but the band members themselves did not care about this, and they did not appear at the award ceremony. The music of The Knife is Scandinavian frostbitten, and this is its special beauty. Last year, the duo announced the breakup, but Karin will certainly continue her solo career: her debut album under the pseudonym Fever Ray became no less successful than The Knife's records.

ABBA

Where would it be without them. ABBA is the main Swedish band of all time, and the song Waterloo - what can you do - the winner of Eurovision back in 1974. Forty years have passed, the world has changed beyond recognition, but people need the joy, lightness, naivety and carelessness of ABBA just as they did then. As always. And even sadness in the songs of the Swedish quartet is light, like nowhere else. In a word, an endless holiday, supported by an impressive figure of 350 million albums sold. By the mid-1980s, the members of ABBA were falling out. And they appeared together only at the premiere of the film dedicated to them "Mamma Mia" in 2008. When you are in Stockholm, be sure to visit the ABBA Museum. Just do not forget to sign up on the site beforehand, otherwise they will not be allowed inside.

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Sweden won its place in the world musical hierarchy back in the seventies, when the legendary Swedish quartet ABBA thundered all over the world, captivating people on both sides of the ocean with their creativity. Since then, the country has tried not to drop that bar in the list of the best musical groups, and has constantly pleased us with more and more new stars.

Features of Swedish music

When you listen to the music of Sweden for the first time, you get the impression that you hear the sounds of your soul, as if someone invisible had just overheard it and quickly recorded it. This is precisely the peculiarity of the musical performance of Swedish performers - listening to them, it seems that you are listening to yourself.
And with the advent of the 90s, the Swedes not only did not give up their positions won by the legendary quartet, but were able to achieve even greater popularity. On billboard lists, Swedish bands from the 1990s consistently topped the charts. So, according to extras, just at that time, royalties to Swedish artists for copyrights to their songs were almost three times higher than those of English and American performers considered leaders in world pop music. And in the top ten greatest hits it was not uncommon to see a good half of the Swedish bands.
When a survey was conducted among fans of the work of popular Swedish artists in order to find out what, in their opinion, is the reason for such an amazing popularity of the hits of these artists, no one could give an intelligible explanation for this phenomenon. But many have made the assumption that everything is due to the fact that this country has a harsh climate, and the Swedes spend a lot of time at home.

Why are Swedish bands so popular?

Of course, this is a very naive assumption. But Swedish researcher Ole Johansonn managed to come up with his own theory, pointing to the reasons for such popularity of Swedish pop music.

1. Swedes love role models. And the main such example was the ABBA group, which was able to find what makes people fall in love with their music. This is a light melody, pleasant voices that dominate the music, simple children's rhymes that are easy to remember, frequently repeated key phrases of the song.
2. The Swedes did not follow the principle of other countries and invite foreign musicians, composers, and arrangers to work. They decided to grow the best specialists in their country, and this takes years. That is why after "Abba" for more than a decade, Swedish groups did not reach such heights.
3. Another reason is excellent knowledge of English. It is he who is ideal for the popularity of songs. Although, as they say, there are exceptions to every rule. For example, in the lyrics of Roxette and The Cardigans, a native speaker will easily notice many inaccuracies, but this did not make their songs less popular.
4. The Swedish government has always supported the development of show business. Most children attend music schools, studios and clubs, which are subsidized by the country's budget.

Popular Swedish bands from the 90s

The 90s were a high point for the Swedish pop scene. It was at this time that many groups appeared that were able to achieve huge popularity all over the world, and their songs became recognizable and loved by millions.

Ace of Base

The magnificent quartet, which was created on the principle of "Abba", was able to achieve worldwide recognition from the very first album "Happy Nation", which became a bestseller in the 90s. Three songs of this album at once became indisputable hits, for a long time they took first place in the top of the best songs.
The band's first name was "Mr Ace". Still unknown, the artists sent a cassette recording of their song "All That She Wants" famous producer, and the cassette got stuck in his radio. Because of this, the producer had to listen to this record for several days, after which he became the producer of the group. Surprisingly, it was this song that helped them soar to the top of fame.

Roxette

The Swedish duo became popular back in the eighties. Once they tried to record not in their homeland, but in England, hoping for a new interesting sound, however, this experiment did not bring the results that the guys had hoped for. And the real success came to them in the early 90s, when they returned to work in Sweden again.
The name of the group Roxette came from the name of one of the songs of the group Dr Feelgood, which Per and Marie loved very much.

E type

Before the band began tearing up the dance floors of the world in the 1990s, Martin Erickson, the band's lead singer, had already experienced both popularity and the pain of failure. But he never gave up, and once infected with dance rhythms, he did not stop experimenting and looking for new sounds. As a result, when he teamed up with Nana Hedin, their album brought them real fame.

Dr Alban

The black singer, whose songs were played on all dance floors and discos in the nineties, never imagined what would become famous artist. His dream since childhood was the profession of a doctor. That is why he even calls himself a doctor on stage.
He did not have enough money when he was studying to be a dentist, so Alban worked as a DJ in his spare time. He did not leave his passion when he became a doctor, then he was noticed by a Swedish producer. The very first album of the singer was sold in a million copies, which determined his entire future fate.

The Cardigans

The group worked in different styles of rock and indie pop. They were constantly looking for something new, it seemed that the musicians never repeat themselves. But this is what constantly attracted more and more new fans to them.

Vacuum

The band members not only performed songs of their own composition, but also wrote music for many famous artists. They have their own studio where they worked. The band's original name was Vacuum Cleaner, but they later decided to shorten the name to Vacuum because they thought it sounded better that way.

Army of Lovers

The group was known for their revealing costumes and controversial music videos. Some clips were banned from being shown on TV. If the first album was gradually released in different countries, the second one turned out to be a real breakthrough in the work of Army of Lovers. Three songs at once "Crucified", "Obsession" and "Ride The Bullet" became real hits and brought great popularity to the artists.

Yaki Da

A duet in which two girls with beautiful voices sang, unfortunately, many call a group of one song, but this is not so. "I saw you dancing" made the duet really popular. But the second album was no longer such a success and was released in a very small circulation. It is believed that the name of the group comes from the toast, which was raised by the ancient Gauls, and meant "for health".

Midi Maxi & Efti

This was probably the most popular group in the entire former Soviet Union. Among the youth of that time there were no those who would not listen to the cassettes with their songs to the holes. And it is impossible to find a person who still does not remember their famous song "Bad Bad Boys".

Basic Element

Initially, the project was conceived as a quartet, but even before the release of the first album, one of the girls left the group. So a trio was formed, which became popular even before the release of the first album, thanks to the released singles. When the album was released, it turned out that the Basic Element group had already firmly secured the status of one of the best Eurodance groups.

As you can see, the popular music of the 90s is closely related to the work of many Swedish bands. Some of them then ended their existence, others continue to delight us with their creativity today. But each of them left a bright mark on the musical life of those years.

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