Per Magnusson (born 30 May 1969) is a
Swedish music producer
A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
and
songwriter
A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
. His musical career took off in 1994 as one of the original team members of the now-legendary
Cheiron Productions, meeting great international success working with
Boyzone
Boyzone were an Irish boy band created in 1993 by the talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's ''The Late Late Show (Ireland), The Late Late Show''. Its most successful line-up was co ...
,
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
,
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...
and the
Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...
.
Shortly after Cheiron decided to shut down its studios in 2000, Per together with
David Kreuger
David Kreuger is a Swedish songwriter and music producer.
Career
David Kreuger began at Cheiron Studios in the spring of 1993. During the period 1993-1997, he worked with Per Magnusson on several projects. Together, they produced and wrote s ...
formed
A Side Productions, having continued to produce and write songs for major artists such as
Il Divo,
Céline Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...
,
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...
,
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English singer and actor. He rose to fame as the winner of the second series of ''The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's My Goal", was released in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2005 a ...
and
Paul Potts.
To date the duo has co-written and / or produced six
UK No. 1 singles:
*"
If I Let You Go" (
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...
)
*"
Fool Again" (
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...
)
*"
My Love" (
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...
)
*"
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
" (
Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...
)
*"
Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake)" (
Gareth Gates)
*"
That's My Goal
"That's My Goal" is the debut single by British singer Shayne Ward, the winner of the second series of ''The X Factor''. It was released as his winner's single on 21 December 2005. Ward was the first ''X Factor'' winner to release an origina ...
" (
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English singer and actor. He rose to fame as the winner of the second series of ''The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's My Goal", was released in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2005 a ...
)
In April 2008
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model, and activist. Born and raised in Islington, Inner London, she later attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieve ...
became the first British female ever to open at No 1 on the
''Billboard'' 200.
Her debut album ''
Spirit'' includes the song "
Footprints in the Sand", co-written by Magnusson and Kreuger.
Musical career
The early years
Per Magnusson was born and raised in
Tyresö on the outskirts of
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
. His interest in music was developed already while attending primary school, picking up the cello as his main instrument playing it for the next ten years.
Over time, his commitment in pop & rock music became more and more predominantly. As a teenager, Per played both the guitar and keyboards in different local bands, but eventually decided to focus on producing, arranging and writing music.
His first significant record appearance came in 1994 on the Swedish artist
Jennifer Brown's album ''Giving You the Best''. Besides taking part as a musician, Per produced the song "Take a Piece of My Heart" which also was released as a single.
About that time, Per coincidentally met with
David Kreuger
David Kreuger is a Swedish songwriter and music producer.
Career
David Kreuger began at Cheiron Studios in the spring of 1993. During the period 1993-1997, he worked with Per Magnusson on several projects. Together, they produced and wrote s ...
whom worked on the DJ scene in Stockholm. They started collaborating and have continued producing and writing songs as a team ever since.
Denniz PoP & Cheiron Studios
Denniz PoP
Dag Krister Volle (26 April 1963 – 30 August 1998), better known as Denniz Pop (stylized ''Denniz PoP''), was a Swedish DJ, music producer, and songwriter. He was a member of the DJ collective SweMix and later co-founded the recording studio ...
had by the early '90s become one of the most skillful and coveted DJs in the clubs of Stockholm. In 1993 he decided to start working with artists and founded Cheiron Productions together with Tom Talomaa. Its studios were located at Fridhemsplan in Stockholm, soon evolving into a great success.
After playing one of their songs for PoP, Per and David were invited aboard as songwriters and producers. Successfully working with a wide range of artists for the next couple of years, the tandem's greatest prosperity that far came in 1998, co-writing and producing the song "Will Be Yours" for
Boyzone
Boyzone were an Irish boy band created in 1993 by the talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's ''The Late Late Show (Ireland), The Late Late Show''. Its most successful line-up was co ...
's third consecutive UK No 1 album ''
Where We Belong''.
By now Cheiron studios was one of the hottest in the world, each team member working with a different artist. But in August 1998 Cheiron shocked the music world sending out a press release that its leader Denniz PoP had died. He was only 35 years old.
On top of the US charts with Britney
Just a couple of months earlier, Cheiron had started working on songs for the 16-year-old
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
' debut album. Per and David produced Spear's second single "
Sometimes" as well as her third, "
(You Drive Me) Crazy", which they co-wrote with
and
Jörgen Elofsson. Both singles became huge worldwide hits. The album ''
...Baby One More Time'' was released in the US in January 1999 and debuted at No 1 on the Billboard 200 where it spent six weeks straight.
Together, Per and David also worked with Britney on her second album ''
Oops!…I Did It Again'', co-writing and co-producing "What U See (Is What U Get)" and producing "Girl in the Mirror". The album came out in the US in May 2000 and equally as the first, it shot to No 1.
First UK No 1s
Per and David's success on the
UK Singles Chart soon followed.
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...
had approached Cheiron for material to their upcoming self-titled debut ''
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
'' and the duo co-wrote three songs which they also produced. "
If I Let You Go" was released in August 1999 as Westlife's ever second single. It went straight to No 1
becoming Per and David's first top position in the UK. "
Fool Again", which came out in March 2000 as the fifth single taken from the same album, became the duo's second
in less than seven months.
By the end of that same year, Westlife issued their follow-up album ''
Coast to Coast''. Five songs co-written and / or produced by the tandem had found their way onto the record. "
My Love" hit the UK record stores in October as the album's first single. It entered the charts at No 1.
The close collaboration between Westlife and Per and David has continued ever since.
The
Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...
had in 1999 broken nearly every record in the book with their album ''
Millennium
A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
''. In 2000 the group turned to Per and David for help on their next, titled ''
Black & Blue'', which was released in November. Including the tandem's productions of "It's True" and "The Answer to Our Life", the record became another huge international success selling more than 12 million copies.
These recordings turned out to be some of Cheiron's last before closing up. By the end of 2000, at the top of the industry, the studio's songwriters and producers decided to go separate ways.
A Side Productions is formed
Shortly after the shutdown of Cheiron Studios, Per and David formed
A Side Productions, their own production company. Located in the center of Stockholm, the duo soon embarked on several major projects including working on Westlife's third album ''
World of Our Own
''World of Our Own'' is the third studio album recorded by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released through RCA Records on 12 November 2001. It reached number one in the United Kingdom and includes the singles " Queen of My Heart" (which was a ...
''. Together they co-wrote and produced four songs which all appear on the album. One of the songs was "
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
", that soon was about to enter
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
. Released in the UK in November 2001, the album instantly shot to No 1.
In February 2002
Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...
became the first winner of
Pop Idol
''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...
,
a new British reality talent show that was followed by spin offs all around the world, in the US named
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
. Will Young's debut single was the double A-side "Anything is Possible" / "
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
", released in the UK on 25 February. The single instantaneously made it into the history books by becoming the
Fastest Selling Debut Single for the First Day
as well as
First Week.
Co-written and co-produced by Per and David, "Evergreen" spent three consecutive weeks atop of the
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
.
More amazingly, in 2009 the single still holds the No 11th position on the UK Top 100 List of Best Selling Singles of all time.
Pop Idol runner-up that season was
Gareth Gates and just like Will Young he recorded "Evergreen", which was included on his first single. Released in March, Gareth Gates knocked his rival off the No 1 spot, subsequently holding his position for four weeks straight.
Gareth Gates' second success on the charts came only four months later, on 14 July, with his follow-up "
Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake)".
The song, also co-written and produced by Per and David, spent three weeks at No 1. This was the duo's 5th top position in the UK.
Il Divo brings opera to the pop charts
Already in 2001
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...
had come up with a new concept featuring four male singers interpreting romantic songs opera-style. Two years later, after numerous auditions across the globe,
Il Divo was formed. The quartet's self-titled debut
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
was scheduled for release in the fall of 2004 and one of its first destinations was A Side Productions' studios for recordings. Including the productions of
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone ( , ; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, Orchestration, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 film score, scores for cinema and televisi ...
's "
Nella Fantasia" and "Ti Amerò", which Per and David also had co-written exclusively for the group, the album ''
Il Divo'' was released in the UK on 6 November. It instantly went to No 1
and remained in the Top 5 throughout the year. In the US the album was issued on April 19, 2005, rushing straight to No 4 on the Billboard 200.
Only months later, Il Divo had reached No 1 in 12 countries, Top 5 in another 25
and sold more than 4 million copies.
In 2005
Céline Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...
started working on a new album, her first French compilation titled ''
On Ne Changes Pas'', including three new songs. Per and David co-wrote and produced "
I Believe in You", a duet with Il Divo. Dion's album was released on 3 October and reached No 1 in Quebec, Belgium and France where it held the position for seven weeks straight subsequently spending an entire year on the chart.
Per and David's duet "I Believe in You" was also included on Il Divo's follow-up album ''
Ancora''. Along with three more songs produced by the tandem, the quartet's record was released on 7 November 2005. It hit No 1 in the UK and Australia within one week. Released in the US on January 24, 2006,
''Ancora'' entered the Billboard 200 at No 1 after selling more than 150,000 copies in its first week. Il Divo's third album, ''
Siempre'', also including four songs co-written and / or produced by Per and David, was released by the end of November 2006. Across their first three albums, Il Divo achieved 36 No 1's, selling more than 22 million records worldwide.
The X Factor & Britain's Got Talent
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
was devised in 2004 as a replacement for the massively successful Pop Idol, which in the UK had been put on indefinite hold. In the second season finale, aired on 17 December, 2005,
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English singer and actor. He rose to fame as the winner of the second series of ''The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's My Goal", was released in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2005 a ...
was crowned winner after performing the newly written song "
That's My Goal
"That's My Goal" is the debut single by British singer Shayne Ward, the winner of the second series of ''The X Factor''. It was released as his winner's single on 21 December 2005. Ward was the first ''X Factor'' winner to release an origina ...
". Produced by Per and David, it was released as Ward's debut single only four days later, shooting straight to No 1. By selling an astonishing 310,000 copies in the first day,
"That's My Goal" entered the Top 4 list of the Fastest Selling UK Singles of all time.
On March 4, 2007,
Paul Potts entered the stage in front of the skeptical looking jury of
Britain's Got Talent. Ninety seconds later he made
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
history with his rendition of
Puccini
Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, s ...
's "
Nessun Dorma". Potts had wowed the jury as well as the 2,000-strong audience which gave him a standing ovation. Still working as a mobile phone salesman in Wales, the unexpected tenor on June 17 won the whole show.
Going straight into the music studios recording songs for his debut album, now with a full symphony orchestra backing him up in the world-famous
AIR Studios
Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producers George Martin, John Burgess (record producer), John Burgess, Ron Richards (producer), Ron Richards, and Peter Sullivan (rec ...
in London, Potts recorded three songs produced by Per and David, "Nessun Dorma", "
Con Te Partirò
Con or CON may refer to:
Places
* Commonwealth of Nations, or CON, an association of primarily former British colonies
* Concord Municipal Airport (IATA airport code CON), a public-use airport in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States
* ...
" and "
Nella Fantasia". The album ''
One Chance'' was released in the UK on 16 July. 2007 and with first week sales exceeding 128,000 copies Potts shot straight to No 1
outselling the rest of his Top 10 rivals combined.
The newly discovered tenor held the position for three consecutive weeks.
[ ]
Working with Katherine Jenkins and Leona Lewis
Per and David were in 2007 involved in several other projects including working with
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.[Première
A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the wikt:debut, debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. Play (theatre), play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a Performing arts#Performers, performer in that work.
History
R ...]
''.
By the end of 2005, as the first singer in musical history, Jenkins simultaneously held the number 1, 2 and 3 positions in the UK's Classical Chart with her three albums.
Her fifth album, ''
Rejoice'' including four songs produced by Per and David, was released on 19 November 2007. It entered the UK Album Chart at No 3.
In 2006, more than 100,000 hopeful "artists to be" applied to the auditions for
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
season three, the previous season won by Shayne Ward.
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model, and activist. Born and raised in Islington, Inner London, she later attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieve ...
was crowned the winner on 16 December, soon breaking sales records with her first single.
Deciding not to push the young singer's debut album release, Lewis instead went to the US to sign a lucrative record deal with
Clive Davis
Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a non-performer, in 2000.
From 1967 to 1 ...
, founder of
Arista Records
Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...
. Set for domestic release in late 2007, the album's recordings were coordinated in music studios around the US as well as in London. One of the songs was "
Footprints in the Sand", written by Per and David together with
Richard Page
Richard Lewis Page (born 22 February 1941) is a former Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979, and from 1979 to 2005.
Early life
Born the so ...
.
The album, titled ''
Spirit'', reached UK record stores on 12 November. With sales surpassing 375,000 copies in its first week of release, ''Spirit'' is the fastest selling British debut album of all time.
It spent seven weeks straight at No 1 on the Top 40.
Released in the US almost five months later, on April 8, 2008, ''Spirit'' instantly shot to the top spot. This resulted in Leona Lewis becoming the first British female ever to debut at No 1 on the Billboard 200.
Re-released in the UK almost exactly one year later, on 17 November, 2008, Lewis' ''Spirit'' The Deluxe Edition bounced back to the top of the charts
to give Per and David a second consecutive No. 1, as the bestseller that previous week was Il Divo's ''
The Promise''
which included the tandem's production of "L'Alba Del Mondo".
See also
The Official Website of A Side ProductionsA Side Productions on MySpace
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnusson, Per
1969 births
Living people
Swedish record producers
Swedish male musicians
People from Tyresö Municipality