Marie Fredriksson
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Gun-Marie Fredriksson (; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist and painter, who was best known internationally as the lead vocalist of
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with
Per Gessle Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was ...
. The duo achieved international success in the late 1980s and early 1990s with their albums '' Look Sharp!'' (1988) and '' Joyride'' (1991), and had multiple hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, including four number ones. Fredriksson had a successful career in her native country prior to forming Roxette. She was a member of
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
group Strul, a band which created their own music festival in 1979. Strul's dissolution led to the creation of her next project, the short-lived MaMas Barn, after which she began releasing solo work. Her first album, '' Het vind'', was issued in 1984, followed by '' Den sjunde vågen'' in 1986 and '' ... Efter stormen'' in 1987. Roxette's international breakthrough coincided with a period of inactivity for Fredriksson as a solo artist, punctuated only by the release of the non-album single " Sparvöga" in 1989. Subsequent solo albums included '' Den ständiga resan'' (1992) and '' I en tid som vår'' (1996). In 2002, after fainting at home, Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. During her rehabilitation, she continued to record music as a solo artist, resulting in '' The Change'' in 2004 and '' Min bäste vän'' in 2006, as well as the non-album single " Där du andas" in 2008—her first and only solo number one single in Sweden. She and Gessle later reunited to record more albums as Roxette, and the pair embarked on a worldwide concert tour. She also continued to record as a solo artist in her native Sweden, releasing ''
Nu! ''Nu!'' ( en, Now!) is the eighth and final studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Marie Fredriksson, released on 20 November 2013 by Parlophone in conjunction with Fredriksson's own Record label, label Amelia Music. It was her first album of ...
'' in 2013. Fredriksson died on 9 December 2019 as a result of health issues stemming from her 2002 brain tumour.


Early life

Gun-Marie Fredriksson was born on 30 May 1958 outside the small Swedish village of Össjö. She was the youngest of five children born of Charles Gösta Fredriksson (1914–1981) and Inez Dagmar Fredriksson (née Hoffert, 1922–1998). When she was four years old, her parents sold their farm and relocated to Östra Ljungby, where Gösta took a job as a postman and Inez became a factory worker. Three years later, her oldest sister Anna-Lisa was involved in a fatal traffic collision; her car was crushed by a
tanker truck Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tan ...
while she was travelling to purchase a dress for her engagement party. Marie explained: "She was 20 – and I can barely remember her today. But I remember the grief, how the family was torn apart. Completely. After that I had to fend for myself. I was only seven years old." With both parents in full-time employment but unable to afford
child care Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...
, Marie and her underage siblings would often be left unaccompanied at home while their parents worked. It was during this period, with the help of siblings and friends, that she learned how to sing, read
notation In linguistics and semiotics, a notation is a system of graphics or symbols, characters and abbreviated expressions, used (for example) in artistic and scientific disciplines to represent technical facts and quantities by convention. Therefore, ...
and play musical instruments. She also credited her pastor with encouraging her love of music, and said that she had been performing "ever since I was little and me and my sister Tina went to Sunday school. We had a wonderful pastor in Östra Ljungby. I've got really bright, lovely memories of that place, even when my big sister died. I loved all the
songs A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...
. It was such a source of freedom for me… for both of us." Her interest in music continued to grow throughout her teens, as she discovered artists such as
The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple. She enrolled in a music school in the Svalöv Municipality at the age of seventeen, where she befriended students from the theatre department by composing music for their amateur plays. Since no other vocalist in the school could emulate Fredriksson's
vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...
, she joined the
cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...
of a musical she co-wrote. This musical toured throughout Sweden, with its run culminating in a performance in Stockholm for Prime Minister Olof Palme.


Career


1978–1984: Early work

After graduating from music school in 1977, Fredriksson moved to Halmstad, where she worked in theatre before becoming involved in the local
indie music scene An independent music scene is a localized independent music-oriented (or, more specifically, indie rock/indie pop-oriented) community of bands and their audiences. Local scenes can play a key role in musical history and lead to the development of ...
. She formed
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
group Strul (
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
: Hassle) in 1978 with then-boyfriend Stefan Dernbrant—the band consisted of an extensive and fractious lineup of musicians, the majority of whom would leave after a single performance. Strul established their own independent music festival in 1979, Strulfestivalen, which was financially lucrative for the band. The festival was held each summer for three years, until 1981. Dernbrant exited the group in December 1980 when he and Fredriksson ended their relationship. Due to the success of the festival, Fredriksson opted to continue performing under the Strul name alongside the band's other longest-serving member, guitarist Martin Sternhufvud. The group's popularity increased substantially in 1981, culminating in several performances on Swedish music television programmes. This exposure led to Strul signing with independent record label Bastun, which released their first and only single in June, the double A-side "Ki-I-Ai-Oo" / "Strul igen". The release was timed to coincide with the 1981 version of Strulfestivalen, which would be the last; three months later, the group permanently disbanded following a "disastrous" performance at the Pop Around the Clock festival, which was broadcast nationally on Swedish radio. Following Strul's breakup, Fredriksson and Sternhufvud formed a new band, MaMas Barn (English: MaMas Children). The two were the only permanent members, with Sternhufvud moving to vocals and Fredriksson to keyboards. The name was created by combining the first two letters of both members'
given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...
. The duo regularly shared a rehearsal space with Gyllene Tider, leading to the latter band's bassist and drummer – Anders Herrlin and Mickael "Syd" Andersson, respectively – becoming members. This close relationship between the two bands resulted in Fredriksson performing vocals on Gyllene Tider's 1981 song "Ingenting av vad du behöver" (English: "Nothing of What You Need"). The following year, MaMas Barn signed with
CBS Records International CBS Records International was the international arm of the Columbia Records unit of Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. ( CBS) formed in 1961 and launched in 1962. Previously, Columbia Records had licensed other record companies to manufacture an ...
before their recording contract was sold to WEA International, which financed the recording of their only album, ''Barn som barn'' (English: ''Children as Children''). The album was produced by
ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...
guitarist Finn Sjöberg and eventually released in November 1982. Although it was a critical success, the record struggled commercially, selling approximately 1,000 copies. The group disbanded shortly after. Believing Fredriksson to be "too talented to be hiding behind keyboards", Gessle invited her to audition for Gyllene Tider's producer Lars-Göran "Lasse" Lindbom. Impressed with her voice, Lindbom offered Fredriksson a contract as a solo artist on
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
Sweden, although she initially refused the deal, saying she was "too nervous" and "lacked the confidence" to be a solo artist. She performed duet vocals on "Så nära nu" (English: "So Near Now"), the
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...
from the Lasse Lindbom Band's 1982 album ''Romantisk Blackout''. The album was successful in Sweden, and she joined Lindbom's band as a featured vocalist for an extensive tour of the country. Following its completion in the autumn of 1983, Fredriksson recorded backing vocals for Gyllene Tider's debut English album ''
The Heartland Café ''The Heartland Café'' is an album released by Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider on 17 February 1984. The group's first recorded foray into the English language, ''The Heartland Café'' was the second album to feature vocalist Marie Fredriksson ...
'', released in Sweden under the band's original name, and in EP format in North America under the name Roxette—derived from the Dr. Feelgood song of the same name.


1984–1989: Solo work and Roxette

On Gessle's insistence, Fredriksson agreed to embark on a solo career in late 1983, recording her debut album from December 1983 to June 1984, with Lindbom as co-writer and producer. " Ännu doftar kärlek" (English: "Still the Scent of Love") was issued as her debut single in May 1984, becoming a top twenty hit on Sverigetopplistan, Sweden's national
record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...
. Her debut album, '' Het vind'' (English: ''Hot Wind''), was released in September, and also peaked within the Sverigetopplistan top twenty. The album was promoted by a three-month
double bill The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...
concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...
, featuring Fredriksson performing as a solo artist alongside Lindbom's eponymous band. The title track was issued as the second and final single in October, b/w a Swedish version of
Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...
's " All Through the Night", retitled "Natt efter natt" (English: "Night After Night"). Her first solo tour took place from March to June 1985, after which she performed vocals for Spännande Ostar (English: Exciting Cheeses). This
cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. ...
appeared on several Swedish television programmes, and consisted of Fredriksson and Lindbom performing alongside Per Gessle and Mats Persson. The same year, Fredriksson and Lindbom travelled to the Canary Islands to write songs for her second solo album. '' Den sjunde vågen'' (English: ''The Seventh Wave'') was released in February 1986 and peaked at number six on Sverigetopplistan, selling over 90,000 copies. "Den bästa dagen" (English: "The Best Day") and "Silver i din hand" (English: "Silver in Your Hand") were issued as singles, while the title track and "Mot okända hav" (English: "Toward Unknown Seas") were top ten hits on
Svensktoppen ''Svensktoppen'' () is a weekly record chart airing at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. The last years before the January 2003 cha ...
, Sweden's
airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
-based chart. She won the 1986
Rockbjörnen Rockbjörnen (Swedish: ''the Rock Bear'') is a music prize in Sweden, divided into several categories, which is awarded annually by the newspaper ''Aftonbladet''. The prize was first awarded in 1979, and is mostly centered on pop and rock. In 2 ...
award for Best Swedish Female, and embarked on her second tour as a solo artist. While Fredriksson had established herself as a prominent soloist, Gessle's solo work struggled to replicate the success of Gyllene Tider; his second studio album '' Scener'' (1985) sold less than 20,000 copies, a significant drop from the 400,000 copies sold by '' Moderna tider'' four years earlier. EMI Sweden's managing director, Rolf Nygren, suggested Gessle translate one of his Swedish compositions to English and record it as a duet with Fredriksson. The resulting song, " Neverending Love", was issued under the band name Roxette—the name Gyllene Tider had used to release ''The Heartland Café'' in North America in 1984. The track peaked at number three on the
Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and known by its current name since October 2007, based on sales data from the Swedish ...
, and was one of the most popular songs on Swedish radio that year. Their debut album, '' Pearls of Passion'', was a major success upon release in October 1986, peaking at number two and eventually selling over 200,000 copies, but it failed to chart internationally. Roxette embarked on their first tour in the summer of 1987, "Rock runt riket" (''"Rock Around the Kingdom"''), a 15-date co-headlining tour with Eva Dahlgren and Ratata. Fredriksson's third studio album, '' ... Efter stormen'' (English: ''After the Storm''), was issued in October 1987. It peaked at number one and sold over 50,000 copies within a month of release, and was certified platinum by the
Swedish Recording Industry Association Grammofonleverantörernas förening (GLF), or the Swedish Recording Industry Association in English, is an organization representing the music recording industry of Sweden. It has compiled and published the official record charts for the Swedish mu ...
for shipments in excess of 100,000 units. Both the
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
and "Bara för en dag" (English: "Just for a Day") were top ten hits on Svensktoppen, and she promoted the album with a sold-out concert tour. Roxette released their second studio album, '' Look Sharp!'', on 21 October 1988. Once again, it was an immediate commercial success in Sweden, selling over 140,000 copies within ten days of release, but failed to chart internationally. Two weeks later, EMI released ''Den flygande holländaren'' (''The Flying Dutchman''), a
tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
to musician Cornelis Vreeswijk, who died the previous year. Fredriksson performed three songs on the compilation. One of these, "Felicia – Adjö", became her first number one on Svensktoppen. ''Den flygande holländaren'' peaked at number two for three consecutive weeks in Sweden, held off the top spot by ''Look Sharp!''. The compilation was certified double platinum there, denoting shipments in excess of 200,000 units. The non-album single " Sparvöga" ("Sparrow-eye") was recorded as the
theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
for a miniseries of the same name, and became both her highest-peaking and best-selling single to date when it was issued in February 1989. Fredriksson won the award for Pop/Rock Female at the 1989
Grammis The Grammis are music awards presented annually to musicians and songwriters in Sweden. The oldest Swedish music awards, they were instituted as a local equivalent of the Grammy Awards given in the United States. The awards ceremony is generall ...
, the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards, as well as the
Rockbjörnen Rockbjörnen (Swedish: ''the Rock Bear'') is a music prize in Sweden, divided into several categories, which is awarded annually by the newspaper ''Aftonbladet''. The prize was first awarded in 1979, and is mostly centered on pop and rock. In 2 ...
award for Best Swedish Female, for the fourth consecutive year.


1989–1992: Roxette's international breakthrough

"
The Look "The Look" is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released in early 1989 as the fourth single from their second studio album, '' Look Sharp!'' (1988). It became an international hit, and was one of the most successful singles of 1989. I ...
" was issued as the third single from ''Look Sharp!'' in Sweden, and was a top ten hit upon release in January 1989. The following month, the track unexpectedly entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, despite the duo not having a recording contract in the US; the local branch of EMI had previously rejected Roxette as "unsuitable for the American market." An
exchange student A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but d ...
from
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
returned from Sweden and asked his local
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
-based
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 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. "Top 40" or "cont ...
radio station to play the song. The track quickly became popular, and the station began distributing the song to their sister radio operations throughout the US. "The Look" topped the chart after just eight weeks, and went on to peak at number one in a total of 25 countries. The single's parent album eventually sold over 9 million copies worldwide. " Listen to Your Heart" was the band's second number one on the Hot 100, while the album's final single, " Dangerous", spent two weeks at number two. Fredriksson ended 1989 performing on-stage as part of The Husbands, a cover band formed by Lasse Lindbom and Niklas Strömstedt. In 1990, Fredriksson contributed a cover of the
Evert Taube Axel Evert Taube (; 12 March 1890 – 31 January 1976) was a Swedish author, artist, composer and singer. He is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians and the foremost troubadour of the Swedish ballad tradition in the 20th ce ...
composition " Så skimrande var aldrig havet" ("The Sea Was Never So Sparkling") to the tribute album ''Taube''. The same year, Touchstone Pictures approached Gessle to compose a song for the upcoming film '' Pretty Woman''. As he did not have time to compose a new song—Roxette had recently embarked on their first international concert tour—a new edit of their 1987 single "
It Must Have Been Love "It Must Have Been Love", originally "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)", is a song written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The power ballad became the duo's third number one hit in the United ...
" was created, and featured prominently in the movie. The track became their third number one on the Hot 100, and remains one of Roxette's best-known and most successful singles. The following year, the duo released their third album, '' Joyride'', which remains their most successful release, with worldwide sales of over 11 million copies. The
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
gave them their fourth and final number one on the Hot 100, while " Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)" peaked at number two. The album was promoted by the "
Join the Joyride! Tour The "Join the Joyride! World Tour" was the third concert tour by Swedish pop duo Roxette. Their first tour to incorporate dates outside of Scandinavia, it was launched in support of their third studio album, '' Joyride'' (1991), and saw the ban ...
", their biggest and widest ranging tour.


1992–2002: Continued solo work

Fredriksson returned to solo work following the recording of Roxette's fourth album, ''
Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
''. She was a featured vocalist on "Änglamark" (''"Angel Land"''), a Band Aid-style recording spearheaded by former ABBA vocalist
Anni-Frid Lyngstad Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss, Countess of Plauen (born Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad on 15 November 1945), also known by her nickname "Frida", is a Norwegian-born Swedish singer, songwriter and environmentalist, who is best known as one of the foun ...
under the banner Artister för Miljö (Artists for the Environment), which was released in July 1992. She also performed the track alongside all of the other featured artists during a televised gala the following month. Fredriksson's fourth solo album, '' Den ständiga resan'' (''The Eternal Journey''), was released that October, and remains both her highest-selling and most critically successful solo studio album, with sales of over 185,000 copies in Sweden as of 2002. She was nominated for three awards at the 1993 Grammis, including Songwriter of the Year and Artist of the Year, winning the latter. "Så länge det lyser mittemot" ("As Long as There Is Light on the Other Side") and "Mellan sommar och höst" ("Between Summer and Autumn") were issued as commercial singles; the latter song, "Så stilla så långsamt" ("So Still, So Slow") and "Det regnar igen" ("It's Raining Again"), were also top ten hits on Svensktoppen. She toured in support of the record. Her first musical collaboration with husband Mikael Bolyos, "Herren ber för dig" ("The Lord Prays for You"), was released in November 1994 on the charitable compilation ''Vilda fåglar: sånger om barn'' (''Wild Birds: Songs About Children''), the proceeds of which were donated to
children's hospital A children's hospital is a hospital that offers its services exclusively to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In certain special cases, they may also treat adults. The number of children's hospitals proliferated in the 20th ...
s in Nordic territories. The next summer, she was a featured vocalist with Bolyos' band Sugarcane, during their
concert residency A concert residency (also known as musical residency or simply residency) is a series of concerts, similar to a concert tour, but only performed at one location. ''Pollstar'' Awards defined residency as a run of 10 or more shows at a single ven ...
in Halmstad nightclub Penny Lane. She took part in this residency every summer between 1995 and 2002, performing vocals on several of Bolyos' original compositions and numerous
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s, including " The Good Life". Her fifth solo album, '' I en tid som vår'' (''In a Time Like Ours''), was recorded by Fredriksson and Bolyos at their home studio in
Djursholm Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursholm ...
between February and September 1996. She was eight months pregnant when it was released in November, so was unable to promote it. The album peaked at number two on Sverigetopplistan, and lead single " Tro" became the longest-charting song of her career on the Swedish Singles Chart, either as a solo artist or as part of Roxette; it reached number eight and spent a total of 29 weeks on the chart. Her duet with Anni-Frid Lyngstad, "Alla mina bästa år" ("All My Best Years") – from Frida's 1996 album '' Djupa andetag'' (''Deep Breaths'') – was released as a single in February 1997. Fredriksson and Gessle collaborated on a new Roxette album throughout 1997 and 1998; '' Have a Nice Day'' was eventually released in February 1999. She was more involved in its composition and production than on previous Roxette releases, recording numerous demos at her Djursholm studio and singing lead vocals on ten of the album's fourteen songs. The record includes "Waiting for the Rain", the first Roxette song written and composed solely by Fredriksson. Prior to the album's release, the duo signed a new recording contract with their longterm label EMI, which saw Fredriksson obtain the copyright for her entire solo discography. The process of recording the album was reputedly difficult and confrontational, with Fredriksson later heavily criticising co-producer Michael Ilbert: "I ended up under his thumb. He would only communicate with Per and oxette's regular producer
Clarence Öfwerman Clarence Öfwerman (born 22 November 1957) is a Swedish record producer, best known as the longtime producer of Roxette, having been with the band from their debut album '' Pearls of Passion'' in 1986 through to 2016's '' Good Karma'', Roxette ...
. He complained to everyone that my voice was weak, that I needed to re-record vocals, and that my songs weren't good enough. He criticised me until I started crying. I lost all my confidence, and no longer felt happy in Roxette." Her first
greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
, '' Äntligen – Marie Fredrikssons bästa 1984–2000'', was released in 2000, and was the second best-selling album of the year in Sweden, behind
the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
compilation '' 1''. It was also one of the best-selling albums of 2001 in the country, and was certified triple platinum for shipments of almost 250,000 units. The two new songs recorded for the compilation, " Äntligen" ("Finally") and "Det som var nu" ("That What Was Now"), were both minor hits. The latter song featured Patrik Isaksson, and was a Swedish re-recording of a demo originally produced by Fredriksson for ''Have a Nice Day''. The record was promoted with a Swedish tour. In 2001, Roxette released their seventh album, ''
Room Service Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end ...
''. Even though Ilbert was not present for this album's recording, Marie later said she "lost all desire to continue Roxette", and would appear at the recording studio as infrequently as possible; she instructed her taxi driver to wait outside while she recorded vocals for " Milk and Toast and Honey". The album was supported with a European tour, after which Fredriksson "called for a meeting" with Gessle, wherein she discussed disbanding Roxette, to which Gessle agreed. She issued a box set containing all of her previous studio albums, ''Kärlekens guld'' (''Love's Gold''), in June 2002. Roxette scheduled the release of two new compilation albums, ''
The Ballad Hits ''The Ballad Hits'' is the second greatest hits compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 4 November 2002 by Roxette Recordings and Capitol Records. It was the first of a two-part series of "best of" albums released by the duo in q ...
'' and '' The Pop Hits'', which were to be promoted with performances at the 2002 edition of the pan-European orchestral concert series "
Night of the Proms Night of the Proms is a series of concerts held annually in Belgium (since 1985), the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark, the United States and Sweden. The co ...
". A press conference announcing these appearances as Roxette's " swan song" was scheduled to take place in the Netherlands on 12 September 2002.


2002–2003: Brain tumour diagnosis and aftermath

On 11 September 2002, Fredriksson complained of feeling unwell after jogging with her husband. She collapsed in a bathroom after becoming nauseous, with the impact of the fall fracturing her cranium. She then had an
epileptic seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...
. Scans later indicated she had a brain tumour in the back of her head. The diagnosis led to the cancellation of Roxette's "Night of the Proms" appearances. After waiting several weeks for the effects of the fracture and resulting concussion to subside, she underwent successful surgery to remove the tumour, which was
malignant Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse. Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not s ...
, and she endured months of
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...
and
radiation treatment Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...
. In January 2003,
King of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument ...
Carl Gustaf XVI awarded Roxette the
Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The o ...
(''Culture and Education'') award. Both Gessle and Fredriksson attended the ceremony, which was the first event Fredriksson appeared at after her operation, and one of very few public appearances she made over the next two years. Lasting effects of the tumour included her being blind in one eye and having limited hearing and mobility, as well as being unable to read or write. She was also unable to speak for a considerable period of time after her treatment. On 21 October 2005, Fredriksson conducted an interview with Swedish newspaper '' Aftonbladet'', saying: "It's been three very difficult years, utI'm healthy. I'm not receiving treatment any more."


2004–2008: Return to creativity

Following her diagnosis and treatment, Fredriksson and Bolyos began work on her next studio album as a form of
therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...
at their home studio in Djursholm. '' The Change'' debuted atop the Swedish Album Chart, and was certified gold for shipments in excess of 30,000 units. It ended 2004 as the 18th best selling album in the country. Several of the songs included were debuted during Fredriksson's live appearances with Sugarcane in the mid-1990s. It was also her first studio album to receive a worldwide release. Lead single " 2:nd Chance" was a top ten hit in Sweden. Despite being unable to read or write, Fredriksson rediscovered her love of drawing during her illness, and began using charcoal to create artwork as another form of therapy. She drew the cover art which accompanied ''The Change'', and held her first
art exhibition An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhi ...
– titled "After the Change" – at the vernissage of the Doktor Glas gallery in
Kungsträdgården Kungsträdgården ( Swedish for "King's Garden") is a park in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is colloquially known as ''Kungsan''. The park's central location and its outdoor cafés makes it one of the most popular hangouts and meeting place ...
, Stockholm in October 2005. Every painting displayed at the exhibition was sold by the end of the second day. She held further art exhibitions, titled "A Table in the Sun", in both Stockholm and Gothenburg in 2008. In February 2006, she released an album of Swedish cover songs titled '' Min bäste vän'' (''My Best Friend''), which peaked at number three on the Swedish Albums Chart. Later that year, she collaborated with Gessle on the recording of two new Roxette songs: " One Wish" and " Reveal", which were released on the greatest hits compilation '' A Collection of Roxette Hits: Their 20 Greatest Songs!''. Fredriksson performed vocals on several tracks of Bolyos' debut solo album '' A Family Affair'', which was released in June 2007. In November, Capitol Records issued a
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
compilation of Fredriksson's Swedish-language solo material, '' Tid för tystnad – Marie Fredrikssons ballader'' (''Time for Silence – Marie Fredriksson's Ballads''). The compilation contained two previously unreleased recordings, one of which, "Ordet är farväl" ("The Word Is Goodbye"), was based on a lyric
Py Bäckman Py Marie Elisabet Ulrika Bäckman Wennborn (born 5 July 1948, Stockholm) is a Swedish musician. She is a singer and songwriter of pop and rock for musicals and films. She also plays piano and harmonica. Career Bäckman grew up in Iggesund (G ...
wrote for Fredriksson's 1984 album ''Het vind''.


2008–2018: Return to touring, Roxette reunion and solo work

" Där du andas" ("Where You Breathe") was released in August 2008 as the theme song to the film '' Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End'', and became Fredriksson's first number one single in her home country. During the winter of 2008, she took part in the "Stjärnklart" ("Starlit") series of concerts, which saw her performing an abbreviated set alongside other vocalists in Swedish concert halls. In May 2009, she joined Gessle on-stage at the
Melkweg Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a popular music venue and cultural centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein, a prime nightlife square of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former dairy and is divided int ...
in Amsterdam to perform acoustic renditions of several Roxette songs, during a concert of his " Party Crasher Tour". Immediately after the gig, Gessle announced to ''Aftonbladet'' that Roxette would perform at the 2009 edition of "Night of the Proms". On the first night of that tour, '' Expressen'' reported that the duo had been recording material for a new album since May 2009. The duo reunited for a private performance at the Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling at
Stockholm Palace Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace ( sv, Stockholms slott or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Pala ...
on 18 June 2010. Roxette then embarked on a seven-date tour of Europe in the summer of 2010. "
She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio) "She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio)" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 10 January 2011 as the lead single from their eighth studio album, '' Charm School''. An uptempo rock and electropop song, the track received a mixed ...
" was released in January 2011, becoming a substantial hit in mainland Europe, and their highest-peaking single in Germany since 1992's " How Do You Do!". Their eighth studio album, '' Charm School'', followed the next month. "
The Neverending World Tour "The Neverending World Tour" was the umbrella name used to describe a series of concert tours by Swedish pop duo Roxette. The name was derived from the title of the duo's debut single, 1986's " Neverending Love". Their sixth and final concert ...
", their first world tour in fifteen years, began in March 2011, eventually concluding in February 2016. Another studio album, ''
Travelling Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel c ...
'', was released in March 2012. In June 2013, Fredriksson performed "Ännu doftar kärlek" at the
Wedding of Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill The wedding of Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, and the British-born American financier Christopher O'Neill took place in Stockholm on 8 June 2013. Background Princess Madeleine is the second daughter and young ...
. In November, she released ''
Nu! ''Nu!'' ( en, Now!) is the eighth and final studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Marie Fredriksson, released on 20 November 2013 by Parlophone in conjunction with Fredriksson's own Record label, label Amelia Music. It was her first album of ...
'' (''Now!''), her first album of original Swedish material since 1996. It was supported by a nineteen-date tour of Swedish concert halls, her first solo concerts since 2000. Roxette's tenth studio album, ''
Good Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
'', was released in June 2016, and was due to be promoted with a European tour celebrating the duo's 30th anniversary. However, these concerts were cancelled after Fredriksson was advised by her doctors to cease all touring activity, due to poor health. She released a statement saying: "Sadly, now my touring days are over and I want to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful fans that
ave ''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...
followed us on our long and winding journey." Fredriksson released three non-album singles after she announced her retirement from touring: "Alone Again" and "I Want to Go" in 2017, and "Sing Me a Song" in 2018.


Personal life

Fredriksson met her husband, keyboardist Mikael "Micke" Bolyos, during the Australian leg of "Join the Joyride!" in December 1991. She later said of the impact meeting Bolyos had on her professional career: "If ehadn't met, I don't know if I would have been able to continue in Roxette much longer. I couldn't handle the personal side of life on tour. I was hanging out in bars, drinking too much. I was sad a lot of the time and had a hard time with the press, when I always had to be nice and say the right things, always having to be available to everybody, always putting on a smile and being happy. Marie Fredriksson the performer had grown in stature, at the expense of Marie the private person. I had less and less space to be myself, and when I was myself I felt uncertain, small and lost." The couple married in a private ceremony in May 1994, which was attended only by immediate family members. Her decision not to invite Gessle and his wife to the wedding briefly became a source of tension between the duo. She later explained: "Some of our friends felt excluded and disappointed. Today I understand that, for example, Per and
is wife In linguistics, a copula (plural: copulas or copulae; abbreviated ) is a word or phrase that links the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, such as the word ''is'' in the sentence "The sky is blue" or the phrase ''was not being'' ...
were hurt ot to be invited but then I didn't see it that way. My only concern was that I wanted the wedding to be private. It was what felt important then." Fredriksson and Bolyos had two children: a daughter named Inez Josefin (born 29 April 1993) and a son named Oscar Mikael (born 26 November 1996).


Death

Fredriksson died on 9 December 2019 at the age of 61, following a 17-year-long battle with cancer after her 2002 brain tumour diagnosis. A private funeral, with only her immediate family in attendance, took place at an undisclosed location. Among the tributes expressed to Fredriksson was a statement from
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, D ...
, who said "We have been struck by the sad news that singer Marie Fredriksson has passed away. For many in our country, even in my family, her music is closely associated with memories from particularly important moments in life." A concert in memory of Fredriksson took place at the Stora Teatern in Gothenburg on 20 January, featuring performances from Per Gessle and Eva Dahlgren. The concert was broadcast in its entirety five days later on Sveriges Television.


Posthumous releases

A previously unreleased solo song titled "Sea of Love" was issued posthumously on the first anniversary of her death. Recorded in 2017, it was the final track she recorded in her lifetime, and was inspired by the peaceful demonstrations that followed the 2017 Stockholm truck attack. Roxette issued a compilation album of outtakes titled '' Bag of Trix'' on 11 December 2020, containing several previously unreleased demos composed by Fredriksson. Another solo song, "Stay", was released as a non-album single on 28 May 2021.


Discography

* '' Het vind'' (1984) * '' Den sjunde vågen'' (1986) * '' ... Efter stormen'' (1987) * '' Den ständiga resan'' (1992) * '' I en tid som vår'' (1996) * '' The Change'' (2004) * '' Min bäste vän'' (2006) * ''
Nu! ''Nu!'' ( en, Now!) is the eighth and final studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Marie Fredriksson, released on 20 November 2013 by Parlophone in conjunction with Fredriksson's own Record label, label Amelia Music. It was her first album of ...
'' (2013)


Awards and nominations

*
Rockbjörnen Rockbjörnen (Swedish: ''the Rock Bear'') is a music prize in Sweden, divided into several categories, which is awarded annually by the newspaper ''Aftonbladet''. The prize was first awarded in 1979, and is mostly centered on pop and rock. In 2 ...
Awards ! , - !scope="row", 1986 , rowspan="2", Marie Fredriksson , rowspan="2", Best Swedish Female , , rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;", , - !scope="row" rowspan="2", 1987 , , - , ''Efter stormen'' , Best Swedish Album , , - !scope="row", 1988 , rowspan="2", Marie Fredriksson , rowspan="2", Best Swedish Female , , - !scope="row", 1989 , * Swedish Grammy Awards ! , - !scope="row", 1988 , rowspan="6", Marie Fredriksson , rowspan="3", Pop/Rock – Female , , style="text-align:center;", , - !scope="row", 1989 , , style="text-align:center;", , - !scope="row" rowspan="3", 1993 , , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", , - , Artist of the Year , , - , Songwriter of the Year , , style="text-align:center;", , - !scope="row", 1997 , , Pop/Rock – Female , , style="text-align:center;",


See also

*
List of Swedes in music This is a list of Swedish composers, musical groups, musicians and singers: Composers A–M * Johan Agrell (1701–1765), full name: Johan Joachim Agrell * Hugo Alfvén (1872–1960), full name: Hugo Emil Alfvén * Kurt Atterberg ...


References


Works cited

* *


Further reading

*


External links

*
MarieFredriksson.net

Marie-Fredriksson.comOfficial Roxette website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fredriksson, Marie 1958 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Swedish pianists 20th-century Swedish women singers 21st-century pianists 21st-century Swedish women singers Deaths from brain cancer in Sweden English-language singers from Sweden Litteris et Artibus recipients Roxette members Spanish-language singers of Sweden Swedish women guitarists Swedish women singer-songwriters Swedish-language singers Swedish pop pianists Swedish pop singers Swedish songwriters Swedish sopranos Swedish women pianists Swedish pianists 20th-century women pianists 21st-century women pianists