Awards

He is Halmstad! – Per Gessle is awarded the cultural prize of Halmstad municipality

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Halmstad municipality’s cultural prize 2023 goes to Per Gessle. This was decided by the cultural committee at its meeting on 30th November. A grateful Per Gessle says that he is especially happy to have inspired others to create music.

Halmstad Municipality’s cultural prize has been awarded since 1967. This year the prize sum is SEK 30,000 and 55 cultural actors were nominated by the public.

This time, the cultural committee chose to praise a super-famous songwriter and artist who has been of enormous importance to the municipality for more than half a century and is still relevant.

Per Gessle says:

Many thanks for this great prize. It has been a long journey for me in the wonderful world of music. In the ’60s in front of the gramophone. In the ’70s in front of the microphone and in the rehearsal studio. Then it got rolling. Extra lovely if I and all my collaborators have succeeded in inspiring and engaging other people to fantasize, create and be creative. Nice. Thank you so much.

The cultural committee’s justification:

Per Gessle is the recipient of the Cultural Prize 2023. The Culture Committee considers this musician to be equal to Halmstad. He started his career by entertaining and playing at nursing homes and hospitals in the municipality and has since contributed to making Halmstad a music metropolis. We don’t think there is anyone in the municipality or in the country who can’t hum at least one of Per Gessle’s songs. He is a cultural personality who created an incredible song catalogue, and lyrics that have the ability to evoke all emotions at once.

Per Gessle is one of Sweden’s most successful artists and songwriters. He started writing songs as a child, breaking through with Gyllene Tider from 1978 and continued the successes with the duo Roxette, formed in 1986.

At the moment, among other things, he is involved with a newly written book about Gyllene Tider, a film about the same band with a premiere in the summer of 2024, and a newly written musical based on Roxette’s songs that will be staged at Malmö Opera with a premiere in the fall of 2024.

Per Gessle has always been loyal to his home municipality and he has received a number of awards. Among other things, he became an honorary citizen of Halmstad Municipality in 2007.

Facts regarding Halmstad municipality’s cultural award:

  • The prize sum this year is SEK 30,000.
  • This year, 55 different cultural actors were nominated by the public.
  • The prize is awarded in December each year to a person, group or organization that is recognized for particularly valuable contributions in the field of culture. The prize winner must be active in the municipality of Halmstad or, through their activities, have or had a close connection to the municipality.
  • The culture award is one of three different awards and scholarships awarded by the cultural committee in Halmstad municipality.

Photo by Anders Roos

Interview with Per Gessle after the Hallandian of The Year 2022 gala

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Hallandsposten did an interview with Per after the award ceremony and asked him about how it feels to be Hallandian of The Year 2022.

Since I live in Halmstad and love Halmstad, it feels fantastic. I was born here, so it’s my everything. It has shaped me. Although I have had an apartment in Stockholm since the end of the ‘80s, Halmstad is my hometown. Obviously, all of that shapes me – I’m a small town guy.

Regarding the intense year 2022, PG says:

It’s been a very intense year, but that wasn’t planned. I’m like that, I take it as it comes, as you do when you are as old as me. It started with the single with Uno (Svenningsson) in January and then my acoustic tour continued. It was postponed, partly because I got sick with tonsillitis in December, partly because there were new corona restrictions at the beginning of the year. So that tour didn’t finish until May.

He also released some previously unreleased songs, which he usually does on his birthday in January.

The pandemic also meant time to write more new music:

During this period when there were restrictions and I couldn’t tour, I took the opportunity to write and prepare Gyllene Tider’s new album that will be released next year. So that record was pretty much done by May. Then in summer it was quite quiet, then I prepared the release for PG Roxette, the English record that came out recently. And not to forget, this summer I also recorded the Christmas songs that just came out too. So it’s been quite a lot actually.

Per admits that after all this has been a “normal year” if you look at the workload.

I like to work. I’m so happy to have a job where I don’t feel like I’m “going to work”, but that it’s more of an extension of myself. So I love what I do.

If 2022 has been so active, 2023 will probably not be less busy. New music and a summer tour with Gyllene Tider await. Hallandsposten asked Per what the audience can expect.

A fantastic album! Uptempo, great energy. I’m really glad we made it and that it turned out so well. Anders Herrlin called me the other day, he had listened to it again and said “how the hell did this happen? How did we do this?”. It’s the kind of record that you get hooked on. And so I hope the tour will be amazing.

To the question why he still lives in Halmstad despite the fact that he also has an apartment in Stockholm he replied:

It’s because I like Halmstad, and I feel creative here. I have found a place where I live, on the coast, where I love to be. Then we have Hotel Tylösand, so that means we have a foothold here. Although I’m not involved in the daily operation, I’m still involved, and my wife not least. It also means a lot that we have succeeded in managing it and building it into something exceptional.

Hallandsposten says that the Halland of The Year award seems to be a great response to Per’s love for Halland.

It feels great, but I’ve always felt it. I’ve felt that the people of Halmstad are proud of Gyllene Tider, Roxette and me, so it’s nothing new. But it’s awesome and all the nominees are great, so it’s amazing to win something like this.

Regarding the large portrait that will hang at Halmstad City Airport PG says:

I don’t know if it’s good or bad. I say that’s the punishment if you win, that you get to hang there on a big picture in the arrivals hall.

More photos from the event by Jari Välitalo in Hallandsposten’s article.

Per Gessle is Hallandian of The Year!

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After being nominated for the fourth time in a row, Per Gessle has now won the title Hallandian of The Year! Congratulations!

The first 3 winners in 2019, 2020 and 2021 were Janne Andersson, Boris Lennerhov and My Feldt.

The prize is awarded by the Marketing Association in Halland in collaboration with Hallandsposten and Hallands Nyheter. Hallandians themselves were able to nominate people who they think have been good ambassadors for Halland 2022.

Voting ran until 30th November and the winner has been awarded at the Breakfast Gala this morning (14th December) in Halmstad Arena. For the winner, in addition to the honor, a place among the previous winners awaits at Halmstad City Airport. Per has also received a painting created by artist Dagmar Glemme.

Nominees this year were musician and songwriter Per Gessle, comedian and musician Krister Classon, writer Björn Hellberg, golf player Ingrid Lindblad, actress Madeleine Martin and memory master Martin Nilsson.

The jury’s motivation for nominating Mr. G:

Per Gessle is one of Sweden’s most successful artists and songwriters. He has put Halland on the world map for several decades with his music in various forms and constellations. During 2022, he has once again been widely noticed in all media after releasing previously unpublished songs, recording a duet with Uno Svenningsson and releasing a new record with both Gyllene Tider and PG Roxette. Per is also a co-owner of Hotel Tylösand, which has received many prestigious awards and annually attracts large numbers of tourists and conference guests and has Sweden’s largest art gallery.

Congrats once again and looking forward to bump into that pic at Halmstad City Airport!

 

 

Photos from Hallandsposten

 

Picture and video from Radio Båstad

 

Per Gessle nominated as Hallandian of The Year for the fourth time!

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It’s the fourth time Per Gessle is nominated as Hallandian of The Year. The first 3 winners in 2019, 2020 and 2021 were Janne Andersson, Boris Lennerhov and My Feldt.

The prize is awarded by the Marketing Association in Halland in collaboration with Hallandsposten and Hallands Nyheter. Hallandians themselves have been able to nominate people who they think have been good ambassadors for Halland 2022.

Voting runs until 30th November. The winner will be awarded at the Breakfast Gala on 14th December. For the winner, in addition to the honor, a place among the previous winners awaits at Halmstad City Airport and also a painting created by artist Dagmar Glemme.

You can vote HERE!

The jury’s motivation for nominating Mr. G:

Per Gessle is one of Sweden’s most successful artists and songwriters. He has put Halland on the world map for several decades with his music in various forms and constellations. During 2022, he has once again been widely noticed in all media after releasing previously unpublished songs, recording a duet with Uno Svenningsson and releasing a new record with both Gyllene Tider and PG Roxette. Per is also a co-owner of Hotel Tylösand, which has received many prestigious awards and annually attracts large numbers of tourists and conference guests and has Sweden’s largest art gallery.

Good luck, Per!

Stills are from the Pop-Up Dynamo! track by track videos.

Per Gessle nominated as Hallandian of The Year for the third time!

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It’s the third time Per Gessle is nominated as Hallandian of The Year. The first 2 winners in 2019 and 2020 were Janne Andersson and Boris Lennerhov.

The prize is awarded by the Marketing Association in Halland in collaboration with Hallandsposten and Hallands Nyheter. Hallandians themselves have been able to participate and nominate people who they think have helped to put Halland on the map in 2021.

Canita Dagård, CEO of the Marketing Association in Halland says she’s been bombarded with nominations in emails until recently and she thinks it’s great fun. They have tried to find a good mix of professions, men and women and try to get people from all over Halland. It has been tough to choose the five candidates, but they are happy with the selection.

Voting runs from 22nd November to 5th December.

The winner will be awarded at the breakfast gala in Halmstad Arena on 16th December and HP will broadcast the award ceremony on television. In addition to the honor, the winner will also receive a large banner at Halmstad Airport and have a portrait hanging next to the previous winners at the airport. In addition, the winner will receive a unique painting painted by Halland artist Dagmar Glemme and small medal.

To vote, one send an SMS to 72010 with the text “HP ÅH” and the nominee’s first name. Voting is only allowed once per person.

The 5 nominees are: Per Gessle, My Feldt, Filip Gemzell, Jennifer Wegerup and Annika Andersson.

The jury’s motivation for nominating Mr. G:

Per Gessle is one of the country’s foremost artists and songwriters. Through his creative power and musicality, he has put Sweden and Halland on the world map for over 40 years. A musical genius who has gilded many people’s lives. After the success in summer with sold-out concerts at his Hotel Tylösand, Per embarked on a long-awaited tour in Sweden. He is one of three Swedish artists who topped the Billboard list, the most powerful charts in the music world.

Good luck, Per!