1984 Publishing invite fans to submit scans for the English edition of Marie Fredriksson’s biography

1984 Publishing have contacted us and they are sending a message to all Marie and Roxette fans. In case you would like to see your scan in the book, send them your pic that meets the criteria. The main focus is on scans of ticket stubs and backstage passes, but read below what else is needed.

Hello Marie and Roxette fans!

This is a bit of a bittersweet request, but 1984 Publishing is seeking Roxette and solo Marie scans of ticket stubs and backstage passes. Of course older dates (’80s & ’90s) are a bit more difficult to obtain.

We’ll be using some of them in the upcoming English-language edition of Marie’s autobiography Listen to My Heart, to be released in 2023.

Shots of posters and marquees are also welcome.

Images can be sent to mjc@1984publishing.com, along with your name. If any are included in the book we will be sure to include your name in the credits.

Any image scans should be in color, and at least at 300 dpi.

We can’t wait to see what you all might have to possibly include! Thanks in advance for all of your help, and we look forward to seeing how this book edition looks in the weeks ahead.

And of course, here’s to Marie’s inspiring story and her ongoing legacy as one of the defining vocalists of our generation.

Cheers,

1984 Publishing
Cleveland, Ohio / USA

More details about the English edition HERE.

Per Gessle on “Halv tre med Lotta Bromé” on Mix Megapol

Per Gessle was Lotta Bromé’s guest on radio Mix Megapol on 26th October. You can listen to the interview HERE.

Before Per was on air, the radio played The Look by Roxette and När vi två blir en by Gyllene Tider.

Lotta welcomes Per on the show and he thanks for that. Lotta asks Per how he is doing. Mr. G replies he is actually very well. Lotta asks why and Per laughs, because it’s a weekday. Lotta is curious if PG has any fun things to do now that he is in Stockholm. Mr. G thinks there are only fun things around him and a lot is happening right now. Gyllene Tider ticket sales and tour and a new album and everything possible.

Lotta asks Per how he is functioning. Whether he is always in a hurry or he is one of those who have ADHD or if it’s just that he is a very creative being. Per thinks he is a combination of all that. He usually says that he probably has all the letter combinations except I and Q. [They are laughing.]

Lotta is curious if Per was good at school. He was quite uninterested in school. He liked art and drawing and English and Swedish. Lotta finds it strange that Per hasn’t mentioned music. PG says he wasn’t that interested, music teaching was quite boring in his time. He doesn’t know how it goes nowadays, but back then there were a lot of theory things.

So the question is, when he found music in his life. It came very early thanks to his 7-year-older brother who had a massive record collection. Already as a 6-7-8-year-old, he was completely engaged in the pop universe. Lotta asks if Per’s brother had a good taste. He had very broad and good taste that Per thinks he has carried with him. It was everything from Hepstars to Led Zeppelin. So Lotta thinks it was PG’s brother who laid the foundation for Per’s chords. Per agrees. It’s his brother’s record collection that he dug into until he got his own back then.

Lotta wants to know how many records Per has in his collection. Mr. G has gotten rid of a lot since then, but he has maybe a couple of thousand LPs left. A lot of singles too. He split the collection and keeps the vinyls in Halmstad, while the CDs are in Stockholm. He has a record player in both places. He is also using Spotify, but he likes to buy vinyls for the sake of the cover. He loves record covers and the smell of vinyl records. Holding the record and listening to it is magical. Lotta says her 16-year-old daughter started collecting vinyls, using amplifiers and speakers and stuff. Per can identify with that. You think about all the music you grew up with. Aladdin Sane by David Bowie or Sticky Fingers by the Stones or Sgt. Pepper. Without the cover it’s just empty. Album covers are like the face of the music.

Lotta says Per asked her not to invite him for too early on the radio show, because he is old. Now it’s afternoon and she asks Per if he has already woken up. PG has woken up.

They get down to Gyllene Tider and Per tells it was hysterical back in the days. It was crazy in 1980-81. He lived with his mother, his father had passed away by then and his siblings, 7 and 14 years older had already moved out. Lotta is curious what Per’s mother thought of the people standing outside their door the whole time. Mr. G says she took it pretty well, until people started stealing the laundry that was hung on the dash and the number plate of the car. Then she thought it was time for Per to get his own apartment. So he found one. He had a very close relationship with his mother. She was very supportive [Per says the word „supportive” in English], as it’s called in Halland. It was Per’s father who thought you should get a real job instead of fooling around with 3 chords. He had a real job, he was a plumber.

Per’s family members passed away in 3 years and it was tough of course, it always is, everyone knows that when you lose your relatives. But that happened when Per was quite mature himself and as a man you can handle it in a different way than when you are small. It was harder when his father passed away when he was only 19. It was difficult in a way, but there isn’t much to do. You go through that and you learn to live with it. The older you get, the more human people disappear around you, so you learn to deal with it in a way, even if it’s difficult.

Lotta remembers that Per once said that when relatives disappear, you get different values. She is curious what values he thought of. Per can’t remember he said that, but he thinks that when you lose friends and relatives, you become thoughtful. You think through what you are doing. This pandemic was a shock to the system that lasted for years. Per thinks people changed a lot, how they travel and stuff like that. Also one of the reasons for a Gyllene Tider comeback is because they have realized that, perhaps, you should value things and value things in a different way. Value relationships, for example.

Lotta plays Tittar på dig när du dansar and asks Per to tell something about it. He hasn’t heard it in a long time, but he recorded it in Nashville. Using flute and mandolin. Lotta asks if those were real instruments. Absolutely yes, Per replies, ”oh my god, it’s Nashville!”. Lotta says there are other projects when Per is not using real instruments, but rather technical stuff. She thinks of Mono Mind. Per likes switching between his projects, jumping between different things. You do an acoustic tour, then you want to do something electrical next month. Then Gyllene Tider. GT is very organic. It’s played hardcore.

Lotta asks when the tour starts. It starts on 7th July in Halmstad next summer. To the question how many gigs there will be Per replies you never know with this little band. Right now there are probably 15, 16, 17, 18 booked. Two extras were added today. Lotta asks Per how many times they said it’s over. Mr. G says they didn’t really say that more than once, in 2019. And that’s what they meant back then. The decision was initiated by Micke Syd, who thought they should stop when they were at their peak and alive, but as Per said before, the pandemic came and he started thinking again. He started writing songs that had that clear Gyllene Tider feel to them and presented them to the band. All of a sudden everyone wanted to be back on the train. On tour they will of course play the old goodies, but he hopes they will play something new as well, because the new record feels fantastic. Although you won’t be able to listen to it until next spring. Lotta asks Per if he comes back on the show when the date for the album release is decided. They kind of agree on meeting at 3 pm on Maundy Thursday.

Lotta is curious about this new project, PG Roxette. Per tells that a new album is coming out on Friday. It’s called Pop-Up Dynamo! and it’s actually a continuation of Roxette. After a lot of tossing and turning, he decided to go on with that train as well. It wasn’t an obvious decision, but time passed and he felt that he wanted to. Continuing that journey mostly comes from the fact that he would like to continue playing the Roxette songs live. He wrote almost all of these songs and he doesn’t want to put the lid on. He also has to say that he is not trying and has never tried to replace Marie in any way. There are these two fantastic girls who were backing vocalists on Roxette tours for many years. It’s Dea Norberg and Helena Josefsson who came forward when they were needed.

Lotta has just looked at the dates and realized that Marie passed away shortly after Per’s family members passed away, so it must have been quite tough years. Of course it was tough, Per says and then their fantastic drummer Pelle Alsing also passed away not long after. So it was tough.

Lotta says that Marie wrote it in her biography that the last tour they went on was the best rehabilitation. Per says Marie was absolutely fantastic, because she never gave up. He remembers when in the spring of 2016 Marie wanted to meet him in her home and said she couldn’t continue. They had a big summer tour booked and had sold several hundred thousand tickets in Europe. She said she couldn’t do it anymore, but she actually toured from 2009 to 2016. They did several hundreds of concerts together. She did that because she was so strong and she wanted to do that. She was just amazing. Lotta notices that it’s still hard for Per to talk about it. Mr. G says it’s tough indeed. She was a special person.

Lotta tells that Marie’s family has decided to put a part of her wardrobe on auction and the money will go to Stockholm’s City Mission in full. Lotta thinks she would have liked that. Per absolutely agrees.

From the new album Lotta plays Watch Me Come Undone. It has this wonderful ’80s style, Per says. This whole album is a cousin to the ’80s and ’90s records that they did with Roxette. Look Sharp! and Joyride.

Lotta is curious if PG Roxette will tour next autumn. Per thinks it’s not a bad idea. Nothing planned yet, but it’s in his plans to go out and play Roxette songs. Lotta says he should release this one in Spanish as well as they did before. Per hopes he doesn’t have to do that. Lotta says she heard Per was so lazy or didn’t want to sing in Spanish that he gave all the songs to Marie to sing. Per explains it was a ballad record and so he chose the ballads that Marie sang and he escaped.

Lotta wants to know how many ballads there are on the new Gyllene Tider album. Per thinks and says there are no ballads on the album at all. It’s full speed from A to Z, just like how it should be.

Lotta asks how much music Per has in his head and how it can be enough for this many projects all the time. Mr. G doesn’t really know the answer. He is writing all the time, so it gets more and more and as long as it’s fun, he won’t stop. He says that if you are motivated and having fun, it’s music, it’s not a job. He is not the kind of person who gets up every day and sits down at the piano or writes a song. He just writes when he feels like it. Per usually says that he writes as little as possible.

Lotta and PG agree again on meeting at Easter. They wish merry Xmas to each other and happy new year. And with this, the show ends.

Stills are from PG Roxette’s The idea behind the album video.

Auction of Marie Fredriksson’s private clothes

Selection of Roxette Star Marie Fredriksson’s Garments to be Auctioned off to Raise Money for Swedish Non-Profit Organisation

A handpicked selection of clothing that world-renowned artist Marie Fredriksson wore in her day-to-day life and on special occasions are to be auctioned off. All profits will go directly to the Swedish non-profit organisation Stockholm City Mission’s work with improving the lives of people in social and financial exclusion. The auctions, which will take place on the circular platform Tradera between October 28th – November 27th, were initiated by Fredriksson’s family to honour her memory and support causes close to her heart.

Marie Fredriksson (1958–2019) is one of Sweden’s most celebrated and beloved artists, famous as lead vocalist in the pop rock duo Roxette consisting of her and Per Gessle. In addition to the international success of Roxette, Fredriksson achieved noteworthy accomplishments through her solo career as a singer-songwriter. Fredriksson sadly passed away in 2019, following a longer period of illness.

Marie Fredriksson’s iconic style, with short blonde hair and close-fitting rock attire has inspired several generations. A selection of her off-duty garments and clothes worn on special occasions are now to be auctioned off. The auctions are initiated by Fredriksson’s family, to support the work carried out by non-profit organisation Stockholm City Mission in Sweden. The family elaborate on their decision in an official statement:

Throughout her life, Marie was committed to improving the conditions of people living in vulnerable circumstances. In her biography Listen to My Heart, she shares her own experiences of growing up in a family with modest means. Marie’s strong social commitment is the reason we as a family have decided upon letting part of her possessions benefit others through this collaboration with Stockholm City Mission. We are certain that this is something Marie would have wanted, and our hope is that the auctions will be a helpful contribution to Stockholm’s City Mission’s important work aiding those in need.

Mikael Bolyos with family

Selected Pieces to be Displayed in Central Stockholm

Approximately fifty garments from Fredriksson’s private collection of clothes will be auctioned off via the circular market Tradera between October 28th and November 27th. The garments consist of a range of items she wore in her day-to-day life and a few festive gems that she wore on special occasions, including the dress worn during her performance at Princess Madeleine of Sweden’s wedding in 2013. Selected pieces will be displayed at the department store Nordiska Kompaniet in central Stockholm from the beginning of the auction up until November 5th. All raised funds will be donated to the non-profit organisation Stockholm City Mission’s efforts to create a more humane society through social care, work training and education.

“We are honoured to be entrusted with this task by Marie Fredriksson’s family, and with managing and celebrating her fashion legacy. It is a beautiful initiative, where all funds raised will be an important contribution to helping us improve the lives of people living in social and financial exclusion.”
Åsa Paborn, CEO at Stockholm’s City Mission

Read more about the auctions and see pictures on Stockholms City Mission’s website: stadsmissionen.se/ge-stod/auktion-marie-fredriksson

Press contact
Fanny Siltberg, Head of press, Stockholm’s City Mission
fanny.siltberg@stadsmissionen.se
(+46)8-684 230 40

About the auctions

  • Approximately 50 garments from Fredriksson’s private collection, that she wore in her day-to-day life and on special occasions will be auctioned off via the web based circular market Tradera. The auctions will be open for international bidding. The auctions will launch on October 28th via https://www.tradera.com/en/charity/mariefredriksson and close on November 27th.
  • The funds raised will be donated to Swedish non-profit organisation Stockholm City Mission’s efforts to create a more humane society through social care, work training and education, as per Marie Fredriksson’s family’s wishes. Stockholm City Mission is a non-profit organisation, independent from State, Church and Municipality working to eradicate social exclusion in Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm City Mission’s social activities are aimed at children, youth and adults living in social or financial exclusion. The organisation offers open meeting places, housing, social rights support, and individual guidance, with the ambition to empower people in need and strengthen their sense of belonging and stature in society. stadsmissionen.se

Garments in the auction include:

FADI EL KHOURY
Ball gown
2010’s

Extravagant, creme-coloured dress with pearl embroidery, golden roses, and a voluminous skirt with a tulle train. The dress was tailor-made for Marie Fredriksson to wear at the celebration of Princess Madeleine of Sweden’s wedding with Chris O’Neill, which took place on June 8, 2013, in Stockholm. During the ceremony, Marie Fredriksson performed her ballad “Ännu doftar kärlek”.

TOMASZ STARZEWSKI
Evening gown
1990’s

Champagne-coloured gown lined with pearl embroidery and gems – a creation on par with Marie Fredriksson’s star quality. The dress is designed by British designer Tomasz Starzewski, a favourite among many celebrities in the 1990’s, Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher included. This dress was worn by Marie Fredriksson during the celebration of her 40th birthday.

AZZEDINE ALAÏA
Bodycon dress
1990’s

A slim fitted dress worn by Marie Fredriksson during the Polar Music Prize-ceremony in ‘92/’93. For all its glamour, the dress might best be advised to wear with a ‘no pain, no gain’-mindset, as it allegedly required more than one tiny step on the red carpet due to its tight fit.

JASPER CONRAN
Black evening gown – silk with pearl embroidery
1990’s

An elegant, yet savvy dress worn by Marie Fredriksson during Roxette co-star Per Gessle’s 40th birthday celebration.

GIORGIO ARMANI
Cashmere coat
1990’s

Double-breasted coat in the softest of cashmere wool. This particular coat is described in Marie Fredriksson’s biography Listen to My Heart (2015), written together with Swedish journalist Helena von Zweigbergk. In her biography, Marie elaborates on how growing up with modest means affected her, and that the ability to buy whatever she wanted as an adult filled her with a wonderful sense of revenge. “My fantasies turned into reality; I could actually afford things.” The story about the Armani coat is mentioned in the book:

” It has been so unreal. I remember when my husband and I visited an Armani store in Milan. I tried on two coats, both with a price well over 20 000 SEK, with one being slightly more expensive. I couldn’t make up my mind about which one to choose. I consulted the saleswoman who recommended that I’d buy the more expensive coat. ’Heck, I’ll buy them both’, I said. You should have seen the faces on the people in the store! “

Marie Fredriksson’s biography in English – official press release

We have just received the official press release to the English edition of Marie’s biography, so we share it with you.

Marie Fredriksson’s Final Memoirs Gets English-Language Release
Iconic Roxette Singer Documented Her Influential and Inspirational Life Due From 1984 Publishing April 25, 2023

Cleveland, OH — Marie Fredriksson’s final memoirs, Listen to My Heart: Life, Love & Roxette, will see a worldwide English-language release from 1984 Publishing on April 25, 2023.

The 260-page hardcover is the fully candid and compelling life story of one of rock music’s most resilient lead singers. Given only a few months to live following a harrowing diagnosis in 2002 — yet surviving for 17 more years, until 2019 — Marie boldly forged ahead into a life with newfound courage and inspiration. She continued as both a solo singer and with Roxette, where she performed over 550 concerts to millions of fans, sold 75 million records, and released over 50 singles including several global hits. Stateside, the duo had four #1s with “Listen to Your Heart,” “It Must Have Been Love” (from the film Pretty Woman), “The Look,” and “Joyride.” In all, Roxette is Sweden’s biggest music group — second only to ABBA.

Heart-wrenching yet winning, and told with exceptional energy and sincerity, Listen to My Heart sheds new and revelatory light on the life and work of one of our generation’s most talented and courageous artists.

Marie wrote her memoirs in tandem with author Helena von Zweigbergk. “Ever since co-writing Marie’s memoirs in Swedish, I’ve always been asked about an English-language version; after all, Marie sang primarily in English with Roxette. I’m glad that we finally have that answer,” says Helena. “I was so deeply moved by the enormous amount of love that Marie both gave and received over the years, and I know how much this release would have meant to her. It’s a book about strength, love, a remarkable career and a woman who gave life her all, each and every day.” Helena wrote a new afterword for the book in August, 2022.

Marie’s family continues, “We know Marie would have been very excited seeing her biography in so many different languages, reaching fans in so many countries. This English version makes her life story available to even more people in the world, keeping her legacy alive.”

Filled with behind-the-scenes stories involving everyone from Tina Turner and Elton John to The Rolling Stones and Frank Sinatra, Listen to My Heart also explores her humble family beginnings, an early tragedy in the sudden loss of Marie’s sister, her transition into the music industry as a solo artist, and the formation and challenges of being in one of the world’s most successful pop groups. All while trying to maintain a strong marriage and be a mother to two young children in the face of a life-altering illness.

A new book foreword was penned by acclaimed director Jonas Åkerlund, Marie’s longtime friend and colleague. “Marie was my first true break in the industry,” says Åkerlund. “I’ll always be grateful for that — not only because of the projects that followed, but more because of the integrity, focus, and creative generosity that she taught me . . . this book is but one testament to the boundless creativity she exuded throughout her life.” Åkerlund directed Marie and Roxette in nearly twenty music videos and documentaries, and later worked with Madonna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, U2, and Metallica.

A limited special edition of the book will contain Marie’s celebrated English-language solo CD The Change (2004), its first physical release in North America, along with Marie’s final recording “Sea of Love” (2017) as a bonus track. Along with the newly remastered music, the limited edition hardcover will contain foil gilding and a satin ribbon marker.

Both physical editions (plus an ebook) will be available worldwide at your local bookstore, plus on-line retailers including Amazon and many more. Store inquiries should be made to Consortium (US), Ingram (US, UK, Europe), PGC (Canada), and URP (record stores). If the title is not available in your country, please contact 1984 via e-mail.

Book cover photo is by Mattias Edwall, with book design by Midnight Marauder. Marie Fredriksson created the artwork for The Change album cover.

             

Listen to My Heart – Hardbound Cover            Listen to My Heart – Limited Edition Hardbound

             

UPDATE on 9th March 2023 from 1984 Publishing: due to production delays affecting much of the book industry, publishing date of the English version of Marie Fredriksson’s biography had to be shifted to 25th July in North America and 27th July in UK/Europe. Other regions should have the release also during that time frame.

Marie Fredriksson’s biography to be published in English

Marie Fredriksson’s autobiography, Kärleken till livet was first published in Swedish in 2015. It was then translated into several languages and published in German in 2016 (Listen to My Heart: Meine Liebe zum Leben), in Czech in 2017 (Listen to My Heart: Moje láska k životu), in Spanish in 2019 (Listen to My Heart), in Hungarian in 2020 (Listen to My Heart – Hallgass a szívemre), in Portuguese in 2021 (Listen to My Heart) and in Russian in 2022 (Love for Life). Finally, an English edition is in the making under the title Listen to My Heart: Life, Love & Roxette. It’s planned to be published by 1984 Publishing (USA) on 25th April, 2023 and it’s already available for pre-order e.g. on Amazon (look for other countries’ Amazon sites too, to get the best price regarding postage), at Barnes & Noble and on Book Depository, but probably more online book stores will pop up later.

The English version of the biography you can buy as an e-book or a hardcover, which is a limited edition – as stated on Barnes & Noble’s website. The limited collector’s edition includes Marie’s 2004 English-language solo album The Change on CD – previously unreleased in any physical format in North America – as well as bonus track Sea of Love (2017), the last song that Marie recorded. This edition also contains foil gilded page edges and a satin ribbon marker.

Listen to My Heart is a completely candid and passionate, heartbreaking yet often witty life story of one of rock music’s most resilient lead singers, Marie Fredriksson from Roxette (“It Must Have Been Love”, “Listen to Your Heart”, “The Look”, “Joyride”).

Given only a few months to live following a harrowing diagnosis in 2002 – yet surviving for 17 more years, until 2019 – Marie boldly forged ahead into a life with newfound courage and inspiration. She continued as both a solo singer and with Roxette, where she performed over 550 concerts to millions of fans, sold 75 million records, and released over 50 singles including several global hits. In all, Roxette is Sweden’s biggest music group – second only to ABBA.

Filled with behind-the-scenes stories involving everyone from Tina Turner and Elton John to The Rolling Stones and Frank Sinatra, Listen to My Heart also explores her humble family beginnings, an early tragedy in the sudden loss of Marie’s sister, her transition into the music industry as a solo artist, and the formation and challenges of being in one of the world’s most successful pop groups. All while trying to maintain a stable marriage and being a mother to two young children in the face of a life-altering illness.

Heart-wrenching yet winning, and told with exceptional energy and sincerity, Listen to My Heart sheds new and revelatory light on the life and work of one of our generation’s most talented and courageous artists.

The book contains a foreword by Marie’s longtime friend, director Jonas Åkerlund (Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Paul McCartney, U2) and personal photographs from her family’s collection.

The picture is here for illustration. The final English cover has not yet been revealed.

Update on 17th September 2022: Amazon has just shared the cover: