Germany

EXPRESS.de interview with Per Gessle and Lena Philipsson – “Marie’s spirit is felt all the time”

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EXPRESS.de met Per Gessle and Lena Philipsson in Cologne to talk about the Roxette comeback and memories of Marie Fredriksson.

EXPRESS.de: – Roxette’s last concert with Marie took place in Cape Town in February 2016. Your return took place in exactly the same hall in February 2025. Was that intentional?

Per Gessle: – It just happened that way. But it was definitely special to play these shows. It was the first time we shared the stage together. We had to get used to each other.

EXPRESS.de: – And how did it feel?

Lena Philipsson: – I was very nervous at first. It was my first time standing in front of the fans. I told myself several times: slow down, don’t stress, think about the lyrics, hit every note, and watch the audience. It worked out well. The reaction was really positive. I was already more relaxed by the second show.

Per Gessle: – I didn’t shed any tears, but it was very emotional. It was a big step for us to restart Roxette and have someone else sing the songs instead of Marie. It could have ended badly. But we know the quality of the songs and the original band. Everyone enjoyed it very much, and it’s not like five people in five cars drive to the venue and play a show there. I’m now certain that it was the right decision to come back.

EXPRESS.de: – Did you hesitate for a long time when Per asked you to take on the task?

Lena Philipsson: – Yes, I thought about it for several weeks and asked many family members and friends if I should do it. Everyone thought it was a fantastic idea. That’s when I knew I had to say yes to this adventure. I listened to the songs many times to learn exactly how Marie sang them. It’s not about me doing my own thing. I wanted to be as close to the original.

EXPRESS.de: – You’re doing a great job. The songs sound live just like they did three decades ago.

Per Gessle: – I’m so happy you say that. Because that was our goal. When the idea was born, it was clear to me that we didn’t want to change anything about the sound or the presentation. We wanted to bring Roxette back the way the fans loved the band. Essentially, we’re paying tribute to the great songs by reviving the old hits. There are no covers, no new material. And that feels good.

EXPRESS.de: – Are you planning to record new songs together?

Per Gessle: – We’ve produced songs together, but not as Roxette. Only the old classics will be available under that name.

EXPRESS.de: – You’ve been active in music for 40 years. How closely did you follow Roxette back then?

Lena Philipsson: – You could never escape the songs; they were everywhere. I made my own songs, toured, appeared on TV, and participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. We all know in Sweden how successful the band was. I even danced to their songs in the club.

EXPRESS.de: – How did the fans react when they heard about the comeback?

Per Gessle: – The majority were happy. But there were also some who expressed criticism, especially on social media. The most important thing: there weren’t any negative comments from the people who saw our show afterward. Those who were there loved how Lena followed in Marie’s footsteps.

EXPRESS.de: – Is there a moment at the concerts when Marie is remembered?

Lena Philipsson: – I dedicate “It Must Have Been Love” to her. When I sing that, I think of her especially strongly. That’s why we’re bringing her back into the show at that moment.

Per Gessle: – For everyone, for the fans, for the band, Marie is there the whole time. When I think of songs like “Fading Like A Flower”, “Listen To Your Heart” or “Spending My Time”, she’s such a big part of it, even when she’s not there. Her spirit is there the whole time.

EXPRESS.de: – Songs from the ’80s and ’90s are still very popular. What’s the secret to their success?

Per Gessle: – I might sound like an old man talking about it, but I miss personality in modern songs. Current music is more pressed into structures and is not allowed to unfold.

Lena Philipsson: – The melodies used to be more memorable, too.

Per Gessle: – Many songs are written by producers, not by the artists. When a singer writes a song, they reveal something personal. That can’t happen when six people are tinkering with a song. Bands used to have more control over their songs.

Lena Philipsson: – When people come to our concerts, they travel back into the good old days.

Per Gessle: – And they remember how they celebrated at school, got married, or had children to our songs. This creates a bond and shows that we have accompanied them for a really long time of their lives.

Roxette In Concert 2025 – Munich – 23rd June 2025 – #15

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After a sold-out show in Viborg, Denmark, the Roxette gang landed in Munich, Germany for yet another sold-out gig.

Tollwood Summer Festival takes place in the Olympiapark. You could enter the festival area anytime, but gates to Tollwood Musik-Arena, the arena where the concerts are held, opened only at 18:00. There were long lines at all three entrances, despite the fact that it started raining heavily several times.

While queuing, we could hear the soundcheck at around 17:00.

After entering the venue, we realized there was a merch stand inside the arena. This was the first place on this leg of the tour where you could buy merch.

The arena was actually a big tent and it was so hot inside that you could feel like you were in a sauna. The concert was set to start at 19:00 and special guest Moss Kena warmed up the crowd that was clapping loudly for long until 20:15 when Roxette entered the stage.

The setlist was the same as in Viborg, there was only one extra song, Queen Of Rain at the end.

After SIMC, Per greeted the Munich crowd and said it’s always a treat to be here and great to see so many people. He said it’s hotter here than in Sweden. Haha. The crowd was laughing. It was really like a sauna. PG said they would play some of their favourite Roxette songs and asked the audience to sing along, no matter if they knew the lyrics or not. Then he turned to Chris so that he could start the next song, but Chris pointed at Lena and then Mr. G realized that he forgot to introduce her. Per introduced Lena as a new member of the Roxette family. The crowd cheered for Lena. She greeted the audience too and said “Mir geht’s super”. The crowd cheered for her even louder. She continued saying it’s her first time in Munich, so she feels like a virgin, touched for the very first time and she likes it. Then Chris started playing DFS.

After DFS, Per said ”OMG, you’re on fire!” to the audience. So he slowed down a bit and after explaining that the band went to Capri to record this album in the ’90s, he started to play the title song, CBB.

SGNO kicked off the roof, but after that it was time to slow down a bit again. Lena dedicated IMHBL to Marie and the audience cheered.

HDYD was a hit and so was Dangerous. Then PG introduced the band. Magnus had his I Got You (the James Brown song) moment again, Clarence started to play Neverending Love and the crowd was singing along. Jonas, the good old Roxette member, who took an almost 20-year break, got a very loud and long cheering from the audience. On backing vocals and some funky tambourine there was Dea, one of Per’s favourite singers. On drums, a new kid on the block, Norpan Eriksson, an amazing guy. And last, but certainly least, the last living hippie in Sweden and probably in all Scandinavia, Christoffer on lead guitar. As the intro to Joyride, Chris played In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus. The Munich crowd was extremely happy to hear it.

After Joyride, the band went off stage, but the crowd didn’t stop clapping for a second until they came back again after a longer while. Mr. G changed his shirt, the black one to a white one and came back with Lena only. They performed Spending My Time as a duet without the band. Per said he wrote it on the very same afternoon as Joyride, it was a busy Tuesday. Haha. After the song, reacting to the crowd’s loud sing along, Lena said it was pure magic.

LTYH was the next encore song and here I have to mention that I just love the tribute to Pelle here. There is that drum part kept in it the way Pelle played it during the past years with Roxette. Always amazing to hear it.

We thought the gang would finish the set with The Look. After TL, Per thanked the audience for coming, wished them a fantastic summer and he said he hopes to see them again somewhere down the road. He asked to take care of each other and stay safe and sound. And then instead of taking a bow, they performed QOR as the last song. Wonderful!

The whole concert was simply magical! The crowd was fantastic, they were singing along to each and every song very loudly and clapping along as well. The band rocked big time and Per was on a high despite the strong heat. Lena is gaining more and more self-confidence, and even if these songs are not in her DNA, she performs them outstandingly well. In Munich there were many hardcore fans from different countries. There are big Marie fans among them and they mentioned that they like the fact that Lena doesn’t want to imitate Marie. She is doing her own thing and that makes the show enjoyable even for them, so they don’t have to compare Lena to Marie all the time. She is doing a fab job and has an awesome voice.

At the end of the show, not only Per threw his remaining picks from the mic stand, but also Norpan threw his drumsticks to the crowd.

Setlist

  1. The Big L.
  2. Sleeping In My Car
  3. Dressed For Success
  4. Crash! Boom! Bang!
  5. Opportunity Nox
  6. Fading Like A Flower
  7. Almost Unreal
  8. Stars
  9. She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
  10. It Must Have Been Love
  11. How Do You Do!
  12. Dangerous

Band presentation

  1. Joyride

Encore

  1. Spending My Time
  2. Listen To Your Heart
  3. The Look
  4. Queen Of Rain

Next stop is Madrid, Spain on 27th June! Check out all the tour dates and links to ticket sales sites HERE!

Photos in the article are taken by Patrícia Peres. More photos HERE!

Per after the show:

WOW! Truly amazing gig tonite in Munich. So much love + so many loud voices, I’m speechless! One for the history books for sure. Extremely hot in the arena (especially for old retired ppl like me) but my God, can’t thank you enough for your support! Lena was on fire and so was the band. I’m in good hands, hahaha! Thanks everyone!

Lena after the gig:

Hot tent in Munich yesterday!! Amazing audience! A lot of sweat and joy!! Thank you so much!

Interview with Per Gessle about songwriting by Sound & Recording

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Frank Mischkowski from Sound & Recording (Germany) did an interview with Per Gessle about songwriting. Per gave some insights into the way he writes songs.

Frank informs that at the age of 10, Per Gessle’s record collection is said to have already included 100 vinyls, so his passion for music has been with him since he was a child. He learned English primarily by studying the lyrics of The Beatles, Leonard Cohen and David Bowie. He earned his first record deal with Gyllene Tider at the end of the 1970s.

When he founded Roxette in 1986 with Marie Fredriksson, who unfortunately died in 2019, he had no idea how successful the duo would become: “We joked: ‘Today Sweden, tomorrow the world.’ But what we meant was small performances in Amsterdam or Germany on TV. We were probably in the right place at the right time.”

Sound & Recording: What makes a really good song for you?

Per Gessle: This changes from generation to generation. I always say the point of pop music is to reflect its times. The music of the ’60s and ’70s was much more melody driven. Today you don’t start with the melody anymore. Listen to songs like Dedicated Follower Of Fashion or SOS, they are based on melodies. That’s where I come from.

S&R: You have written so many great songs. How do you come up with these strong, memorable lines?

PG: I’m interested in words and stories. And I’m always looking for phrases – “Hello, you fool, I love you”, “Come on, join the joyride”. The first impression you get of a song is often the title. You read the title and if it sounds good, your interest is awaken.

S&R: You write in both English and Swedish. Are there ideas that you can express more easily in one language than in the other?

PG: I write very personally. Of course not something like How Do You Do!, but songs like Queen Of Rain, Perfect Day or What’s She Like? are as personal as possible. It’s easier for me to dive deep into myself in Swedish, simply because it’s my native language. On the other hand, English is a very singable language. Swedish is a pretty difficult language to sing.

S&R: Do you find it easier to write for yourself or for other artists?

PG: I prefer writing songs for my own projects. In the early ’80s, when Gyllene Tider broke up and I had a few years before Roxette started, a lot of people wanted songs from me. Especially lyrics, but also music. I never felt comfortable with it. Someone always talks you into it. I prefer to write for my own projects where I’m the boss.

S&R: But then you wrote for Marie.

PG: When I started working with Marie, I was looking for a voice that could sing my songs much better than myself. We recently listened to a live Roxette thing from the ’90s that we’re working on. Marie’s singing skills were incredible. My main talent has always been finding these people. Clarence [Öfwerman, Roxette’s longtime producer] is also a good example for that. His influence on production and arrangements changed my worldview.

S&R: Can you give us some insight into the way you write a song?

PG: Let’s say I’m sitting at the piano and I come across something special. I then record it with my phone. I date it and put a note on it; “Piano Intro” for example. Then, six months or six years later, I might be looking for something like that. I go through my archive, hundreds of fragments that have been collected over the years. So maybe I have a great chorus, but I need something interesting for a verse or intro, then I go through these files and maybe something fits. It’s like a big puzzle.

S&R – a question to mixing engineer Stefan Boman

Stefan Boman is a mixing engineer at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm and counts artists from Ghost to Avicii among his references. In a complex process, Boman transferred Roxette’s work into the immersive audio format Dolby Atmos. To do this, the original tapes were digitized and the mixes were created from scratch in Dolby Atmos.

SB: The quick and easy solution would be an upmix, but if you want to create something that lasts and leaves an impression, you have to mix from scratch. And that’s what we did. We partially baked the tapes and then carefully digitized them, divided the tracks and then, in the first step, recreated the stereo mixes. I then spent a lot of time recreating the reverb chambers and effects – not exactly, but as close as possible and in an immersive format. The Roxette tracks were recorded excellently, it was a lot of fun translating them into a new format.

Photo by Fredrik Etoall

Read the original interview in German HERE!

Per Gessle interview for German media – “Marie will always be a legend”

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Spot on news agency in Germany did an interview with Per Gessle related to the Bag of Trix release. Vol. 3 is out today!

On “Bag of Trix” you release rediscovered Roxette songs. What can the fans expect?

PG: “Bag of Trix” is a compilation of previously unreleased songs, most of them from the 80’s.
There are also alternative versions of published songs and songs that were simply lost when switching to streaming. But the songs are definitely worth listening to, I am really satisfied with this album!

Have you found any songs that you would no longer stand behind?

PG: Regarding some songs I think to myself: they weren’t that good. But there isn’t a song that I regret because they were all fun to make. When I listen to Roxette songs from the 80’s, I sometimes think that some of the lyrics were not the best. But I was still young then and not yet able to express what I wanted. And besides that, as soon as Marie started to sing, it almost didn’t matter what she sang.

How does it feel for you to release new albums by Roxette without Marie?

PG: Even if I’m releasing the album without her, she’s still part of it. She’s part of every song. I try to think positively and not let my grief drag me down, because then I wouldn’t be able to continue working on our joint projects. She was seriously ill for so many years – since 2002 – and at some point you get used to the idea that one day she will no longer be with us. It is now almost a year since she passed away and I am trying to look ahead. It didn’t deter me from going through our collection. To hear the songs that I recorded with Marie makes me proud in a special way. A lot of the songs are incredibly good and Marie was a great singer. She was just magical. She made my songs a lot better than they actually were. I think that while listening. We worked together for so many decades which is why I wrote most of my songs especially for her. For me as a songwriter, the way she performed was the greatest gift. When I hear her sing, I always have a smile on my face.

How do you deal with being asked repeatedly about Marie Fredriksson?

PG: She was part of my life since I was 19 and was like a sister to me. That’s why she’s always there and I remember her all the time, for example when I hear a Roxette song. She means so much to so many people and that’s why I like to talk about her. She deserves it, she was a wonderful person. She will always remain a legend and inspire many young people.
I have a lot of contact with her family. I know her husband Mikael very well. We keep in touch and see each other regularly.

You have been a successful musician on stage for several decades. Are you taking it easy now?

PG: I like to be busy. I still write songs, I write all the time. My wife says I work all the time. In Sweden I regularly publish music – including songs in Swedish. But I’m still working on English songs. I’m in the studio several days a week and if it weren’t for the pandemic I would definitely go on tour.

Could you imagine going on tour alone under the name Roxette, if it’s possible to tour again after the pandemic?

PG: I would never revive Roxette with a new female singer. But of course I like to play the songs at gigs, which is why I want to work with female singers in the future. That would of course not be Roxette, but after all I wrote the songs and thirty years of my life consisted of Roxette.

Per Gessle’s Roxette – Cologne, Germany – 23rd October 2018 – #10

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Can’t believe that we already reached the halftime of the tour. The 10th gig meant the last gig in Germany. At least on this tour. There was no day-off between Warsaw and Berlin and then no break between Berlin and Cologne, so concerts for 3 days in a row. I was wondering how tiring it might be, but when we talked to Chris at the airport and asked him about how it feels doing 3 shows in a row he said that actually, the vibe and mood don’t really get low during the whole tour. The only difficulty is when the hotel rooms are not ready by the time they arrive and they can’t take a short rest before they go on to the venue.

The organizers at the venue in Cologne were not too well-prepared for the entrance. They opened the doors at 7 pm, but put the signs (which entrance accepts which tickets) on the doors only 1 hour earlier. So those who had been waiting there for quite a long time and were standing at the wrong door, they had to rearrange themselves. The inlet wasn’t too smooth, but in the end, fans found a good spot in the front, close to the stage.

Support act Lee MacDougall started his session at 8 pm. This was the last time when Lee was the support act. I will definitely miss him during the rest of the tour. He is touring Germany and Austria early next year, so if you saw him live now, go and see him again. If you didn’t see him live, check out his songs online and maybe it will convince you to go. Great music! Best of luck to him!

Mr. G and his band hit the stage right after 9 pm and sticked to the already known setlist.

Setlist:

1. The Look
2. Milk And Toast And Honey
3. Crash! Boom! Bang!
4. Dressed For Success
5. She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
6. Spending My Time
7. I’m Glad You Called
8. Small Town Talk
9. I Have A Party In My Head
10. It Must Have Been Love
11. Opportunity Nox
12. The Big L.
13. Fading Like A Flower
14. Doesn’t Make Sense
Band presentation
15. How Do You Do! (in a medley with No. 16)
16. Dangerous

Encore
17. Queen Of Rain
18. Joyride

Encore 2
19. Listen To Your Heart
20. The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye

Loved that The Look started with Per counting in German again, ”eins, zwei, drei, vier!”. He could do this little change in each country, counting in the language used there. It’s fun! Let’s see if he tries it in Russia, for example. 😉 The opening song was already quite energetic, so you couldn’t tell this gang is now doing their 3rd show in a row.

After the first song Per told the audience that the last time he performed in Cologne was in the summer of 2015. At least Christoffer told him it was in summer. Then off he went to take a deep dive into the big bucket of Roxette songs and they played MATAH. Then came a little Capri talk and it was CBB’s turn. Helena has some problems with her soar throat now, it’s too cold in Germany, but the way she was singing, you couldn’t tell she had any issues. Wonderful!

The speed up section of DFS and SGNO was a blast! After the hat fell off Christoffer’s head, Per went and picked it up to put it back on Chris’s head while he was playing in the front with Ola. The drum solo ending presented by Andreas was fantastic again!

Before SMT Per told the story of his good day in 1990. He woke up in the morning, had nothing to do, then his wife, then girlfriend left a note on his piano saying ”Hello, you fool, I love you”. Per asked ”isn’t that cute?”. He said he just had to write a song and it became Joyride. Then he was very pleased with himself, had lunch with Swedish meatballs, took a break then watched 3 Ingmar Bergman movies, then stood up, went to his piano and wrote the next song. Helena got a huge applause after performing it in Cologne too.

After IGYC Per talked about Nashville that he went to record there with local musicians and a few friends, no names. Chris said in the mic ”I was there.” Per reacted: ”We had a good time anyway.” Haha. Then they performed STT’s beautiful PG-CL live duet version!

Then the experts of Swedish hillbilly music played IHAPIMH and before the song started, Per told the audience ”please pay attention to flute ladies!”. The flute ladies were fabulous, as usual and the audience loved the song. Per thanked the crowd in German.

This time Mr. G said he presented the band with 76 songs (it’s btw getting more and more from show to show! 72-74-76… 😉 ) he wanted them to learn. Magnus said ”And we learned 120. Some Stones songs, some Beatles songs… You’ll hear them later at the show after the show. But you have to have T-shirts from the stand as well.” PG: ”Not my idea.” Magnus: ”It was mine!” PG: ”Blablabla.” Haha. We all laughed at Per’s blablabla reaction. Then came one sentence by him from which we could hear he IS tired. His tongue didn’t want to cooperate, so the words came out were a little strange, but adorable. The essence of his thoughts was of course not being sure about playing IMHBL or not, because it’s Magnus’s fave song besides 99 Luftballons by Nena and Wind of Change by Scorpions. Magnus said 99 Luftballons is his No. 1. So he got one more blablabla from Per. Haha.

Then came OppNox and TBL and since Åsa joined the gang on tour again, she came and filmed these songs, also the crowd partying. When this section ended, the audience shouted and were clapping loud, it was awesome. PG showed thumbs up and started to talk about the ’90s. He asked Magnus how his parents were. Magnus said they were very fine people and actually they ARE very fine people since they are still alive and they were living in the ’90s as well. Everyone laughed. Per started counting on his hands how old they might be. FLAF was the next song and Helena did great on it, so the crowd cheered her.

Then came a crowd favourite, DMS. No blood this time, but you could see on Jakob’s face when he handed the guitar over to Christoffer that he was prepared for everything. Haha.

The band presentation was much fun again, all musicians got huge applauses and at the end Per said he is surrounded by talent. Then came HDYD and while Mr. G was preparing for it he said ”let’s see if you know this one… let’s see if I know it…”. Haha. Then came the intro and the whole crowd started singing. This time it was even more aaawesome, because Per let us sing much further than usual, until here we are cracking jokes…  He made fun of us instructing the crowd, then looking at his (non-existing) watch. He laughed and liked the whole thing a lot, the band too. Party, party also during Dangerous!

       

During the break before the encore the crowd was shouting ”Roxette, Roxette, Roxette”. This was the first place where it happened. So far it was rather ”Gessle, Gessle, Gessle” or we want more or anything else.

The band came back on stage to perform QOR (which is kinda cool according to Per) and Joyride. Helena was perfect on QOR, the audience loved her. Joyride was much fun with tons of balloons thrown by members of the crowd.

During the break before the 2nd encore, people weren’t silent and it paid back, the gang came to play 2 more songs. Before that, Per said it’s been a wonderful evening and asked the audience if this is like an ordinary Tuesday evening in Cologne. Before LTYH, which of course sounded beautiful again, he said he wrote it in the ’80s for a friend. He said ”I had friends then”. Haha. Before TSHTSG Per asked the audience the usual question ”one more for the road?”. The audience shouted yeees and then he turned to the band members and asked what they think. They all agreed. The ending was fab in Cologne. I think the crowd sang along TSHTSG the most loudly here. No clue if it has anything to do with Thomas Anders’s release of the hit in the ’90s.

Anders Roos took pictures during the whole show and probably also recorded it. There was a fun moment when Åsa was singing along and started filming Anders who was also singing along. Let’s see if we get to see the result of it.

The lights were again a bit late every now and then and some stayed in the dark while they should have been illuminated. Probably, it’s local technicians at each place, which is strange in a way, because even if they get the script of the show, it’s not too easy to follow the gig with the lights if you don’t know exactly what’s happening and when. Even seconds count.

Per’s thoughts after the show:

COLOGNE: Five shows in six days! How about that! We managed thanks to you beautiful people at the E-Werk in Cologne. One word sums it up: WOW! Super crowd + band in top shape (even new dress on Malin-My! – lovely!) so nuthin’ could go wrong. Thanx so much for showing up and having a ball. And thank you Cologne for hosting the last show in Germany for a while. But we’ll be back. Trust me!!!! Cheers from P&Co.

All pics in the article are taken by Patrícia Peres.