Interview

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.

Interview with Per Gessle and Lena Philipsson by Music Media Magazine, Hungary – “I hope Marie is proud of us from up there…”

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György Danev from Music Media Magazine did an interview with Per and Lena via Zoom.

Music Media: – Per, it was a huge surprise when you announced the re-launch of Roxette last year. However, the joyful news immediately raised the question: isn’t it too risky without Marie Fredriksson?

Per Gessle: – Well, I’ve been toying with this idea for a while. For years I couldn’t decide what to do with Roxette, because I knew that Marie couldn’t be replaced. She left a huge void, and as you said, continuing without Marie as Roxette was a risk that I didn’t dare to take for a long time. Years passed, but I decided to give the band a rest, while at the same time I was increasingly saddened by the fact that the Roxette catalogue was lying fallow and that I was unable to tour. Those songs are the backbone of my career, they are a life’s work, and I obviously didn’t want to end the story prematurely. Life finally offered me the solution: it so happened that when I was working on an album of duets in the studio for the Swedish market, Lena appeared among the many guest singers. The work together went amazingly well, and Lena’s vocal performance literally took my breath away. She provided an incredible quality, and I didn’t need anything more: I immediately started wondering if she could possibly do justice to Roxette’s songs. You have to know that from a vocal technique point of view, songs like “Queen Of Rain”, “Listen To Your Heart” or “It Must Have Been Love” are very tricky, it’s not easy to sing them properly. I mulled it over for a few days, then I called Lena to ask what she thought about joining forces in Roxette, whether she would take on the challenge. Of course, she didn’t answer right away, she let me stew in my own juices for a bit! (laughs)

Lena Philipsson: – I did ask for some time to think, but only a few days. I was really surprised when Per asked me the question. Of course, I was aware of the situation Roxette was in, which was caused by the loss of Marie, and it was also clear to me that it would create a complicated situation if I said yes. I couldn’t know in advance what the world would say to it. At the same time, I also felt that it would not be just any adventure that I simply could not say no to. So I nodded and then I dug into the songs to give my best on the tour.

Per: – When Lena agreed to the collaboration, I immediately called the members of Roxette’s old touring band, so guitarist Jonas Isacsson, keyboardist Clarence Öfwerman and the others. First, we gathered in my office, where we started to revive a few songs acoustically, just to find the right tones and see what the mood was. Needless to say, we were immediately on the same wavelength, we felt fantastically at home in each other’s company, and the songs came to life wonderfully. Then we started the regular rehearsals, and it became absolutely clear to me that this line-up had a lot of potential. We have been through twenty-five concerts so far, and I can only say that after so many years of absence, it is a huge gift for me to be back on stage as a member of Roxette, surrounded by the support of Lena and my old colleagues, not to mention the devotion of the fans! I hope Marie is proud of us from up there…

Music Media: – Lena, you have a fantastic vocal talent, that’s a known fact. How well did you find the songs to suit you when you started singing them?

Lena: – Actually, we changed the keys of some songs to fit my vocal range. Marie’s vocal range was basically higher than mine, and we couldn’t ignore that when putting together the show. But these were just small tweaks, nothing drastic. You know, I come from the eighties: my career started in 1986, and in that era you had to be able to sing powerfully in the high ranges. Stable vocal sustain and the right tone were also a basic requirement live. Marie represented the same school, and since we started almost at the same time, the world of Roxette was quite close to mine, so it wasn’t difficult for me to take on the role. I had no doubts about whether I could live up to the expectations, on the contrary: I was sure that it would be a great experience to sing these wonderful songs, so I couldn’t wait for the tour to start. Of course, I also knew that it was a huge responsibility to sing Marie’s themes, so I tried to stay as faithful as possible to the original album versions. That’s what the fans all want to hear, so I couldn’t disappoint them.

Music Media: – How were the last live rehearsals before the tour started in South Africa in early 2025?

Per: – Everything went as smoothly as possible…

Lena: – That’s true, because I was so damn prepared! (laughs)

Per: – That’s really how it was! Lena has always been extremely disciplined and collected, which was new to us at first because Marie has never been! (laughs) She was a completely different person, she followed her own rules… This time we came to the rehearsal room with a long list and went through all the songs that were on it. They couldn’t have sounded better, but many of them ended up in the trash anyway. The final touches before a tour are not just about rehearsing the setlist quickly: you have to find the main direction and then throw out the compositions that don’t fit the concept.

Music Media: – Lena, which song turned out to be the hardest to sing from a technical point of view?

Lena: – “Spending My Time” is definitely the most difficult song in the show, and we’re also performing it acoustically now, with Per accompanying us on guitar. What can I say, it doesn’t make it any easier for me to play it so raw, so stripped-down, but it still provides an unforgettable experience, as it leads to a huge sing-along with the audience at every concert.

Per: – “Spending My Time” has always been a special piece in the repertoire. It describes a unique arc as it builds, and the lyrics fit it very well: the story of the song begins in the morning and ends in the evening. The story is familiar to most people, it’s easy to relate to. This song is especially popular in South America.

Lena: – As incredible as it is, I’ve never noticed this time motif in the song before, but now I know it! (laughs)

Per: – “What’s the time? Seems it’s already morning…” – and that’s how it starts! You still have a lot to learn in terms of lyrics, I see! (laughs) Seriously, the song is a very important pillar of the setlist, and it works really well in this stripped-down acoustic form, like we’ve been playing at the last few shows.

Music Media: – How did the first performance together in South Africa go? Did the audience accept the new line-up straight away?

Per: – We were all quite nervous… But maybe that’s not the right word, I’d rather say that every nerve fibre in our body was tense with concentration.

Lena: – That’s right. This was especially true for me, because as we went on stage, I was focusing on everything at once: trying to read the audience’s reaction, while also having to pay attention to Per and the others. I needed maximum concentration so that I didn’t short-circuit, or forget a verse, for example. In addition, I also had to stay on track in terms of vocal technique, because overdoing a song is just as bad as simplifying it. I had to find the right proportions.

Per: – For me, Lena’s presence was something new that I had to get used to, because we had never been on stage together before. We had to pay attention to each other’s movements, which is also important for communicating with the audience. I also had to learn things like Lena starting “Dressed For Success” on the left side of the stage, but the same thing happened to Marie when we did our first tour in the mid-eighties. We bumped into each other on stage several times, and Marie almost knocked my tooth out with her elbow once, but these are inherent in concerting, in energetic stage work! (laughs) However, the interactions started right from the beginning with Lena, we had a great time at the first concert. The band was very tight, it was obvious, the audience picked up on it too. There was a feverish excitement in the air, which has not subsided since seeing the love of the fan base: the technical staff of the tour is just as enthusiastic as the band members, everyone can’t wait for the next concerts! Our fellow musicians are constantly asking when we’re going to rehearse, everyone is so pumped up! You know, we’ve been doing this for a very long time, almost forty years, and yet the magic of performing can still affect us with renewed force. Suddenly we’re back on a world tour, selling out a lot of tickets night after night, the reception from the audience couldn’t be better, and that motivates everyone. We feel like we’re part of something timeless. Sometimes I have to pinch myself if I’m not dreaming. We’re incredibly grateful that this tour can happen and that we can do what we love the most again.

Music Media: – The second leg of the European leg of the tour will start soon, this leg will start in Budapest on November 4th…

Per: – Exactly, and I can’t wait to eat a good goulash again! (laughs) Budapest is a wonderful place, it always makes me happy to perform there. The audience is fantastically supportive, but I can say this about all the cities where we perform: the Roxette camp is extremely loyal and full of positive energy everywhere. We are one big, happy family with our fans, we feel that everywhere.

Music Media: – Lena, have you ever been to Hungary?

Lena: – No, never, but that’s exactly why I’m really looking forward to the Budapest concert!

Music Media: – Looking at the setlist that you used for the first half of the tour, well, even as a big fan I couldn’t have put together a more perfect show: you performed all the famous songs, as well as several secret favourites, such as “Almost Unreal”, “Fading Like A Flower” and “Queen Of Rain”. Can we expect this for the upcoming concerts as well?

Per: – Basically yes. Before the autumn European tour, there will be another intensive rehearsal period, which will last about a week. That’s when we will finalize the setlist plan and try out several songs that haven’t been performed so far. We’ll see what works and what doesn’t, but the setlist will probably be 90 percent the same as what we played in the summer. When we’re on tour, we always experiment with the setlist: we try songs we haven’t played before, we change the order of the songs, it’s like trying to put together a puzzle. The goal is always to find the most optimal dynamic and best-rounded show. Once we get there, we don’t really vary much from there. Since we’re two singers, it’s also important to divide the tasks: if Lena happens to sing a big ballad, it makes sense for me to carry the next song on my back. As you said yourself, this is a setlist that’s close to perfect. It works well with the audience, it has the right flow, so I don’t think we’ll change it significantly for the rest of the tour.

Music Media: – Will you continue to perform in 2026?

Per: – Yeah, that’s the plan. Hopefully nothing will get in the way.

Music Media: – Have you ever thought about recording new songs in the studio?

Per: – Not really. You know, I’d rather keep the existing catalogue in the public eye by touring all over the world. If I were to write new songs, I’d have to tour with them, and that would mean taking some of the old songs out of the show, but we can’t do that. Roxette concerts will definitely be about evergreens for a while!

Music Media: – What message do you have for the Hungarian fans?

Per: – As I said, I’m always happy to play in Budapest, and this time we’re going to throw a party that no one will soon forget!

Interview with Per Gessle and Lena Philipsson about the Roxette In Concert tour in Blikk, Hungary

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Blikk did an interview with Per and Lena on Friday via Zoom. The Roxette In Concert tour’s first autumn show will happen in Budapest on 4th November.

Blikk: – The return of Roxette surprised everyone. Why did you feel like you had to continue with the band?

Per Gessle: – For many, many years I couldn’t decide what to do with Roxette, so this is a really big step for me. Then a few years ago I realized that I was a little sad that I couldn’t perform the songs that I had written for Roxette over the course of three decades. I tried to find a way to continue, but I didn’t really know what to do. In 2024 I made a Swedish album with Lena on it. When we worked together in the studio, I realized that she had the ability and the knowledge to sing Roxette songs. I just felt that out of all the people I had met so far, she was the first one who could really do it. I thought about it for a while, and then I met Lena and I presented my idea to her, which made her completely pale of course. But then we just tried it. We rehearsed some acoustic songs with some of the members of Roxette and they sounded great. Lena was a really good choice, she sings these songs just amazingly.

Blikk: – Lena, what was your first thought when Per asked you to join this project? It’s quite a challenge to step into Marie’s shoes.

Lena Philipsson: – It’s definitely a challenge. And it’s not that easy, because I know that when I go on stage, I’m not the person people really want to see. They want to see Marie, but unfortunately she’s not with us anymore. So someone else has to sing the songs, and that someone is me. In that sense, it’s a bit complicated. At the same time, Per’s request was flattering, almost impossible to refuse. And then, once I said yes, from then on, I just tried to focus on what I had to do and do my job as best as I could, considering the uniqueness of the situation. I really wanted to keep the original version of the songs as much as possible, so as not to cause any confusion for anyone, because it’s already a big difference to see a different person on stage, who might move differently and look different. It was important to me not to change any of the songs, but to show respect to Marie, Per and the fans by keeping the original. Our South African premiere was of course quite nerve-wracking. I tried to pay attention to the atmosphere in the venue to get a feel for what the band was doing, what we were doing on stage and how the audience was reacting. That’s where I started. But I think the feedback was positive from the very beginning. And from there, everything just got better and better.

Blikk: – We’ve seen other bands continue working with a new singer – most recently with Linkin Park. What do you think is the most important thing for it to work well?

Lena: – I can only speak about our own situation – for me it’s about showing respect for the music. I mean, I try to blend in, because it’s Per’s project, and I try not to take control of it. Just pay attention to the mood and listen to what the flow dictates. I don’t know how to explain it – you just have to be yourself as much as possible, instead of trying to be someone else. Give yourself and be honest in what you do.

Blikk: – Do you remember when the moment came when you felt comfortable in this role?

Lena: – After the second concert, I felt that everything was OK, that it was working. Now I can go out and be myself even more, giving myself more space. So it happened pretty quickly. The band, Per and I were working together for the first time – as musicians, we had to get to know each other on stage. But in terms of the setlist and the things that happened on stage, as we played together, it got better and better. So I think I got used to it pretty quickly.

Blikk: – Which song is the hardest for you to perform together?

Lena: – I would say “Spending My Time”, because it’s just me and Per on stage. He plays the guitar while I sing, which is very stripped down and revealing at the same time – so that’s an important moment. Also, singing “It Must Have Been Love” is very important to do perfectly, but I’ve learned it pretty well. Now I have more favourites: I really like “Listen To Your Heart”, for example, it’s pure joy for me to sing it, and I don’t think of it as complicated anymore. I just want to do a good job. We’re over the difficulties.

Per: – I think the best thing about the whole line-up is that we have a lot of fun and we feel good together on stage. The band members are also very enthusiastic. Lena’s presence and being able to perform the songs again is very inspiring for them. I tried to gather all the key figures from Roxette’s past, like guitarist Jonas Isacsson. Clarence Öfwerman, our producer, is still with us. I think that ultimately it is a tribute to Roxette and its legacy, and for that to happen we have to enjoy what we do. For me that is the most important thing, because if we have fun, the audience will have fun too.

Blikk: – What’s the goal of the project, besides playing old Roxette songs? Are there any plans to write new songs in the future?

Per: – No. I think the point of Roxette is to perform old songs. That’s all we do. By the way, we have made music together before, and maybe we will in the future, but I don’t think we will do it under the name Roxette.

Blikk: – You will also perform in Budapest in November. You just mentioned “Listen To Your Heart” – this is the song that probably every Hungarian knows, because from 1990 onwards a political party in Hungary started using it for its campaign and other events. Sometime around 1992 you said in an interview that you had heard about it. Were you ever worried that people would automatically associate your song with a party, forgetting its original message and content?

Per: – Well, first of all – looking back – I don’t like it when people use songs without permission. In the past, we were not asked about it at all. What happened in Hungary is a very unique situation, I have never experienced anything like this anywhere else. We have always tried to stay away from politics, because we don’t fully understand the countries and their political situation. I think if anyone had asked me if I would license one of my songs to a political party or movement, I would have definitely said no, without taking a stand for the left or the right. Because that’s how I operate and that’s how I work. I think copyright should be respected and the person who owns it or wrote the song should be asked first before they use it. That’s what I think.

Blikk: – There was a case a few years ago –  the same party used your song at a political event, and they even uploaded a video of it on Facebook, but because of copyright, that video was removed. Have you heard about that case?

Per: – I didn’t know about that, but I know that our record label, Warner Music, took legal action against it, because for them it’s the same situation: copyright infringement. You can have any political views, but ultimately it’s about how laws and rights work. As I said, I don’t have any other experience, so I can’t give you any other examples – it’s a unique thing. And I don’t really like being in the middle of things that I didn’t choose.

Blikk: – Let’s get back to the concert. You’ve been touring for a while now, how is the audience reaction?

Per: – We’ve done 25 shows so far, and they’ve been just fantastic. When we started, we were still wondering what happens if it doesn’t work out? On the one hand, what happens if people don’t buy tickets? On the other hand, what happens if they don’t like Marie being replaced by someone else? So many things could have turned out differently, but it turned out the opposite. Even the most dedicated fans have started to get to know Lena, appreciate what she does, and everyone leaves the concerts with a smile on their face. We have a huge catalogue of songs that people have grown up with and that have become part of their everyday lives – I think that’s just amazing, and it’s also a very rare thing. It’s really fantastic that I’ve found a way to carry on Roxette’s songs and that they are accepting it like that.

Blikk: – What message do you think the audience will take away from the fact that Roxette’s legacy lives on?

Per: – I don’t know if there is any specific message. But I’m a songwriter after all – I started writing songs when I was a teenager and I still do that basically today. I feel lucky to have had so much success all over the world in my life, and if my music and lyrics still mean something to so many people globally, that’s really fantastic. I hope that the people who come to our concerts get their reward from us on stage – something that adds value to their lives and that we can be a part of. Some people got married to our songs, some people gave birth to their children, and some people listened to “Joyride” on their way to school. These are just small fragments of some people’s lives, but we are part of them. It’s amazing to see that our music means so much to others.

Find the dates and links to ticket sales sites HERE!

Interview with Per Gessle in Cityliv

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Joakim S Ormsmarck did an interview with Per Gessle for Cityliv magazine in Halmstad. Read the original Swedish article HERE!

Roxette is back on stage in Halmstad. With two sold-out concerts, the city is once again filled with fans from all over the world who want to experience Gessle’s treasure trove of songs here at home where it all began. But it is a tribute to Roxette – not a new Roxette – that is now taking the stage.

It has been 36 years since Roxette last performed at Brottet. The pop duo’s breakthrough was still quite fresh at the time, and the concert at home kicked off the Look Sharp Live! Tour, which was to last until the end of the year with all stops from Hunnebostrand to Milan and Brussels. A lot has happened since then, not least the fact that Marie Fredriksson is no longer with us. But Roxette is still Per and Marie, Per makes that clear when he talks to Joakim.

It’s not that I’ve restarted my band with Lena, but the tour we’re on now is a tribute to the song catalogue. Roxette is me and Marie, but since she can’t be there, this is simply a variation. A bit like Queen with Adam Lambert or like Jon Stevens in INXS… Stevens was actually our opening act at some of the shows in Australia and he played a lot of INXS songs, it was fantastic.

Joakim has managed to do this interview during a break on the tour and Per is home in Halmstad for a few sunny days before it’s time for the Netherlands, Belgium and Finland before the summer tour ends with two shows in Gothenburg and two in Halmstad.

Joakim is curious if it is nice to have a break or if it disrupts the rhythm.

Good question actually. It’s both. You lose a bit of that flow that you get when you play every other day and we haven’t played that much together yet. We have only done eighteen shows so we’re still working on getting to know each other on stage. At the same time, it’s really nice to have a few days off for the sake of your throat, plus it’s great to land here when the West Coast is at its best.

The tour started in February in Cape Town, South Africa, Australia and parts of Europe have been completed. After the gigs in Sweden this July, there is a break. Among other things, Per will be working on the musical based on Roxette’s song collection, which will be staged in the autumn at China Theatre in Stockholm. But after that, it’s the tour that counts again.

Joakim wants to know if touring is still as much fun after all these years.

It’s actually more fun now than it was at the beginning. With Gyllene, you were terrified at first. We had done six gigs before we were number one on the charts, so we were constantly fighting against people’s expectations. We learned the hard way, you could say. It was really only during the Roxette era that I started to relax more on stage. With Gyllene, I was the one who would be at the front singing, but with Marie we could share everything.

To the question how he feels the tour he is on now is different from the previous ones, Per replies:

The big difference is that we are not trying to be number one on the list with a new album, but this is a tribute to the Roxette catalogue. We are playing a fantastic treasure trove of songs that very few artists can put their fingers on and that makes it special. We don’t want to promote new music, but play the old.

If Roxette releases new songs:

No, I don’t think so actually. I would like to make more music with Lena, we released “Sällskapssjuk” together last year and I would like to continue that collaboration, but it will not be under the Roxette label.

However, there is a lot of material that Marie and I did that has never been released, studio and live recordings. So there will be more from the original Roxette.

On this year’s tour, Per has gathered musicians who have played and worked with both Roxette and Gyllene Tider, as well as his solo albums. Among others, Jonas Isacsson, who was already on the first albums, is back as a guitarist.

When Jonas plays his solos on “Listen To Your Heart” or “Queen Of Rain”, it’s like time has stood still. It sounds exactly as it did before. It’s pure pleasure.

Joakim asks Per how he puts a band together for a tour like this. If he sits down with the phone book and starts calling around.

It’s a bit like that, actually. The idea of Lena as a singer came when we recorded “Sällskapssjuk” in the studio. She has exactly the power in her voice that Marie had, but in a different way. So we had a meeting and I told her my thoughts. We tested a few songs and when she decided, I started thinking about who I should include in the band.

Per says that his aim was to include as many of the original band members as possible. Jonas Isacsson and Clarence Öfwerman have been with them from the beginning, Christoffer Lundquist was already on the “Have A Nice Day” album in the late ’90s.

Pelle Alsing is no longer with us, but Clarence and Christoffer suggested Magnus Norpan Eriksson, because they thought he played quite like Pelle. I don’t agree with that at all, but he plays really good pop drums and that’s exactly what we need. Especially in songs like “The Big L.” and “How Do You Do!”.

Joakim is curious about how long Per has contracted the band and if there will be Roxette in 2026 as well.

Yes, there is a big world out there with South America, Asia, North America and so on. What has been said now is that we are doing 2025 and 2026, and then we will see. It could be that we do the spring and then we skip it or it will be spring, summer and autumn.

But before that, two packed concerts at Brottet are ahead, and there is no doubt that Per is looking forward to delivering here on home ground.

It is of course special to play here in Halmstad and at Brottet where we have played with Gyllene in recent years, but Roxette has not played there since “Look Sharp!”. So it will be really fun.

All interview text is written by Joakim S Ormsmarck for Cityliv Magazine in Swedish. Here it is a translation by RoxBlog.

Interview with Fredrik Etoall and Per Gessle in Tylösand Magazine

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Joakim S Ormsmarck had a busy interview period and he also met Fredrik Etoall and Per Gessle to ask them about their collaboration. The result of this conversation was published in Tylösand Magazine.

When Fredrik Etoall discovered the camera at the age of 16, it was like the missing piece of the puzzle. Finally, he could express himself and capture the moment that he always lives in the middle of. Two years later, after finishing the media high school, together with a friend they took a car down to Höganäs to see the legendary photographer Christer Strömholm’s exhibition. A trip that would change his life.

It was fantastic. We insisted on getting an internship and I stayed there for periods until Christer passed away three years later. There I got to learn the craft for real, manage Christer’s legacy, retouch prints by hand and work with the images that would be passed on to buyers around the world.

This is where Fredrik and Per Gessle crossed paths for the first time when it dawned on the young photographer that the picture he was working on was going to Per Gessle and his hotel in Tylösand. A hotel filled with photos, he had to go there at some point…

My first memory connected to Per and Roxette is “Look Sharp!” on vinyl. I was eight years old and my mother had bought the record. We listened to it and danced at home in Vänersborg. But what caught my attention the most was the cover, the glamour, that’s where I wanted to be. On tour around the world.

Per interjects:

A fantastic cover. It was Mikael Jansson who took that picture!

For those who know his photography history, Mikael Jansson is a well-known name who has created iconic images over the past thirty years that have been published in all the major magazines around the world. It almost feels a bit typical that he was the one who took the picture for the cover of Roxette’s international breakthrough. Surrounding himself with the best photographers has become something of Per Gessle’s signature. Not uncommon at the beginning of their careers.

To Joakim’s question regarding how Per and Fredrik found each other, Fredrik replies:

In the fall of 2011 I worked with Icona Pop and made the video for “I Love It” which was very different from everything else that was being made at the time, rawer and less tidy. We had almost no budget, but the song and the video were a total hit and I followed the group around the world. In the middle of this, Marie Dimberg, Roxette’s manager, got in touch and wondered if I wanted to shoot the band for their album “Travelling”.

Per continues:

I thought it was fun to work with Fredrik right away. He’s a nice guy and he made sure we looked awesome in the pictures, hahaha. He has a feel for good light and a little fix, but not too much. He has the eye and there’s almost not a single picture that’s been published by Fredrik that isn’t good.

Fredrik laughs:

Thank you, I’ll send you money via Swish for the compliments.

About the photo session, Fredrik says:

We had lots of different things to do. When it came to picture four, Marie couldn’t take it anymore. Then I thought, damn it, it went wrong and I didn’t get any pictures at all. But it turned out that we still managed to take some pictures that still live on.

Per adds:

What Fredrik managed to capture with Roxette there and then were pictures of us that we hadn’t really done before, it was special in a way. Take this picture, for example. I have my black nails and yawn, Marie is standing in the background looking a bit uninterested. It’s a really lovely picture from that session.

In retrospect, everyone who was there that day agrees that something happened there and then. A special connection and trust were created, which led to new collaborations. Over the years, Fredrik has worked with Per and Marie solo as well as Roxette, PG Roxette and Gyllene Tider.

Per remembers:

When we made PG Roxette, we worked for two days. But we didn’t use anything from day two, because we had such a great first day with an incredibly good amount of material. It’s different when it’s just me. It’s easier. When I felt like I wanted to change pants, I just went and got another pair of pants. Or when Fredrik had an idea that I should have something that matched the curtain in the room, we solved it. It’s that simple.

Fredrik agrees:

That’s true, every session is unique. There is a big difference between working with one person or with a whole group, then the dynamics in the group become so important. I have been on jobs on other occasions where there may have been some fuss in the group before I came, and then it is so clearly noticeable. With Gyllene it has been a lot of fun, because there are five such different personalities who together become what is so special.

Fredrik tells Joakim what Marie Fredriksson has meant to their collaboration. How her elegance and power combined with humility led to a special relationship.

When I photographed Marie for what would be her last solo album at Grand Hotel, I took the picture of her standing in the window looking out towards the castle. It’s one of my absolute favourite pictures. It symbolizes both freedom and strength, how she carries both herself and me in that picture.

All interview text is written by Joakim S Ormsmarck for Tylösand Magazine in Swedish. Here it is a translation by RoxBlog.

Thanks a lot for helping out with the physical copy of the magazine, Chrissie Röhrs!