Awards

Roxette – Listen To Your Heart played 8 million times on US radio

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On September 28, BMI celebrated their exceptional family of songwriters, composers and publishers in the UK and Europe, whose groundbreaking music is making an electrifying impact on the global music scene.

At the 2026 BMI London Awards last night they recognised the top UK and European songwriters, composers and publishers of the past year across US streaming, radio, film and television. The Million-Air Awards were also presented throughout the evening and among the hit songs honoured was Listen To Your Heart by Roxette.

It Must Have Been Love celebrated its 7-Million-Air Award in September 2025 and now, one year later, Listen To Your Heart celebrates its 8-Million-Air Award! American radios played it 8 million times! How amazing is that!

Congratulations to Per and MP for creating this most amazing, timeless power ballad and for reaching the 8 million mark! Neverending love to Marie Fredriksson without whom it wouldn’t have been possible!

Roxette reached their 2nd No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with LTYH on November 4, 1989. In 1998 they received an award from BMI for this song being played over 2 million times on American radio. Phil Graham of BMI said it was very unusual for a song to get over the 2 million mark in such a short space of time. In October 2006, helped by DHT’s cover, Roxette were awarded again by BMI for the song’s 3 millionth broadcast on American radio. Per and MP got the Million-Air Award for 4 million plays in 2008 and for 5 million plays in 2014. Listen To Your Heart was covered by American hard rock band Through Fire and they put the song back on the US charts in March 2020. In 2020, PG and MP got the Million-Air Award for 6 million plays and it reached 7 million plays in December 2024.

Stills are from BMI’s congrats video.

Moments from the red carpet, stage and more HERE!

More photos HERE!

PG about the importance of collaboration

Highlights from the 2026 BMI London Awards

Roxette – “It Must Have Been Love” played 7 million times on US radio

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On 29th September, BMI was thrilled to celebrate their global family of songwriters, composers and publishers who are taking music to new creative heights. Throughout the night, they paid tribute to the British and European songwriters, composers and publishers of the past year’s most-performed songs across US streaming, radio, film and television, named the BMI London Song of the Year and presented their Million-Air Awards.

Listen To Your Heart celebrated its 7-Million-Air Award in December 2024, now it’s It Must Have Been Love’s turn! American radios played it 7 million times! Pure awesomeness!

Roxette reached their 3rd No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with IMHBL on 16th June 1990 and stayed on top of the chart for 2 weeks. In 2000 Per received the award from BMI for this song being played over 3 million times on American radio, for 4 million he got the award in 2005, for 5 million plays in 2014 and for 6 million plays in October 2021.

The hit started out as a Christmas song that found its way to hot-hot Hollywood! 7 million thanks to Per Gessle for writing this most wonderful ballad and to Marie Fredriksson for adding her amazing vocals and turning it into Roxette’s signature song! Big congrats! Big! Huge!

Vote for Sommartider – the almost true story of Gyllene Tider!

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The Guldbagge Awards is an official and annual Swedish film awards ceremony honoring achievements in the Swedish film industry. Which films and who should be nominated for the Guldbagge Awards in different categories are determined by a nominating committee. It consists of 45 members who nominate three candidates in each category. The Committee members are active in the Swedish film industry and are appointed by their respective organizations or institutions, as determined by the Swedish Film Institute’s board of directors.

This year’s nominees were announced on 17th December and Sommartider, the almost true story of Gyllene Tider received only one nomination, Johan Palm in Best Cinematography category. Congratulations! The movie was a big hit this year, more than 208,000 people went to see it in the cinema, so we think it would have deserved more nominations. We agree with Jan-Olov Andersson at Aftonbladet that Valdemar Wahlbeck, as Per Gessle, should have been nominated for Best Leading Actor. Anyway, we keep our fingers crossed for Johan Palm to win. He and his team did an amazing job!

Sommartider has a second chance though, to win the Guldbagge Audience Award!

Voting for the most popular film of the year is now open. In the first stage – starting today, 18th December – the audience can vote for all Guldbagge-nominated feature films from 2024, a total of 50 titles. On 2nd January, the three films that will advance to the final will be revealed, and voting will continue until 8th January. The winner will be announced at the Guldbagge Gala on 13th January.

Vote HERE!

Everyone can vote for the Guldbagge Audience Award once a day, and those who vote can also compete for great prizes: tickets (including hotel) to the Guldbagge Gala, cinema pass (Biopass) and Guldbagge merch.

Good luck!

 

Roxette – Listen To Your Heart played 7 million times on US radio

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BMI is excited to celebrate their exceptional family of songwriters and publishers in the UK and Europe whose groundbreaking music is making an electrifying impact on the global music scene.

At the 2024 BMI London Awards last night they recognised the top UK and European songwriters, composers and publishers of the past year across US streaming, radio, film and television. The Million-Air Awards were also presented throughout the evening and among the hit songs honoured was Listen to Your Heart by Roxette. Per Gessle and Mats MP Persson appeared at the event to receive the award.

American radios played Listen To Your Heart now more than 7 million times! That means more than 67 years if it were constantly played! Pure awesomeness!

Roxette reached their 2nd No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with LTYH on 4th November 1989. In 1998 they received an award from BMI for this song being played over 2 million times on American radio. Phil Graham of BMI said it was very unusual for a song to get over the 2 million mark in such a short space of time. In October 2006, helped by DHT’s cover, Roxette were awarded again by BMI for the song’s 3 millionth broadcast on American radio. Per and MP got the Million-Air Award for 4 million plays in 2008 and for 5 million plays in 2014. Listen To Your Heart was covered by American hard rock band Through Fire and they put the song back on the US charts in March 2020. In 2020, PG and MP got the Million-Air Award for 6 million plays.

Congratulations to Per and MP for creating this most amazing, timeless gem and for reaching the 7 million mark! Neverending love to Marie Fredriksson without whom it wouldn’t have been possible!

Per says in the 10th December press release:

Every time I hear Listen To Your Heart, I think of Marie’s magical voice. Yesterday it was five years since she left us and without her contribution, Mats and I would never have received this fantastic award. 7 million radio plays in the US is hard to grasp. I’m super proud, of course.

Check out BMIs website HERE!

Check out more photos HERE!

Check out the highlights video from the event HERE!

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