As you could read in the press release, Per Gessle and Lena Philipsson release a single on 3rd May, the next single from Per’s upcoming Swedish album and embark on a tour together in 2025.
I met Lena Philipsson on 1st May via Zoom and after we discuss it’s better for me to speak English than doing the interview in Swedish, we get down to a very nice chat about her career and life as a performer and songwriter, as well as her collaboration with Per Gessle and their future adventure.
Patrícia Peres: – Hi Lena! Nice to meet you!
Lena Philipsson: – Hi Patrícia! Nice to meet you too!
PP: – First of all, I have to mention that I’m not a journalist. I’ve been a Roxette fan since 1991 and I’m blogging about Roxette and related stuff on RoxetteBlog. So my questions will rather be from a fan’s point of view, for a worldwide audience. Starting with the point where your career met our fan world, we have to go back to 1986 when Per wrote a song to you, “Kärleken är evig”. We can say it was your breakthrough song. How do you remember those times and how did everything evolve around that song? You even chose this as the title of your debut album.
LP: – Yes, Per wrote the lyrics to it. The music was written by another person. That was actually the first time Per and I met and that was when Gyllene Tider was over and right before Roxette started. I guess he had time before Roxette, but after that he became very busy, because Roxette was a huge success. Actually, “Kärleken är evig” is one of the most important songs in my career. I’ve also been working for a very long time, since 1986, and I’m still working, doing my thing. I release albums and go on tours. Back then I worked with a guy called Torgny Söderberg, who wrote the music, and he wanted someone to write the lyrics. I think he kind of knew Per and called and asked him if he could write the lyrics. And he said yes. I think it was that uncomplicated. Melodifestivalen is very big in Sweden and that was my first time in Melodifestivalen. And so, of course, that song became a huge hit and I still sing it.
PP: – No surprise, “Kärleken är evig” finished in 2nd place at Melodifestivalen.
LP: – If you google it, you can probably see us in Melodifestivalen. Pictures of us three standing there being interviewed before I sing the song. Per, Torgny and I.
Screenshot from Melodifestivalen 1986 and scan of Schlager-SM 1986
PP: – Yes, there is even a video, that’s very cool! [47:09 into the video. /PP] You took part in the contest 3 times in the ’80s as a performer, then 2 times in the ’90s as a songwriter and while you were also hosting the show in other years, in 2004 you came back as a performer just to win it with “Det gör ont”. A song that finished in 5th place in the Eurovision Song Contest that year. What does Melodifestivalen mean to you? It must have an important place in your life.
LP: – Yes, as I said, it’s a very big TV show and everyone is watching it. So I mean, if you want to make a big impact, that’s the show to be in. And it’s still like that even now. It’s very popular to be in that contest and I’ve been there so many times, as you say, I’ve been a host too, several times. It’s a good program and it’s like a huge party going on.
PP: – In Sweden, you have a long and very successful career. You released numerous albums, mainly in Swedish, but you also have many English songs. Per wrote songs to you later as well, not only in Swedish. On your “Talking In Your Sleep” album, there are two songs written by him. “Never Is A Long Time” and “Take It Or Leave It”. Why was it important to you to sing in English back in the days and how was your cooperation with Per during those times?
LP: – Why did I sing in English? I guess it’s just because it felt kind of cool. I mean, I was 20 when I started and my “Talking In Your Sleep” album was a mix between Swedish and English. I thought I was cool. I don’t have a better answer than that. I wanted to be a little bit tougher, I guess. Haha. As you said, Per wrote two songs and he sent them to us. I didn’t meet him at that point. I just sang the songs in a studio. I think I remember him asking if Roxette could record “Never Is A Long Time”. And they did record it later.
PP: – Yes, it came out on their “Tourism” album in 1992. In later years, you wrote more songs yourself. What is the essence of songwriting for you? Do you usually start with writing the lyrics or the music?
LP: – Very often it starts with the music and the lyrics come later. Sometimes I write songs just because I know I want to do another show and I need some new songs. When I’m working with my own things, I like to be involved in everything around. I have made a lot of shows. It’s like being on the same stage for three months doing four or three shows a week and in that kind of show you can maybe change clothes or dance a little bit. You do this monologue and I’m being funny and I’m playing the piano and I do all sorts of things. And I really like that way of performing. The two latest albums that I wrote, I already thought of them as doing them on stage. And I always think about how I’m going to do it. Music and the visual appearance are combined in that way. I’ve been writing new music now, but I’m still thinking of what way, what direction I’m going for and what I want to do with that, what’s the meaning of that. I would like to find some kind of meaning to the music more than just the music itself. I’d like to see that vision in my head, how I sing it, what I am wearing…
PP: – I read somewhere that you were even sewing your own clothes.
LP: – Yeah, a long time ago. I actually did that because I come from a very small town and they didn’t have those cool stores. So you had to buy some fabrics and just do it yourself.
PP: – How cool is that! And when you have an idea, how do you record it for a song? Do you make demos or just snippets?
LP: – Yeah, I usually make a demo at home here, I have a tiny little studio. But I also sit by the piano and try some things out. I just vary it a little bit too. It depends on what I feel for. And I’ve always had a demo studio at home since the beginning, actually, since I was 15 years old. Writing songs has always been a part of my career, even though I haven’t always written the songs myself. It’s definitely a part of me.
PP: – When I was in Sweden, I think it was after COVID, I couldn’t avoid your song “Maria Magdalena” on the radio. It’s a very danceable, earworm song and it became a big hit. What do you think, what makes a hit?
LP: – Little do I know about that. I’m a person that likes totally different kinds of music, really. I love techno, house, R&B and great singers or even rock ‘n’ roll things if it’s a good song. When I write music myself, sometimes I write complicated songs and sometimes simple songs. And it feels like it will always be the simple song that wins. I love “Maria Magdalena”. It’s quite simple in the melody and that seems to work the best. But I’m a little bit more complicated than that. I write a lot of other sorts of music, too, but they have never become some kind of single hit. “Maria Magdalena” did, and I kind of felt it, because I knew it was catchy. And when I played it for people to see what they think about it, everyone was very positive about it immediately. But I still think it’s a mystery, this thing about what makes a hit. Simplicity might be one of the key things.
PP: – Who are your main musical inspirations?
LP: – Well, as I just said, I like so many different kinds of things. And at the same time, I’m not so interested in listening too much to something and being too influenced by it. I try to dig into myself and find what’s the best part in my musical thinking and use that, because I want it to be as personal and unique as possible. I like everything, but then I kind of shut it out and start thinking about what I want to do. This is typical for me. I do my own thing. I know it’s not what you hear on the radio right now, but maybe I don’t care about that. I just do it anyway, because that’s me.
PP: – Now that Per is releasing a new Swedish album and he decided to do some duets on it, you met again. You sing the title track with him, “Sällskapssjuk”. How did this cooperation start?
LP: – You know Marie Dimberg. She texted me one day and asked if I wanted to sing a duet together with Per. And I actually quite immediately said yes, because I thought that was fun. I went down to Halmstad and we recorded the song there. It was very easy to do it together with him. He was easy to work with. Afterwards, we had a nice dinner and talked about what we were doing now and everything we’ve done during the years and the future and so on. And then I went home and a couple of days later he texted me and asked if we could meet. He had a question to ask.
PP: – And then he asked you about joining him.
LP: – Yes, he asked about this Roxette tour. And I was very surprised by the question. I don’t know what I had expected. Maybe doing some more songs together or some tour together, but this wasn’t the question I was expecting. It’s different for me, because I’m always doing my own thing all the time. Then suddenly I got this question and the first thought in my head was actually, I can never be Marie Fredriksson. I mean, she was an amazing singer and she IS Roxette. And that might be difficult, I thought. But Per was very optimistic and positive. He said “you’re doing your thing”. I went home to think about it for a while and talk to my people about it. And now here we are, I said yes.
PP: – I know Per has been thinking a lot about how to bring Roxette songs around the world again and it was only a question of time to find a solution. All the songs deserve it.
LP: – Yeah, I can understand that, because there are so many songs he has written that he can never sing, kind of. So I really understand it.
PP: – What does Roxette mean to you personally and musically?
LP: – At that time when they got really big in the US, when they became No. 1 and had this huge success, I was working, too. I was in the middle of everything. You of course heard about it, you read about it, you heard them on the radio, at the cafe, at the nightclubs and you saw them on TV, but I actually have never seen them live, because I was also touring myself. I must say I have the greatest respect for Per. He is a brilliant songwriter. He is really amazing. I’m very happy to work together with him. He is still so full of energy.
PP: – Yeah, that’s inspiring!
LP: – Yeah. And he still writes these songs, he never stops. Amazing!
PP: – I don’t like to compare anyone to Marie and as Per says, Marie is irreplaceable and it has never been the intention to replace her with someone else, but fans tend to compare female vocalists who cooperate with Per, it’s inevitable.
LP: – Yeah, I know that, of course, and I can understand that.
PP: – How do you feel about stepping into these shoes?
LP: – It will be hard for me. Well, that was the first thing I was thinking about. I can never replace Marie. And even though I try to do a good job, the fans are standing there and say, you’re okay, but well, you’re not Marie. I will just try to do my best, because that’s the only thing I can do. I also understand that the fans don’t know anything about me. I’m just somewhere from Sweden. Per himself is very, very happy and positive and really looking forward to this. And I trust him. I understand I’m like a guest here, I’m going to try to blend in and he will do all the decisions and I will just come along. I understand the job.
PP: – How much did you know Marie and what do you think about her? You already mentioned that she was an amazing singer.
LP: – Yeah, she was! I didn’t know her deeply, but I met her several times here in Stockholm at parties and other places. She wasn’t my best friend, but we talked. She was always so kind and humble, a very nice person with a warm heart. And she was always smiling.
PP: – How challenging is the Roxette song catalogue for you?
LP: – Well, the songs are not that easy to sing, actually, because they have a big range, high up, down low. We tried some songs in an easy way at home with Per and two musicians and I listened to six or seven songs to try to learn them a little bit, so we can just try out how this sounds. Then I just realized that it was like up there. OK, you can take this down a little bit, but this one you can’t take down, because it’s already very low. Then I said sorry, maybe I promised too much. But Per just laughed and said, no, no, we don’t do that thing anymore. So we have changed the keys and it went OK when we tried it out. But yeah, there are some difficult songs.
PP: – Which is your favourite Roxette ballad?
LP: – I think “It Must Have Been Love” is a very good ballad. There are a lot of ballads that are very good. “Queen Of Rain” I really like, because it’s kind of soft and more suggestive. I would say those two are my favourite ballads.
PP: – And which do you think is the best Roxette power pop song?
LP: – Now I’m thinking about the songs I’m gonna sing. “Dressed For Success” would be very special and it’s very much Marie to me. A fun song to sing. I’m looking forward to that.
PP: – Have you already discussed which songs are in sight for the tour?
LP: – No, not yet, but there are a lot of songs they need to play. Or WE need to play. We are not there yet and that’s one of the decisions that I leave to Per. To decide on which songs to perform. I wouldn’t interfere with that. So you just have to wait and see.
PP: – Yeah, I’m excited about it. Is there a Roxette song you wish you had written?
LP: – Hm… all of them! Haha. I don’t know what to pick here, because there are too many great songs.
PP: – If we are talking about your songs, which are your, let’s say, top three songs that you would suggest Roxette fans to listen to, to get to know you better? Which songs represent you the most?
LP: – Wow, that’s a difficult question, because I never think about my own songs. I’m just working with them. I know the songs that are most famous that I always sing, but they are not necessarily the same that I like the most. It’s difficult to say. I have written all the songs on my two latest albums, so maybe those represent me now. But there are also some old songs. All the songs from Melodifestivalen, for instance, are very well known here in Sweden. So I guess somewhere in there you will find me.
PP: – I have of course checked videos of you on YouTube and I must say you are very much of a rock chick, but you also have your sensitive side when performing. How does it feel for you to be on stage?
LP: – I love to be creative. I love to work with stuff behind the scenes when you prepare a new show, when you think about the songs and where to speak and where to insert some fun. Then I always get a little nervous to be on stage and meet the audience for the first time, to see if it works. I’m never like, oh, I love to be on stage, because to me, being on stage, it’s all about doing a good job and giving it all to the audience. So it’s all about the audience and the communication between us. I almost never think being on stage is fun for me. I must say many times I’m kind of amazed that I’m on that stage, because I’m quite an introverted person.
PP: – It’s very interesting what you say, because indeed, a lot of artists are introverts.
LP: – Yes. But on stage, you have to take that role and just do it. At the same time, when I come up with a good idea, I’m of course looking forward to showing it to people and thinking that it will make them happy. They will laugh or that will surprise them. When you feel that energy, when you create something, it takes a little bit of the nervous thing away. Obviously, I’ve been doing this for almost 40 years now, so I’m here because it’s fun and I’m good at it.
PP: – In an interview you mentioned you are always looking for new things, not to repeat or sing the same stuff all the time. Now this is very different to what you have been doing so far. As a songwriter yourself and performer of your own songs, how does it feel that you will now perform whole concerts of another band’s songs?
LP: – Yeah, that’s something new I didn’t do before. That’s kind of an adventure. I often work that way when I know I’m going to do something and I’m already there in my head to just prepare for that. So, I know what I’m going to do and I’ve just stopped wondering how it feels, because now I’ve decided to do this and I’m just on my way towards it. And I think it will be something different and hopefully very fun.
PP: – I’m absolutely sure it’s gonna be fun.
LP: – And I need to learn a lot of new lyrics. I’m not used to that either.
PP: – You will have a prompter on stage! Haha.
LP: – Ah, you say something! Haha.
PP: – Have you ever toured outside Sweden?
LP: – No, I haven’t. I’ve been thinking about this because of this tour now. And well, I was in London in 1991 and there I was at a kind of management office. They wanted to contract me and they wanted me to move to London, but I didn’t want that. I was too scared for that. No way! I like Sweden. I’ve been a couple of times in Italy, Greece and around Sweden, of course. I did some gigs in Norway, Finland, Denmark, but nothing more than that.
PP: – I saw a 1989 interview with you where you said long bus rides are very tiring, but meeting the audience is always fun. What do you expect from a world tour?
LP: – I guess a lot of travels. Haha. It’s the same procedure as in Sweden, but in another country. You travel somewhere, you check in at your hotel, you go to the place where you’re going to do this gig and you’re into your dressing room and prepare for going out on stage and then you do the work and afterwards maybe a glass of wine. That’s exactly the same thing I do in Sweden. It will be just bigger. And there will be new people for me and a new kind of audience, the challenge in all that.
PP: – The tour starts in South Africa and the next stop is Australia. I assume other continents will soon follow the February and March dates. Which country is high on your list to perform in?
LP: – I’m just focused on the job and Roxette and my work together with Per. But I’ve never been to South Africa and I’ve never been to Australia either, so that will be fun too.
PP: – The touring band will consist of Christoffer Lundquist, Magnus Börjeson, Magnus “Norpan” Eriksson, Dea Norberg, as well as Clarence Öfwerman and Jonas Isacsson. Have you ever worked together with anyone in the band?
LP: – No, I don’t think so. Maybe some of them will remind me that I have, maybe in some studio when we recorded albums in the ’80s. Dea has been working with me on a couple of shows I did here in Sweden. Yes, and other tours as well. So, yeah, Dea I know well. She is super easy to be with.
PP: – Which Roxette songs do you look most forward to singing live?
LP: – As I said, I really want to get “Dressed For Success” right. It’s such a big hit and so much Roxette.
PP: – What is your message to the Roxette fans?
LP: – My message is: I love you too! Haha. I hope we meet and I hope you will like me. I’m looking forward to seeing you all and I’m gonna do everything I can to honour Marie.
PP: – Thank you so much for your time, Lena! Looking very much forward to seeing you on stage with Per and the gang! Happy release day for your duet and all the best on this upcoming journey!
LP: – Thank you very much!
Check out Lena’s music HERE!
Photo by Fredrik Etoall
