Efter fem

Per Gessle and Lena Philipsson on Efter fem

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Per Gessle and Lena Philipsson were guests on Efter fem, TV4 last Sunday. HERE you can watch Anna Brolin’s interview with them.

The program starts with people from the streets singing Roxette songs. Anna says there is no doubt that fans are excited about the upcoming Roxette tour that starts in Cape Town in February. She asks Per and Lena how it feels. Lena says it feels good now. They have started the rehearsals and she is focusing on planning now. She has already started looking at lyrics to try to get into it already now. Per says it’s a test for Lena to learn all the lyrics. PG thinks it’s easier for him, because it’s complicated to learn all the chords, but he has a relation to the lyrics, because he has written all of them. He says they have started acoustic rehearsals and it’s really exciting. Anna asks them if the rehearsals go well. Per says they haven’t argued too much. Lena confirms. Haha. She says it’s going well and they look to the future. There are many songs to sink your teeth into, but it’s fun. She is really looking forward to doing this.

Anna asks Per how it feels to bring the Roxette catalogue around the world again. Mr. G says it feels fantastic. It was quite a difficult decision. He has been wondering what he would be going to do with it or if he would leave everything alone. It has taken him many years to decide. The main point is that there is a whole world out there that still loves this music. He has written basically all the songs that Roxette has recorded, so they are very much his babies in a way. But the token only fell into place when he worked with Lena a year ago in connection with that thing [he points at the new album that is on the table in front of Anna], the Sällskapssjuk album… In the studio he realized how good Lena is. She could sing these songs.

Anna says she is very curious about that call that was made after, but before they get down to that, here comes a little background info about both Per and Lena’s career.

Johan Macéus talks about Gyllene Tider, their first three albums, then the first connection between Lena and Per in 1986 when Per wrote the song Kärleken är evig, Lena’s success at Melodifestivalen. The same year, Per recorded the song Neverending Love with Marie Fredriksson. They called themselves Roxette and Roxette soon became a success in Sweden. In 1989 they also broke through in the USA with The Look. It Must Have Been Love was in the movie Pretty Woman and became a worldwide hit in 1990. Over the years, Roxette topped the charts again and again, they toured all over the world and have sold around 75 million albums. Lena won Melodifestivalen in 2004. Now the two stars unite. Last spring, they released the song Sällskapssjuk together as part of Per Gessle’s newly released duet album.

Per explains that the album is full of duets and one of them is with Lena. When PG worked with Lena in the studio, he felt that she was really good. Lena has all the qualities needed to be able to sing Roxette songs. It’s not the easiest thing, Per says. Anna asks him what qualities Lena has. Lena is laughing here, but Per says she has a personality and energy and she sings cleanly and nicely. She has everything a good singer should have.

Anna asks Lena if she agrees. Lena asks Anna if she really should answer that question. Haha. She says Roxette songs are quite extensive and demanding. They demand a woman.

Anna wants to know what made Per think that they should do something more together. PG says it was something he talked about before. It’s a decision that has taken a very long time to make and he needed these little things like feedback from the big Roxette audience around the world. Many have wanted this to happen. He notices from streaming numbers that Roxette is just keep getting bigger and bigger. Roxette is more than 30 years of his life. So when Lena came into the studio and he heard her singing, he thought, shit, that’s not a bad idea. He was thinking how he should ask her. He didn’t ask directly. A few weeks passed before they met again.

Anna turns to Lena and asks her how it happened. Lena says she was down there in Halmstad and sang this duet Sällskapssjuk. Actually, Per asked her if she would go to Halmstad or if she would rather record in Stockholm. Then Lena thought she would go down to Halmstad, because then she would be in Per’s environment and then they could bond a little and maybe have some dinner. It might lead to something more. Then afterwards, it didn’t take that long. Per says it was three weeks, Lena says it was a few days until Per contacted her and said they should meet, because he wanted to ask Lena a question. Lena doesn’t know what she expected. Maybe some tour together or some more songs together. She was very surprised when it was this particular question. She wasn’t prepared for that at all. Anna is curious what the question was exactly. Lena says it was a straight up question. Per asked her if she would like to join Roxette on tour. She was surprised and started thinking that it can be difficult, because then she has to sing Marie’s songs. She was wondering how it would be received. It’s not an easy task for another artist to step in and do it. Per was very excited and thought this would be fun. He told Lena that she should do her own thing. Then Lena was thinking for a little while and then she said yes. Per says it was a good decision.

Anna says they were digging a bit in the archives and found out that there is one thing that is common in Per and Lena’s creation of music. Both Per and Lena have created Sweden’s most famous na-na-na-na-na-nas. Here they show the two songs where they sing na-na-na-na-na-na. Per says he thought Anna was going to say that they had Sweden’s two strangest dialects. Haha. Lena says, that too. Haha.

Anna asks her guests what their relationship is to each other’s music. Per and Lena look at each other and they say na-na-na is apparently the secret link between them. Haha. Lena says they come from the same era and they have been in the music industry for a very long time. Per says the music industry is different today versus when they started. He adds that there is no 40-year age gap between them, they are both veterans. There are a lot of meeting points. Per doesn’t say it was better before, but it was different.

Anna turns to Lena and asks her about her relationship to Roxette songs in particular. These are very big songs, as she also mentioned before and they demand a woman. Anna is curious if there are any songs that Lena feels like it’s an honour to sing. Lena probably feels that with all the songs actually. She thinks the whole mission is like that, that she feels that it is important to shape up and do it really well. She absolutely feels that. It doesn’t apply to a specific song, it applies to everything. If she has to mention songs, then it’s the biggest hits, of course. That they make them so that it feels good and everyone is happy. It Must Have Been Love, Spending My Time, Dressed For Success.

Anna asks Per what the feedback from the fans was after the announcement was made and the dates were out. PG experiences a huge interest. One can see that in the ticket sales. People don’t really know what they are buying. Lena adds that it’s more like a pig in a poke. Haha. Per thinks it’s cool, because Lena is a magically talented singer and she is also magically good on stage. So if you don’t know who Lena is and you go to Melbourne or to Perth and see Roxette next year, you’ll be shocked at how good it is. Per is completely convinced of that.

Lena says she always finds it difficult when expectations are set this high. She doesn’t really like it, but she will do her best. She can’t do anything other than do her best. People around the world don’t know who she is. So she leans towards the fact that she is also Swedish and that it was Per who has chosen her, so it’s his fault. You can always blame it on him. Haha.

Anna says the tour starts in Cape Town, then they go to Pretoria, then around Australia, Munich and there are a few dates in Sweden, but only in Halmstad and Gothenburg. She asks what happened to Vetlanda. Lena is wondering too. Haha. Per says there will be more gigs in Europe next summer, but not all the dates are out yet. He can’t promise that Vetlanda will be there, but they can discuss it.

Anna says Per was on many world tours, he knows touring life very well. She asks what tips he has for Lena regarding a world tour. Per says it’s not much different than touring in Sweden. It’s a prerequisite that you like to be on tour. He thinks that both Lena and he does. It’s great to meet people. You get an enormously positive energy from being on tour. But you also have to take care of yourself. Sleep properly. There is a lot of waiting. Waiting at airports and waiting for everything. Per turns to Lena and says she has to go to bed on time. Haha. Lena agrees that there is no difference. It’s the same routine anyway. You check in at a hotel, rest before the concert, you go to the venue, sit in the dressing room and get ready. Then you have to perform and do a good job. It’s the same, just further away. Per says everything is about the concert. That’s the priority.

Anna says Lena and Per have known each other for a very long time. PG corrects her and says they don’t know each other very well. They have had parallel careers, they have run into each other at the Grammys, stuff like that, but they haven’t hung out. Lena says maybe they do that now on tour.

Anna says Per talked pretty nicely about Lena musically. Now she is curious what Lena thinks is the brilliance of Per. Lena says she doesn’t know how many songs Per has managed to write. It’s incredible! It’s crazy! He has exactly the same energy all the time. He is just as curious, just as interested in working as always, in a tireless, fantastic way. One is just full of admiration for this. Per says Lena is so kind and thanks for her words. He adds that it means he is very old. Lena says it means he is very talented.

Anna asks Per what the allure of going on tour with this incredible song catalogue is. Mr. G says that the journey Marie and he got to take part in is absolutely fantastic. If you look back at those eight years between 1988 and 1995, their heydays, it’s an unimaginable journey. There is almost no one who has experienced it from Sweden. So it’s clear that Per is longing to go back to that time. Now that he has the opportunity to hopefully be able to do it again, it just feels super exciting.

Anna wants to know what he is longing for most of all. Per says you are longing to come to new cultures, new countries, cities and people who even you don’t understand what they say, because they speak other languages, but they know every single song, every line of lyrics that you have written yourself. It’s an amazing experience, no matter if it is in Buenos Aires or in Warsaw or wherever.

Anna asks Per if it can happen that when they hang on to this a bit more, some more music can come from the two of them. Per says they don’t know. Anna turns to Lena if there can be more songs like this duet they released. Lena says she has no idea. It is Per who is writing. She has no idea what the future brings. They start with the tour and they will see if it feels fun and works well. So far it has worked great and they have so much fun. Per agrees.

Anna thinks a lot of people are excited to see the concerts. She says one just wants to go to Perth and see this. Per says she should come.

Anna thanks her guests for coming to the show and wishes good luck with the hanging, bonding and Cape Town in February. Per and Lena thank her for that.

Stills are from the interview

Per Gessle talks about Roxette In Concert 2025 on Efter fem

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TV4 invited Per Gessle on Efter fem to ask him about the world tour, Roxette In Concert 2025. Watch it HERE! The program starts with showing a short part of the video to Sällskapssjuk, the duet single of Per and Lena Philipsson.

Program leader Tilde de Paula Eby likes the song very much, she says it’s a new collaboration between two giant artists that she really likes and it is released today. Tilde adds there is something else happening to Per and Lena, they are also going on a world tour. Per confirms and says at least they are going to South Africa and Australia. Tilde says it’s a world tour then. Per laughs and says it’s a big world out there. They were thinking of doing that at the beginning of next year and it’s quite exciting, under the name Roxette.

Tilde says it must be pretty emotional for Per to do this tour with someone other than Marie. PG says it is, of course. He has been toying with this idea for years, how to manage the Roxette catalogue in a good way. The great thing about the Roxette songs is that they still live on and there will be new people who like them. When you start thinking about it, there are really only two ways to go. Either you leave it at that or you move on. Per needed time to himself and also needed to find the right voice. When he recorded Sällskapssjuk with Lena – it’s a song from the duet album that will come out in the fall – then he realized that „shit, there it is”. He thought Lena would fit the Roxette songs perfectly. Per knows Lena is a big Roxette fan. Besides that, he has worked with her. Per has co-written her breakthrough song, Kärleken är evig in 1986. PG contacted Lena after the recordings of Sällskapssjuk and asked if she was interested. She was a little shocked, of course.

Tilde says she can imagine that one can react to such a question both with total jubilation and also a little panic. She says they will talk further about how it was, but before that, she asks her colleague, Henrik Alsterdal to tell a little background info about Roxette.

Henrik shows pictures from the good old days and talks about the numbers: 80 million albums sold, 4 Billboard No. 1 hits, 19 songs on the UK Top 40 and over 600 concerts. Henrik also talks a bit about PG Roxette and the upcoming Swedish album and finishes by stating that Per goes on tour with Lena under the name Roxette and the first gig is planned to be in Cape Town next February. In Cape Town, where Per played his last Roxette concert with Marie in 2016.

Tilde says, when you listen to these songs, it’s like decades are flowing through your whole body. She can’t even imagine what it’s like for Per. PG says they had a fantastic journey with Roxette. The eight years between 1988 and 1995 were fantastic. They were on the US charts for almost four years without falling off. They just changed the song. It was simply an amazing time. He still has to pinch his arm. Tilde says it’s funny that Per, who has done so incredibly much, can still appreciate these things and feel that he has to pinch his arm. It’s unreal. Per says it’s unreal indeed. Their whole journey, coming from such a small country like Sweden at the time. Their record company marketed them as an American band in England, because they couldn’t say they were from Sweden. To succeed was incredibly difficult.

Tilde asks Per if it is on purpose that he and Lena will play the first concert in Cape Town. Per says it was not intentional, it just happened that way and it’s actually strange that it turned out that way. Maybe that’s a sign, PG says.

Tilde is curious if Per has mixed feelings about doing this. PG says, not at all. If Marie would still be here, they would have been out on tour all the time for sure. But she is no longer there. Like Mr. G said before, you either leave it at that or you move on and start a new chapter in the book.

Tilde wants to know how he asked Lena Philipsson. She realized that it must have been mixed feelings for Lena, wonderful and scary at the same time. Per says it was absolutely like that. She asked how she could replace Marie, but Per said it’s not the idea that she should replace Marie, but Lena should do it her way. This is about managing the song catalogue. Per understands that Lena was stressed about it. At the same time, he thinks she has a lot to gain from this. She is a superstar in Sweden, but she has never played in Australia, in South Africa, in South America or in the USA. For her, it’s also a big challenge. Per is sure that if you have never seen Lena Philipsson and don’t know who she is and see her on stage for the first time, you will be shocked. According to Tilde, Lena is incredible on stage. It’s like a persona stepping out of her. She has body language and an absolutely phenomenal voice.

Per says they tested some Roxette songs at home at his grand piano and it sounds magical when she sings Queen Of Rain, Spending My Time and Listen To Your Heart. Per thinks this could be amazing.

Tilde says Per talked about South America, Australia, South Africa, but what about Sweden. PG says, oh, he forgot about Sweden. Haha. There are no plans for Sweden yet, but it will surely come, if it works. They see the Australia and South Africa tour as a small pilot tour. They see how it feels and how it works. PG brings the old classic Roxette band with him. If it works, it would of course be a lot of fun to play in Sweden too.

Tilde is incredibly impressed by Per’s driving force and is wondering where it comes from. Per says he loves his work. He loves to write, to be in the studio, to be on stage. He loves to play his songs and to feel the positive energy that comes from the audience. You get so much back, he says. PG thinks he has the best job in the world, after Tilde. Tilde smiles and says they probably share the first place.

According to Tilde, besides being a lot of fun, it’s a lot of work and it’s quite tough to travel around. Per agrees, touring is a lot of waiting at airports and in traffic jams and all that. But the reward is when you are on stage. It’s fantastic. That one minute, 30 seconds before you go on stage and 30 seconds into the first song, it’s the magic minute. You travel to another universe then. It’s a great charge up and a fantastic blast. That’s wonderful. When Tilde hears how Per describes it, she wants to experience it.

Tilde finishes the interview by mentioning Per’s upcoming album, Sällskapssjuk that is released in fall and the title song that has been released today with Lena Philipsson. She thanks Per for coming on the show and Per thanks for the invitation.

 

 

 

Stills are from the interview.

Per Gessle and Anders Herrlin about Gyllene Tider on Efter fem – TV4

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Per Gessle and Anders Herrlin were guests on TV4’s Efter fem on 1st June. You can watch it HERE!

The program leader, Axel Pileby says 4 years ago Gyllene Tider was out on a farewell tour and said goodbye in packed venues around the country after 40 years. But if you are one of Sweden’s greatest bands, you can make a comeback as many times as you want and now a new tour awaits and also a new Gyllene Tider album. He says it’s great to have Anders and Per on the show and asks them if GT is still as much fun. The guys say it’s a lot of fun. PG adds it’s a wonderful little pop band of the type that isn’t formed anymore.

Axel says they will talk about the GT film later, but he heard on the radio that yesterday Anders was going to meet the guy who will play him. Anders says it felt a little strange, but it was nice. The guy studied him thoroughly and they talked a lot. The guy was staring at him to check Anders’ moves and behaviour and so he felt watched.

The program leader says they will talk about the film and many other things soon, but first comes a little nostalgia and his colleague will tell a bit about magical Gyllene Tider. So here comes a compact history of GT. After the introduction of the band’s career, Axel asks the guys if they sometimes stop and think, wow, what have we done. Anders says when they see such presentations, they do. Seeing the 2004 Ullevi picture there, it’s just fantastic. Axel says he wasn’t there, but just by looking at the picture he gets goosebumps. It must have been extraordinary. Per says the first time they played Ullevi was absolutely incredible. So it has been an awesome trip.

Axel asks the guys how often they think back to GT and such things as Ullevi. PG says he is reminded about Gyllene Tider all the time. You hear GT music all the time, e.g. now when it’s graduation time of secondary schools (studenten), the students still sing Sommartider.

Axel says the band is back again after their 2019 farewell tour and he is curious what happened, why they changed their minds. Anders says the pandemic happened after their decision. Everything became so sad, everything was shut down and it was boring. Then this idea was born that they should fix themselves and bring back some light. Anders remembers when he hit the last note at the last gig in Oslo, he thought, „shit, what have we done? This is really sad, we should continue”. Per says people have a different way of thinking because of the pandemic. You started to appreciate things that you have in a different way. Time passed and so they started talking about why not recording a new album and play a bit more together. All of a sudden it felt obvious in a way, so it wasn’t really planned, but Hux Flux just happened. Axel says they maybe somehow realized it even more how much they miss each other, how much they mean to each other, because they have been a part of each other’s lives for so long. Per says such thoughts popped up during the pandemic in different ways. PG thinks a lot of people can identify with it.

Axel asks if there is any fear related to Hux Flux. He means that they said goodbye in 2019 and there was a big hype around it, a lot of people went to see them. Now they come back again and they are Gyllene Tider, but Axel is curious if they are afraid that the interest will not be as great. PG says you never know. Every time you do a new project, you can’t take anything for granted at all. Per thinks they have such a huge song catalogue that it feels completely right to do this. PG also hopes that there will be more things, so that they won’t go on another farewell tour.

Axel asks the guys how it is touring these days compared to 40 years ago. Anders says it’s a little easier now. Back then they carried their own stuff themselves. Maybe not Per, but the rest of them carried Per’s guitars too. Haha. Now they just go along and stand on the stage playing. Per says the only fun thing about touring is being on stage. Everything else is waiting to be on stage. It is the communication and energy that you get from the audience and that you feel the love. You live for this in a way. The rest is just sleeping pills… waiting for the flight, long bus rides, all that and new hotel beds every night. As he said before, you can never take anything for granted and it’s very cool to be in this band and to play on these stages and meet the audience. Anders says when they went on tour in their little tour bus 40 years ago, it was also cool, this little gang going around. They stuck together and learned a lot during those times.

Axel goes back to 1985 and asks about why the band split up. Anders says they kind of felt like they were not getting anywhere with their music. There was so much happening in music at the time with synths and more electronic stuff, but they were kind of stuck, so then Anders thought it’s better that they take a little break and they did.

Anders moved to Stockholm and started working in a music store and learned a lot about synth music, because he was very much interested in it. Then he started working with Per again for Roxette and added his knowledge to the music they made. And it was good.

Axel asks Per about 1994-1995 when they were on tour with Roxette and Per was writing music in Japanese ice hockey halls for GT again. PG says it was during the Crash! Boom! Bang! tour. They were to take a break with Roxette, because Marie wanted to have another child. So Per wrote songs for GT. Det är över nu he actually wrote in an ice hockey hall in Japan. All these songs, Kung av sand, Juni, juli, augusti, Gå & fiska! were written back then. It was a great time, PG says.

Axel mentions that Per often writes in unexpected places. PG says ideas can come anywhere, as long as you are motivated.

Axel asks the guys to tell a bit about the GT movie that premieres next year. Anders says it won’t be a documentary. It’s more about 5 guys from a small town who succeed against all odds. Per says it’s a film about 5 teenage guys who meet and start a band and suddenly end up in Stockholm in their clogs.

Axel wants to know how much the guys in GT are involved in the film. Anders says they get to read the script and think. Per says they have been there the whole time, because that script is their story, so it’s clear that they have to be there. They have told a lot of anecdotes and so it has become the script in a way. But it’s clear that the story is written in a way that it becomes an interesting and funny movie. It’s a very funny script with lots of laughs and cries, just like it was for real. Per thinks it will be a great movie. PG says most people who are in a film like this have already died, so it will be very strange to see this. Anders has already met mini Anders. Per has also met mini Per and he thinks that guy is amazing.

Axel says the movie will be exciting and he speaks for many people out there when he says it’s much fun that GT is back again. The new album is out soon and the tour starts on 7th July in Halmstad. Axel thanks the guys for coming to the show. Per says it’s their pleasure.

Stills are from the video.

Per Gessle and Uno Svenningsson on Efter fem

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Per and Uno were guests on Swedish TV4’s program, Efter fem today to talk about their new single. You can watch the video HERE.

After welcoming the guys, program leader Anna Brolin asks them how they are doing and both of them reply they are feeling very well. Anna also asks if they like each other. Uno replies „absolutely”, Per replies „sometimes”. Haha.

Per tells they started writing this song, Bara få höra din röst already in the summer of 2018. Uno came to Tylösand, they recorded a demo and they forgot about it, but last year Uno called Per to tell that it’s time for this song to become a single. Uno tells his son produced it, then all pieces fell into place and now they are here. Anna asks if the guys are nervous about the release. Both of them reply immediately that they are not. Here they show a little part of the video that will also be published tomorrow, 21st January.

Per says, as Uno said, the song has become so much better than it was, thanks to Uno’s son. Uno adds that it’s also fascinating how their voices fit so well together. PG agrees and says they both have strange voices. Anna asks if they knew it before that their voices fit and Uno tells he was singing on Per’s album in 2020 and already then he thought they sound good together. Per says they both have special voices and one can hear it when Uno sings and when Per sings. „Sometimes it’s good”, he adds. Haha.

The guys say it’s much fun to work together. It’s fun to be hanging out and talking about memories from the past. The first time they met they should have written a song, but they were talking about their memories instead. They talked about their careers, Per also about Roxette memories and how they met their old idols. Per says there is a lot to talk about, the music industry is fantastic, the little that is left of it.

Regarding how they met in Tylösand Per tells Uno and his wife called and they wanted to have dinner together. Per said OK, but Uno had to sing on one of his songs, Du kommer så nära (du blir alldeles suddig). That was the first duet they did together in 2020. And the dinner was good.

Anna asks what the guys are impressed by in each other. Uno says he has always loved Per’s voice and he is a fantastic songwriter. Per thanks Uno for being so kind. Mr. G tells when Uno sings he is phrasing in a totally different way than Per and he thinks about music in a different way vs. PG. You can learn from other artists and singers and wonder how they did this or what they thought about that. Also, Uno interprets a text in a totally different way and it’s exciting. Anna asks Uno if he can demonstrate how he is phrasing. Uno makes some „noise” and all three of them burst out into laughing. Per says „what a nice sound” and tells Uno maybe he should drink some water. Haha.

Anna asks if there are plans to play together live. Per tells they haven’t talked about it at all. It was just fun to do this stuff and they will see what it leads to. It’s always nice to meet and hang out, but they won’t tour with this. Uno says he is working on his album, so there will be more singles this year. Per says he came directly from the studio and there are a lot of things going on. He also hopes that he can continue his unplugged tour in April and May. Tickets are on sale from next Tuesday. It’s tough now for all musicians, artists and technicians. Everyone wants to start working again as soon as possible. Anna asks how to handle this situation during the pandemic. Uno says you can always write new songs.

Before saying goodbye, Uno shows a little more of his phrasing and Anna thanks for the example while they are all laughing.

Stills are from the interview.

Per Gessle on Efter fem on TV4

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Per Gessle appeared on Efter fem on TV4 today. Program leader Tilde de Paula Eby started with telling that many say ”Roxette is the soundtrack of my life”. Roxette has 4 US No. 1 hits, sold 80 million records, there is a new release with Roxette’s so far unreleased songs and a new solo album by Per Gessle. Many things are going on. Per says it fits him perfectly. Tilde asks her colleague to continue. Axel says it’s not too easy to summarize Per Gessle’s career in two minutes, but he tries to.

We go back 40 years in time and Axel shows a pic of Gyllene Tider as the first band Per broke through with. Then he started Roxette with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and they broke through internationally in 1989. They reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts with 4 of their songs. Per’s most memorable solo album is Mazarin from 2003. Now he released a new solo album, Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig.

Per says he is very proud and happy about all of these. It’s a long career. Tilde says Per is the type of person who is always working on something new, but she is curious if Per looks back on his past experiences every now and then. Per says not intentionally, but when he e.g. hears Roxette songs at the airport or wherever, he is of course reminded of all what happened. But he doesn’t start reading books about himself.

Tilde asks Mr. G if he is excited when he hears his own song on the radio today. Per says he can’t listen to Sommartider. If it comes on the radio, he turns it down. Haha. He says of course, when he hears any of his songs on the radio he is proud.

Tilde asks Per to tell her about his new album. Mr. G says it was recorded thanks to the pandemic. He was isolated in Halmstad, he didn’t have much to do, so he went to the studio and he had the ambition to play as many instruments as possible himself and record an album. He didn’t have new songs though, so he started digging in his archives. He found stuff he liked from the 80’s and 90’s mainly. He found songs that were forgotten, songs that were recorded in quite clumsy versions and songs he gave to other artists. He tried to find 12-13 songs that still feel relevant. The album is very much acoustic and sparsely produced. He tried to play as many instruments as possible, so there was a little hey-ho in between. He also asked help from local musicians in Halmstad. He thinks it turned out to be nice.

Tilde asks Mr. G what he thinks about himself when he is listening to his songs from the 80’s and 90’s. He doesn’t know, but the songs get another meaning when he sings them now as a 60-year-old. So a love song he wrote when he was 23 gets another meaning. When he sings it now, it becomes sentimental, it feels like looking back on his youth. The text gets a different point of view and that’s exciting.

Tilde is curious if Per was nervous or if there was anticipation when he released this latest album with songs from the past. If the feelings were the same as his experience in the 80’s when he released them. She also asks if it feels safe for him. Per says he feels safe, otherwise he wouldn’t have dared to play those instruments himself. It feels different now than back then. Also it was different with their international career. Back then they were checking the positions on radio charts. Those times are over for him.

With Roxette he also releases almost 50 songs now. Per says those are mostly unreleased demos or songs that disappeared when streaming became popular. There is also an acoustic session from the 90’s from Abbey Road Studios. There was more material than he thought he would find. It will come out on 4 volumes.

Tilde asks Per how he feels when he goes through the Roxette archives or watches the pictures in the video of Let Your Heart Dance With Me. Per tells the clips in the video were recorded by his wife who travelled with them on tours. It’s great fun to see them. That was an incredible journey. They had their heydays between 1988 and 1995, then Marie had her second child so they took their first break.

Tilde says Marie passed away almost a year ago. She asks Per if he still feels the same grief. Per says there is emptiness, but he is reminded of Marie every day. Them two are Roxette. When he sees all the pictures of themselves or is checking the archives, he is happy. It’s a fantastic journey they did together and it’s only the two of them who could chat about it. He misses it, but he gets happy everytime he hears Marie singing. She was fantastic.

Per always has ongoing projects, but this Swedish album wouldn’t have been released if there was no pandemic. Tilde says it must have been a lot of work to go through the archives and rewrite songs. Per says it’s much fun. He has yet another project besides all the others. Mr. G is working on an English album. He is recording it now. It will be released when it’s ready and it’s ready soon. It might be out next spring. It’s an exciting project for Per. Tilde asks if there are Billboard songs on that album in the making. Per smiles and says he doesn’t know, no, but we will se… One more No. 1 wouldn’t be bad.

Stills are from Efter fem.