Helena Josefsson

Ännu doftar kärlek – tribute concerts to Marie Fredriksson in Stockholm

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You might remember that Malmö Live Konserthus organized a tribute concert to Marie Fredriksson during the theme year ”100 women, 100 years” in Malmö in March, 2022. Conductor Christoffer Nobin came up with the idea back then and now he arranges the concert in Stockholm as well. You can buy your tickets for the 3 concerts at Berwaldhallen on 19th, 20th and 21st October 2023 HERE!

Ännu doftar kärlek, the concert will contain songs from Marie’s solo career, as well as Roxette hits. Just like in 2022, Helena Josefsson, Amanda Bergman and Emil Svanängen (Loney Dear) will join Christoffer Nobin to perform the songs together with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Christoffer Nobin says:

Her songs and lyrics have been able to describe what I myself have not been able to describe, and her voice has aroused an ecstasy and admiration that only few others can achieve. This world artist, at the same time a mysterious rock star and down-to-earth Scanian girl, has reached hearts all over the world with her unique singing voice and genuine expression.

Photo is from the 2022 press release.

Per Gessle to release new album under PG Roxette

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As Göteborgs-Posten informs, Per Gessle has decided – there will be a continuation for Roxette, under the name PG Roxette and with Helena Josefsson and Dea Norberg on vocals.

Since singer Marie Fredriksson passed away on December 9, 2019, Roxette partner Per Gessle has not really known what to do with the band that made the two friends world stars in the 80’s and 90’s.

Now he has come to a decision. Roxette continues under the name PG Roxette. A new single is coming already in May, an album in September and after that a big tour. Per Gessle will sing together with Helena Josefsson and Dea Norberg, both longtime members of Per’s expanded musical family both solo and with Gyllene Tider and Roxette.

PG says in a press release:

It’s not possible to replace Marie and that is not something I want either. It was an era and a fantastic dream we got to share together. But it feels exciting to be able to continue this journey – albeit in a different way. If Marie had still been alive, we would of course have done this together.

The new album is already done, in the studio there were good old Roxette musicians: Jonas Isacsson, Clarence Öfwerman, Magnus Börjeson and Christoffer Lundquist. Of course, drummer Pelle Alsing, who passed away in 2020, was missing.

Per adds:

The new material feels really fantastic. It’s not always easy to renew yourself when you’ve been around for as long as I have. Sometimes you feel that you repeat yourself, but sometimes you end up on untrodden ground and become so wonderfully curious and then I feel that this is my life, that this is what I can do.

Per Gessle is currently preparing for a twelve-concert spring tour with an acoustic setting where he plays songs from his entire career.

Photos by Patrícia Peres from 2014 (PG + Dea) and 2018 (PG + Helena).

Ännu doftar kärlek – a tribute concert to Marie Fredriksson

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Malmö Live Konserthus organized a tribute concert to Marie Fredriksson during the theme year ”100 women, 100 years” in Malmö this weekend. Programs of the theme year aim to strengthen and pay tribute to women in the music industry.

The 90-minute-long tribute concert was performed three times, on 10th, 11th and 12th March. Christoffer Nobin who – besides being the one who came up with the idea – was the conductor and arranger, while Helena Josefsson, Amanda Bergman and Emil Svanängen (Loney Dear) performed the songs together with Malmö Symphony Orchestra. According to hardcore fans who were present, all three singers made the songs their own and the whole event was beautiful. The organizers and performers, all singers and musicians had great respect for Marie and the songs.

The concert was a journey through Marie’s art. Songs on the setlist appeared in four groups, each season got a set. During the songs, Marie’s charcoal drawings and parts of the lyrics were projected on the background.

Setlist

Autumn

  • Den ständiga resan (Marie Fredriksson) – sung by Helena Josefsson
  • Efter stormen (Marie Fredriksson & Lasse Lindbom) – sung by Amanda Bergman
  • Watercolours In The Rain (Marie Fredriksson & Per Gessle) – sung by Amanda Bergman
  • Mellan sommar och höst (Marie Fredriksson) – sung by Helena Josefsson

Winter

  • Herren ber för dig (Marie Fredriksson & Mikael Bolyos) – sung by Emil Svanängen (longtime fan Anja Hoppe was part of the background choir pre-recorded for the concert)
  • Så länge det lyser mittemot (Marie Fredriksson) – sung by Amanda Bergman
  • A Case Of You (Joni Mitchell) – sung by Emil Svanängen
  • Tro (Marie Fredriksson) – sung by Helena Josefsson (longtime fan Anja Hoppe was part of the background choir pre-recorded for the concert)

Spring

  • The Man I Love (George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin) – sung by Amanda Bergman
  • Den bästa dagen (Marie Fredriksson, Lasse Lindbom & Niklas Strömstedt) – sung by Helena Josefsson
  • Berusa mig (Marie Fredriksson) – sung by Emil Svanängen
  • Den sjunde vågen (Marie Fredriksson & Lasse Lindbom) – sung by Amanda Bergman & Helena Josefsson

Summer

  • Sista sommarens vals (Marie Fredriksson / Erik Satie) – sung by Amanda Bergman
  • It Must Have Been Love (Per Gessle) – sung by Emil Svanängen
  • Ännu doftar kärlek (Marie Fredriksson & Lasse Lindbom) – sung by Helena Josefsson
  • Mot okända hav (Ulf Schagerström) – sung by Emil Svanängen
  • Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell) – sung by Amanda Bergman
  • Ett hus vid havet (Marie Fredriksson & Lasse Lindbom) – sung by Amanda Bergman, Helena Josefsson & Emil Svanängen
  • Sparvöga (Marie Fredriksson) – sung by Amanda Bergman, Helena Josefsson & Emil Svanängen

The concerts ended with well-deserved standing ovation.

Here you can have a sneak peak of how the songs sounded: Sparvöga; Ett hus vid havet & Sparvöga

Photo by Paula Cafiero Högström

Photos by Riccardo Löffler

Photos by Andreas Kämpf

Thank you for your cooperation, Paula Cafiero Högström, Anja Hoppe, Andreas Kämpf and Riccardo Löffler!

PG Roxette covers Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”

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Per Gessle – together with Helena Josefsson, Dea Norberg, Clarence Öfwerman, Magnus Börjeson, Christoffer Lundquist and Jonas Isacsson, under the banner “PG Roxette” – is among those 53 artists who have covered their favourite songs from The Black Album of Metallica, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. From the 12 tracks of the album Per didn’t hesitate when asked which one he wanted to interpret – he picked Nothing Else Matters.

The Metallica Blacklist is now released digitally and will be out on 7 LPs / 4 CDs as well on 1st October. All profits will be donated to charities of each contributing artist’s choice along with Metallica’s own foundation, All Within My Hands.

In June, when PG shared the news he said:

I’m thrilled to participate in the “Metallica Blacklist” project. Picking a song to record from their classic “Black Album” was pretty easy for me. “Nothing Else Matters” has always been a favourite of mine. Wow, it’s such a great track!

Under the banner ”PG Roxette” I joined forces with long-time Roxers Clarence Öfwerman + Jonas Isacsson + Christoffer Lundquist + Magnus Börjeson together with Helena Josefsson + Dea Norberg, both closely linked to the Roxette touring band of the past.

My ambition was to treat the song with respect while transforming it to a style of my own. I’m very pleased and proud with the outcome.

All proceeds from the recording will go to Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation and to UNHCR, a charity I chose together with Marie Fredriksson’s family.

Upon the release he adds:

I remember hearing Nothing Else Matters all the time on the radio in the early 90’s when Marie and I travelled the world constantly. We always joked about that it actually could have been an amazing Roxette ballad, hahaha!

We both loved it very much. So what I’ve tried to create now is to make it sound like a classic Roxette song.

I’m extremely proud to be part of this Blacklist-project that connects artists and bands from all over the world for good causes. Thank you Metallica.

Watch a short video of the recordings HERE!

You will find PG Roxette’s interpretation of Nothing Else Matters on Disc 4 on streaming sites.

Listen here at the song’s direct links: Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube!

Credits
Produced by Magnus Börjeson + Clarence Öfwerman + Christoffer Lundquist + Per Gessle
Recorded at Farozon, Malmö + Sweetspot Studios, Halmstad + Aerosol Grey Machine, Vallarum, Sweden in January 2021
Engineers: Magnus Börjeson (Farozon) + Staffan Karlsson (Sweetspot) + Christoffer Lundquist (Aerosol Grey Machine)
Mixed by Ronny Lahti at The Lahti Headquarters, Stockholm, Sweden
Played by:
Magnus Börjeson: Programming + keyboards
Clarence Öfwerman: Programming + keyboards
Christoffer Lundquist: Ondes Martenot + keyboards + electric guitar
Jonas Isacsson: Lead electric guitar
Helena Josefsson: Vocals
Dea Norberg: Vocals
Per Gessle: Vocals

 
Metallica photo by Patrícia Peres, WorldWired Tour 2018, Budapest. PG still is from the official trailer.

What you’ll find on Spotify as the artist details of PG Roxette:

Per Gessle is one of Scandinavia’s most successful artists and songwriters of all time. With a gift for catchy hooks, both musically and lyrically, he has composed chart-topping pop hits for more than four decades. Starting his career in 1978 as the songwriter and lead vocalist in Swedish early 80´s pop phenomenon Gyllene Tider, he and singer Marie Fredriksson teamed up in Roxette with the humble aim to conquer the pop world. Which they did like no other Scandinavian act. Breaking big all over the world in 1989, they would score four US Billboard Hot 100 Number One’s – “The Look”, “Listen To Your Heart”, “It Must Have Been Love”, and “Joyride”.

When Marie Fredriksson sadly lost her long battle to cancer in 2019, the Roxette saga seemed to be over. But the songs were still here, there and everywhere. And so were the fans. A new chapter had to be written. Which it is. And it’s called PG Roxette.

Per Gessle is determined to keep the Roxette legacy alive. Always being the main songwriter and driving force in the band he continues to work both in the studio and on the road. For this project Per has joined forces with long-time Roxette collaborators Clarence Öfwerman, Jonas Isacsson, Christoffer Lundquist and Magnus Börjeson together with the amazing vocalists Helena Josefsson and Dea Norberg, both closely linked to the Roxette touring band.


PG Roxette “Nothing Else Matters” header pic is from Spotify.

Update on 17th September 2021: a music video has been published and some more info from Per.

Wanna know how NOTHING ELSE MATTERS came about in the studio? Here’s the story.
I’ve always thought NEM was a beautiful song. It’s got strong melodies, pretty straightforward but smart chord progressions, a lyric you can interpret in many different ways. It’s epic. If I should cover it I would love it to sound like a classic Roxette ballad! Shorten it a bit + create a magnetic intro.
We noticed at the Marie Tribute in Gothenburg 2020 how amazing Dea + Helena sound when they sing together. They sang FADING LIKE A FLOWER at the concert and we were all blown away.
So the basic idea for the vocals on PG Roxette’s take on NEM was to use that particular sound you get when you mix two very different voices and blend them. That’s what we did in the verses and in the outro. Dea + Helena share the duties. The choruses were mine to sing. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to work with three distinctive voices in one song. It certainly appeals to my restless mind!
The programming was done primarily by Magnus + Clarence, then Christoffer came aboard and did some overdubs. His recent baby, an Ondes Martenot from 1928 came in handy. Jonas did his guitar parts in Stockholm and he sounded like he always does; out of this world.
It was an amazing journey from start to finish. Ronny Lahti, who worked many times on Roxette albums in the past, did some extraordinary mixes. He’s another master.
And hey, here’s some footage from the recording sessions filmed by Anders Roos.
Badabam from P.

Per Gessle and Co. on The Metallica Blacklist

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As Per Gessle informs, together with Dea Norberg, Helena Josefsson, Clarence Öfwerman, Magnus Börjeson, Christoffer Lundquist and Jonas Isacsson he is among those 53 artists who are covering their favourite songs from The Black Album of Metallica, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. 12 songs in several interpretations will be released on 7 LPs / 4 CDs under The Metallica Blacklist project. Per & Co. covered the legendary Metallica ballad, Nothing Else Matters.

All profits go to charity. Release date is 10th September 2021.

Pre-save links are available HERE.

 

Per says:

I’m thrilled to participate in the “Metallica Blacklist” project. Picking a song to record from their classic “Black Album” was pretty easy for me. “Nothing Else Matters” has always been a favourite of mine. Wow, it’s such a great track!

Under the banner ”PG Roxette” I joined forces with long-time Roxers Clarence Öfwerman + Jonas Isacsson + Christoffer Lundquist + Magnus Börjeson together with Helena Josefsson + Dea Norberg, both closely linked to the Roxette touring band of the past.

My ambition was to treat the song with respect while transforming it to a style of my own. I’m very pleased and proud with the outcome.

All proceeds from the recording will go to Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation and to UNHCR, a charity I chose together with Marie Fredriksson’s family.

 

Stills are from the official trailer.