Marie Fredriksson
Gun-Marie Fredriksson (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈɡɵnː maˈriː ˈfrêːdrɪkˌsɔn] ⓘ; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist, and lead vocalist of pop-rock duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. The duo achieved international success in the late 1980s and early 1990s with their albums Look Sharp! (1988) and Joyride (1991), and had multiple hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four number ones.
Fredriksson had a successful career in her native country prior to forming Roxette. She was a member of punk group Strul, a band which created their own music festival in 1979. Strul's dissolution led to the creation of her next project, the short-lived MaMas Barn, after which she began releasing solo work. Her first album, Het vind, was issued in 1984, followed by Den sjunde vågen in 1986 and ... Efter stormen in 1987. Roxette's international breakthrough coincided with a period of inactivity for Fredriksson as a solo artist, punctuated only by the release of the non-album single "Sparvöga" in 1989. Subsequent solo albums included Den ständiga resan (1992) and I en tid som vår (1996).
In 2002, after fainting at home, Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. During her rehabilitation, she continued to record music as a solo artist, resulting in The Change in 2004 and Min bäste vän in 2006, as well as the non-album single "Där du andas" in 2008—her first and only solo number one single in Sweden. She and Gessle later reunited to record more albums as Roxette, and the pair embarked on a worldwide concert tour. She also continued to record as a solo artist in her native Sweden, releasing Nu! in 2013. Fredriksson died on 9 December 2019 as a result of health issues stemming from her brain tumour.
Early life[edit]
Gun-Marie Fredriksson was born on 30 May 1958 outside the small Swedish village of Össjö.[4] She was the youngest of five children born of Charles Gösta Fredriksson (1914–1981) and Inez Dagmar Fredriksson (née Hoffert, 1922–1998).[5] When she was four years old, her parents sold their farm and relocated to Östra Ljungby, where Gösta took a job as a postman and Inez became a factory worker.[6] Three years later, her oldest sister Anna-Lisa was involved in a fatal traffic collision; her car was crushed by a tanker truck while she was travelling to purchase a dress for her engagement party. Marie explained: "She was 20 – and I can barely remember her today. But I remember the grief, how the family was torn apart. Completely. After that I had to fend for myself. I was only seven years old."[7]
With both parents in full-time employment but unable to afford child care, Marie and her underage siblings would often be left unaccompanied at home while their parents worked. It was during this period, with the help of siblings and friends, that she learned how to sing, read notation and play musical instruments.[8] She also credited her pastor with encouraging her love of music, and said that she had been performing "ever since I was little and me and my sister Tina went to Sunday school. We had a wonderful pastor in Östra Ljungby. I've got really bright, lovely memories of that place, even when my big sister died. I loved all the songs. It was such a source of freedom for me… for both of us."[7]
Her interest in music continued to grow throughout her teens, as she discovered artists such as The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple.[9] She enrolled in a music school in the Svalöv Municipality at the age of seventeen,[9] where she befriended students from the theatre department by composing music for their amateur plays. Since no other vocalist in the school could emulate Fredriksson's vocal range, she joined the cast of a musical she co-wrote. This musical toured throughout Sweden, with its run culminating in a performance in Stockholm for Prime Minister Olof Palme.[10]
Career[edit]
1978–1984: Early work[edit]
After graduating from music school in 1977, Fredriksson moved to Halmstad, where she worked in theatre before becoming involved in the local indie music scene.[11] She formed punk group Strul (English: Hassle) in 1978 with then-boyfriend Stefan Dernbrant—the band consisted of an extensive and fractious lineup of musicians, the majority of whom would leave after a single performance. Strul established their own independent music festival in 1979, Strulfestivalen,[12] which was financially lucrative for the band. The festival was held each summer for three years, until 1981.[13] Dernbrant exited the group in December 1980 when he and Fredriksson ended their relationship. Due to the success of the festival, Fredriksson opted to continue performing under the Strul name alongside the band's other longest-serving member, guitarist Martin Sternhufvud. The group's popularity increased substantially in 1981, culminating in several performances on Swedish music television programmes. This exposure led to Strul signing with independent record label Bastun, which released their first and only single in June, the double A-side "Ki-I-Ai-Oo" / "Strul igen". The release was timed to coincide with the 1981 version of Strulfestivalen, which would be the last; three months later, the group permanently disbanded following a "disastrous" performance at the Pop Around the Clock festival, which was broadcast nationally on Swedish radio.[10]
Following Strul's breakup, Fredriksson and Sternhufvud formed a new band, MaMas Barn (English: MaMas Children). The two were the only permanent members, with Sternhufvud moving to vocals and Fredriksson to keyboards. The name was created by combining the first two letters of both members' given name.[10] The duo regularly shared a rehearsal space with Gyllene Tider,[14] leading to the latter band's bassist and drummer – Anders Herrlin and Mickael "Syd" Andersson, respectively – becoming members. This close relationship between the two bands resulted in Fredriksson performing vocals on Gyllene Tider's 1981 song "Ingenting av vad du behöver" (English: "Nothing of What You Need"). The following year, MaMas Barn signed with CBS Records International before their recording contract was sold to WEA International, which financed the recording of their only album, Barn som barn (English: Children as Children). The album was produced by ABBA guitarist Finn Sjöberg and eventually released in November 1982. Although it was a critical success, the record struggled commercially, selling approximately 1,000 copies. The group disbanded shortly after.[10]
Believing Fredriksson to be "too talented to be hiding behind keyboards", Gessle invited her to audition for Gyllene Tider's producer Lars-Göran "Lasse" Lindbom.[11] Impressed with her voice, Lindbom offered Fredriksson a contract as a solo artist on EMI Sweden, although she initially refused the deal, saying she was "too nervous" and "lacked the confidence" to be a solo artist.[15] She performed duet vocals on "Så nära nu" (English: "So Near Now"), the lead single from the Lasse Lindbom Band's 1982 album Romantisk Blackout.[10] The album was successful in Sweden,[16] and she joined Lindbom's band as a featured vocalist for an extensive tour of the country. Following its completion in the autumn of 1983,[15] Fredriksson recorded backing vocals for Gyllene Tider's debut English album The Heartland Café, released in Sweden under the band's original name, and in EP format in North America under the name Roxette—derived from the Dr. Feelgood song of the same name.[10]
1984–1989: Solo work and Roxette[edit]
On Gessle's insistence, Fredriksson agreed to embark on a solo career in late 1983,[17] recording her debut album from December 1983 to June 1984, with Lindbom as co-writer and producer.[18] "Ännu doftar kärlek" (English: "Still the Scent of Love") was issued as her debut single in May 1984, becoming a top twenty hit on Sverigetopplistan, Sweden's national record chart.[19] Her debut album, Het vind (English: Hot Wind), was released in September,[10] and also peaked within the Sverigetopplistan top twenty.[19] The album was promoted by a three-month double bill concert tour, featuring Fredriksson performing as a solo artist alongside Lindbom's eponymous band.[20] The title track was issued as the second and final single in October, b/w a Swedish version of Cyndi Lauper's "All Through the Night", retitled "Natt efter natt" (English: "Night After Night").[10]
Her first solo tour took place from March to June 1985,[10] after which she performed vocals for Spännande Ostar (English: Exciting Cheeses).[21] This cover band appeared on several Swedish television programmes, and consisted of Fredriksson and Lindbom performing alongside Per Gessle and Mats Persson. The same year, Fredriksson and Lindbom travelled to the Canary Islands to write songs for her second solo album.[10] Den sjunde vågen (English: The Seventh Wave) was released in February 1986 and peaked at number six on Sverigetopplistan, selling over 90,000 copies.[19][22] "Den bästa dagen" (English: "The Best Day") and "Silver i din hand" (English: "Silver in Your Hand") were issued as singles,[10] while the title track and "Mot okända hav" (English: "Toward Unknown Seas") were top ten hits on Svensktoppen, Sweden's airplay-based chart.[23] She won the 1986 Rockbjörnen award for Best Swedish Female,[24] and embarked on her second tour as a solo artist.[10]
Personal life[edit]
Fredriksson met her husband, keyboardist Mikael "Micke" Bolyos, during the Australian leg of "Join the Joyride!" in December 1991. She later said of the impact meeting Bolyos had on her professional career: "If [we] hadn't met, I don't know if I would have been able to continue in Roxette much longer. I couldn't handle the personal side of life on tour. I was hanging out in bars, drinking too much. I was sad a lot of the time and had a hard time with the press, when I always had to be nice and say the right things, always having to be available to everybody, always putting on a smile and being happy. Marie Fredriksson the performer had grown in stature, at the expense of Marie the private person. I had less and less space to be myself, and when I was myself I felt uncertain, small and lost."[7]
The couple married in a private ceremony in May 1994, which was attended only by immediate family members.[6] Her decision not to invite Gessle and his wife to the wedding briefly became a source of tension between the duo. She later explained: "Some of our friends felt excluded and disappointed. Today I understand that, for example, Per and [his wife] were hurt [not to be invited], but then I didn't see it that way. My only concern was that I wanted the wedding to be private. It was what felt important then."[109] Fredriksson and Bolyos had two children, a daughter and a son.[6][110][111]