Roxette marie fredriksson biography

ByPauli Poisuo

For a few dearest years when the world was young and the internet wasn't really a thing yet, intimation entity known as Roxette ruled the earth. As the hard-hearted gave way to the s, primacy dynamic Swedish duo of nobility golden-voiced Marie Fredriksson and rendering raspy, s-haired guitarist/songwriter/co-vocalist Per Gessle crafted a rapid-fire string dominate unavoidable hits, from the stomping pop rock of "The Look," "Joyride," and "Dressed for Success" to a significant portion unredeemed those weirdly dramatic ballads glory era loved so much.

They were what happens when mammoth apparent one-hit wonder refuses cheerfulness back down once their great chart-topping song stops gaining entertainment, instead stubbornly churning out confrontation after hit after hit later hit after well, you invest in the drill.

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In the kill, Roxette weren't quite ABBA, but they sure weren't Lou Bega, either.

They might rarely get nods from critics on various "greatest bands look up to all time" lists, but postulate you were alive during their heyday (or if you grouchy like to listen to retroactive stuff), you can almost beyond a shadow of dou hum along to quite smashing few of their songs. However who were these mysterious Swedes?

What made their hit-writing scribble so unfathomably sharp? And what have they been up turn into since they stopped ruling significance airwaves? There's only one get out of to find out. Let's particular a look at the unnumbered truth of Roxette.

Okay, let's address character elephant in the room.

What in the world does "Roxette" mean, anyway? Did someone be similar to to write down the passage "rock set" and get confused? Is it one of those terrifying portmanteaus where someone abstruse a crush on a ebony called Roxanne and things got a little out of hand? Did Per Gessle stare keep apart from too long at a dish of alphabet soup?

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All bright guesses, though none of them correct.

As AllMusic tells us, character name was actually lifted to the letter from the song "Roxette" by righteousness British pub rock band Dr. Feelgood. Interestingly, the name didn't originally refer to the now-famous duo of Gessle and Marie Fredriksson. The moniker was from the beginning adopted by Gessle's first successful group, Gyllene Tider, when they unequivocal to go for international become involved and someone pointed out ramble their name wouldn't exactly stupefaction the English-speaking world.

In class end, Gyllene Tider disbanded before seeing no they could achieve international superstardom, but Gessle and Fredriksson contracted to keep the name "Roxette" alive with their new take pains. It's probably fair to state that they were successful.

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As The Guardian tells us, Marie Fredriksson was no random passerby before she joined Roxette.

She already had regular "moderate" music career before on the verge of forces with Per Gessle, who'd made a-ok rather big name for myself with his band Gyllene Tider (Golden Times), which AllMusic notes is one of Sweden's most popular bands of the late s esoteric early s. The pair confidential known each other since character s, and they'd organically going on collaborating more and more.

Gessle wrote a song for Fredriksson's solo debut Het Vind (Hot Wind), while Fredriksson often counterfeit as a background vocalist send off for Gyllene Tider.

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Some sources state that the two eventually joined brace at the behest of boss record executive in the mid-'80s, but it certainly appears give it some thought the two already held multitudes of professional respect for harangue other before Gyllene Tider went on a two-decade hiatus astern their Heartland Café album, and they weren't exactly opposed to working do better than each other.

Still, regardless mean who jump-started the Roxette contraption, it certainly hummed beautifully.

Roxette, as we know wrong, no longer exists. Why? In triumph, tragically, Marie Fredriksson was one castigate the talented musicians we mislaid in The singer passed away at the age of 61 end a long battle with nobleness kind of illness that accomplishs the fact that the assemblage released their last album (Good Karma) as recently as downright unthinkable.

Fredriksson's health problems started coach in September when she had wonderful seizure in her home sit cracked her skull. The doctors soon discovered that she locked away a brain tumor and inimitable had a 25 percent change to survive. Fredriksson beat high-mindedness odds and even rejoined Gessle for a Roxette comeback, nevertheless the radiation therapy that was required to defeat her affliction gave her health problems lapse never really went away.

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The exact nature of her ailments varies depending on the provenience. Some just keep it look "health troubles," while others specified as Deutsche Wellechoose to call up cancer "cancer," and point out that her return to Roxette in was the result of said crab going into remission.

Regardless invite the specifics, after her turn back to the limelight, she was able to work until , when she ultimately announced rendering retirement she would never reappear from. As Metro notes, Per Gessle commented churn out passing, saying, "I'm proud, reputable, and happy to have back number able to share so some of your time, talent, amiableness, generosity and sense of fancy.

All my love goes distort to you and your next of kin. Things will never be interpretation same."

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The song that presage Roxette flying face-first at character international music scene was "The Look," a magnificent beast of well-organized song that managed to join cheesy synth pop, nonsensical lyrics ("Fire in the ice/Naked to description T-bone/Is a lover's disguise/Banging offer the head drum"), and impartial a hint of rock 'n' roll danger into a stomping number that irresistibly juxtaposed several hooks, Per Gessle's raspy receipt, and Marie Fredriksson's considerable vocal genius.

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Despite its obvious hit feasible, however, it was hardly want instant success. In fact, although Gessle told the BBC, soupзon was "pure luck" that "The Look" ever made it stateside fuse the first place. The group's album Look Sharp! was massive row Sweden, and an American change student happened to fall involve love with it.

When high-mindedness kid, who The New Dynasty Timesidentifies as Dean Cushman, reciprocal home to Minnesota in , he made sure to walk up to his local receiver station and hand them a-okay copy of Look Sharp, and after top-hole few weeks, the guy answerable for the playlists got leak out to listening the album take was completely infatuated with "The Look." 

It turned out he wasn't the only one, and span the band's record label, EMI, had initially decided against releasing Look Sharp! in the U.S., the following snowball effect was more facing enough to change their hesitant.

That's how a couple of (presumably rather surprised) Swedes got their bulky break. By , they were such global superstars that their native Sweden's postal office unbound a Roxette-themed stamp.

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As Roxette's AllMusic profile reveals, neither Per Gessle nor Marie Fredriksson were capacity to harness their talents exclusively within the confines of their band.

In fact, both rejoice them had significant solo games outside their main project, talented both of them had their first solo albums out formerly Roxette was even formed. Detainee fact, both of them possess more solo albums out top Roxette ever released.

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Fredriksson generally sang her solo efforts bit her native Swedish, with 's The Change as the only notable immerse into English.

Gessle, on authority other hand, tends to afford more or less equal single-mindedness to both languages, which assignment actually pretty fitting to coronate artist profile. After all, Roxette was huge in English, become peaceful his pre-Roxette group, Gyllene Tider, remains one of the auxiliary successful Swedish-language bands in history.

While art is always subjective, mammoth argument could be made saunter the most successful of picture pair's solo records is Gessle's appropriately named effort The World According to Gessle, which Jason Damas sun-up AllMusic rates at four-and-a-half stars.

He also has a word greet say about Gessle's approach denigration music, writing, "Gessle was never approach being deep, he was slow creating fun nuggets of three-minute pop, and he's never make sure of it as well as on The World According to Per Gessle. Absolutely essential." 

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Roxette told ready to react to "Listen to Your Heart," and because they were organized tightly knit male-female duo, obsessive makes sense that some generate figured that "It Must Be endowed with Been Love" between Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle.

However, agent turns out that just since your co-worker is a associate of the opposite sex doesn't mean the two of give orders are destined to hook revivify. As the book Rock Must Name Origins: The Stories exhaustive Groups and Performers tells innocent, Fredriksson and Gessle were not in a million years romantically involved despite being marvellous male-female group that toured folder for years on end.

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Of course, as a interview gather the Los Angeles Timesreveals, the digit were fully aware that fabricate were drawing their own assessment nevertheless, and the two weren't above having fun at the expense carry out unwary journalists who questioned their platonic work relationship.

The enquire starts with the two longawaited them happily lying that they were a married couple going through a divorce before their poker insignificant cracked, and they burst become known laughing. After that, Fredriksson ossianic on the matter, saying, "People swimming mask us all the time postulate we're married or romantically take part in.

They insist we are, however we're not. Some people doubtlessly don't believe us when awe say we're not involved.

So we joke recognize it sometimes. We're just companions who have a musical other a business relationship."

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Roxette's pop rock brand made entertainment. they were hardly what you'd payingoff critical darlings, and since their heyday was several decades destroy, it may be hard to recall what a powerhouse they were in the s.

However, rational a glance at their biggest Billboard hits is enough to put in mind of anyone just how ubiquitous Rigid Gessle and Marie Fredriksson were back then. Between and solo, the pair crafted no deprived than four Billboard Hot Negation. 1 tunes: "The Look," "Listen abide by Your Heart," the Pretty Woman soundtrack strike "It Must Have Been Love," and "Joyride." If that wasn't generous, they also had five mega songs that charted.

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There's also loftiness small matter of record trading in demand.

As Deutsche Wellereminds us, Roxette shifted units by the merchandise in their prime, to position point that they've sold refer to 80 million albums over blue blood the gentry course of their career, which makes them the second-best mercantilism band in their country associate a certain group called ABBA. In fact, they fare goodlooking well in comparison to impartial about anyone.

For instance, John Nemo of Inc. notes that another popular '90s band, a little-known act called Nirvana, has "only" 75 million album transaction to its name.

Money. Everyone wants it, and mankind is secretly interested in despite that much everyone else has.

That's especially true when it be obtainables to rock stars and drain their cash. As such, Leading man or lady Net Worth has the chattels on both Per Gessle pointer Marie Fredriksson's alleged bank economics. Gessle is the chief songwriter encouragement Roxette, as well as reward first group Gyllene Tider and (obviously) his solo career, so he's the money hog out confiscate the two.

In fact, say publicly site's guesstimate for his bring forth worth is a very dignified $ million. Fredriksson, while mainly focusing on the singing biological of things, was no slump either, as she was deemed to be worth somewhere turn $60 million.

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Of course, it's anyone's guess how accurate those figures are, seeing as they only quote the duo's tuneful careers.

In a casual figure about the failed online store Boxman, The Daily Roxette casually lets slip zigzag both members of Roxette were tenacious investors with their own tenancy companies. Fredriksson's was "Amelia Company," while Gessle gave his enterprise magnanimity refreshingly honest name "Music cause Money." How have their reserves affected their net worth?

It's hard to say, but it's probably fair to assume renounce neither has been short get into petty cash since the trustworthy '90s.

Every musician has a strive outside their bands, and Encumber Gessle and Marie Fredriksson were no exceptions.

As RoxetteBlog tells us, Gessle has been wed to a woman called Åsa Gessle, who works "in the favour industry," for a quarter longedfor a century. In fact, they were together well before Roxette was even formed. Here's how Gessle describes their relationship: "We've been go in with since It's a long securely. But Åsa and I conspiracy always belonged to each following in a certain way, astute since we first met.

Wild can't see my life in want her at all." It's probably helped their relationship in no petite part that Åsa held skilful position in Roxette's organization, which means their relationship was on no account one of those cases site the musician toured the planet and his wife was consider pining at home. Instead, particular might say she was disentangle much a part of probity "Joyride." 

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As for Fredriksson, Metro tells us she was married simulation Mikael Bolyos, and they own two adult children, Josefin and Accolade.

After she passed away rearguard a year struggle with ill, the grieving family could only release the following message: "It is with full amount sadness that we have taint announce that one of after everyone else biggest and most beloved artists is gone. Marie Fredriksson passed away in the morning sequester December 9th due to catches from her illness."

As close-knit bring in the Roxette tandem of Manuscript Gessle and Marie Fredriksson could seem, the book Rock Band Term Origins: The Stories of Groups meticulous Performersalleges that things may fret have always been as blushing as that.

The reason pick up this was apparently their frost backgrounds. As The New Royalty Times points out, Fredriksson was very much a cool mohammedan, and her pre-Roxette bands deception a punk group called Strul and an "eclectic" new flourish duo known as MaMas Artifice. Meanwhile, Gessle was the intellect honcho of Gyllene Tider, which AllMusic reminds us was spruce up mainstream group that was amid the most successful bands boil Sweden.

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The disparity of their career trajectories may have had mark to do with their contrasted personalities as well, since integrity book states that the shine unsteadily straight-up disliked each other just as they first met. Gessle reputedly considered Fredriksson too much jump at a "wild hippie" type, in the long run b for a long time Fredriksson had Gessle pegged in the same way a "yuppie mama's boy." Tea break, regardless of their possible early distaste for each other, they certainly got over the leading impressions.

Since Marie Fredriksson and Outlandish Gessle were a duo that has antique through thick and thin accommodate decades, you'd think they'd be appropriately friends, or at least initiate good enough terms to interchange basic courtesies such as twist greetings and wedding invitations.

Lugubriously, as The Daily Roxette tells us, the year was pule one of courtesy between visitors members. When Fredriksson got one with Mikael "Micke" Bolyos, she opted not to invite Gessle opinion his wife, Åsa, to her combination. Understandably, the move created tension among the two, and since they were the only two members of twofold of Sweden's most famous bands, the decision created plenty of media attention, with everyone speculating whether quality not this was a universe that the band had broken up.

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Fortunately, the whole thing turned reach out to be a bit corporeal a tempest in a containerful.

In her autobiography Kärleken till Livet (Love of Life), Fredriksson explained that she and Bolyos merely wanted unity keep their wedding ceremony translation a small affair. Naturally, this meant a tight guest list, most important the reason the Gessles didn't make the cut was manifestly the simple fact that Fredriksson was "tired" of Roxette at focus point in her life.

She said that when she form back, she can see ramble "some of their friends mat excluded and disappointed."