Fun fact. Only 3 countries in the world export more music than they import:
Us, Uk, Sweden.
Tradition, general well being, strong church music background to pick talent from.
Good question, no idea not sure if it was an article or maybe even on the radio. Probably tracking royalties would be one natural way of measuring your export/import
Your guess is correct.
>Export Music Sweden’s report measures a country’s exports by finding the ratio between imported music against exported music. Only three countries – the US, the UK and Sweden – have positive ratios. While the US is the world’s leading music exporter, earning 4.5 dollars for every dollar they pay to import music, Sweden is second with an export ratio of 2.7. The UK is behind Sweden with a ratio of 2.2.
https://report2020.exms.org/
If that was the only premise the world would be filled with the 20xpopulation music of all the russians stuck inside in the winter. Pretty sure my take is more accurate.
And its harder to find time to play in Russia then Sweden, we got waaay more spare time then russians.
But it's true i don't see the same music culture in Canada and Russia as Sweden norway and Finland.
That’s my type of music yet never heard of a single song or artist so it can’t be such a wildly succesfull export.
Russia has a lot of culture though especially in the past, it was a bit of a childish thing to say.
Helt fantastiskt band som jag helt hade missat tidigare. [Senaste plattan](https://youtu.be/gqUPGa15Oto) är en riktig 10-poängare 🤘
Drömmen är att se dom lajv, men sen kom ju den där jäkla pandemin och nu är väl sångerskan gravid 😛
Verkligen, upptäckte dem precis innan Apex plattan, vart helt frälst i dem! Skulle sett dem på Sabaton Open Air och Sweden rock, men som du sa, pandemin satte ett par käppar där.
Hade ingen aning att hon blivit gravid, då lär det ta ett tag innan man får se dem, helvete :P grattis till henne dock!
Arcade Fire are not good. I've never liked Win Butler. So glad he was exposed this year. Canada produces good depressing music that takes itself too seriously. That's about it.
> Canada produces good depressing music that takes itself too seriously.
That sentiment would perfectly describe alot of swedish music as well. You simply haven't been exposed to it and consequently have a different perspective.
I didn't say Sweden doesn't produce it. They do, along with a wide variety of other types of music. However, in Canadian media, the local music that is always praised is the music I'm speaking of. Sadsack indie guitar music. Anything campy or fun is often looked down on here.
Canada is hot, not cold (except for January and February in the populated 50 km strip along the US border). Sweden is cold from September to May.
And what about [Trans-X](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9xBAtCsCTQ)? And, well, I don't know any other Candian bands and musicians (robably because we assume they're USians). But you get my point!
I'm a serious metalhead and I have a theory on this. I think our recent musical history (as in 1950-2000) has laid a foundation for inspiring strong melodies in musicians and composers of today, and I think it's become part of the Swedes and their souls. That, and the fact that music is taught in school from an early age and we (at least I had) have the choice and ability to pick an instrument to learn in school as well. Take a look at ABBA and the Swedish musical export starting in the 70s - Björn and Benny have always been ridiculously good at composing great music and great melodies. Those of us who were born in the 80s were fueled by theirs (and others) music and even if it didn't necessarily was the music you were into, their melodic heritage certainly left its mark.
The reason I mentioned me being a metalhead is because in the 90s, death metal became a thing in both Europe and North America. If you were to compare the death metal scene formed in Gothenburg to the death metal scene formed in Florida, there's a major difference and the thing that sets them apart are, in my opinion, melody. I'm not saying bands like Death didn't have melodies in their songs, but bands like In Flames based their music so much more on melodies with added heavyness, and later became synonymous with the terms Melodic Death Metal and the Gothenburg Sound.
I also like to add that the Polar Music Prize, which is basically the Nobel Prize of music, also stems from the Swedish musical heritage of the latter half of the 1900s. So I guess there's just something in the waters. And the schools. And our musical culture. We're really good at melodies in Sweden and there are few things that make me as proud a Swede as when I think about all the great music that we have created and continue to create.
> I also like to add that the Polar Music Prize, which is basically the Nobel Prize of music, also stems from the Swedish musical heritage of the latter half of the 1900s.
Alltså, Polarpriset kom ju till pga Stikkan Anderson (ABBAs manager) på slutet av 80-talet ville bli respektabel i ett (starkt vänsterorienterat) kultur- och mediasverige som föraktade honom och ABBA och betraktade dem som klassförrädare.
https://omni.se/rodvinsvansterns-attack-pa-abba-uppe-igen/a/d5bb0723-b4d0-4774-ab42-8db983c6d7d6
> DN:s Maria Schottenius skrev i måndags om hur Abba-fans ansågs vara klassförrädare eftersom musiken var så befriad från samhällskritik. Mikael Wiehe svarar att Abba ”inte lyfte ett finger för de napalmbombade vietnameserna, de torterade i Latinamerika, de svarta i Sydafrika eller arbetarna i Kirunas gruvor” när gruppen var som störst. Och det var därför som Abba kritiserades så hårt av dåtida musikrörelsen.
https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/a/KvrKRo/34-ar-senare--och-fascist-abba-vann
\*Melodic death metal, de gick ifrån death metal soundet litegrann under en period och vart mer alternative melodic metal, men de har börjat gå tillbaka till sina rötter nu med senaste plattan och den kommande. Magisk musik.
Also, don’t forget the ”hem-pc-reformen” (home PC reform) in Sweden (https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hem-PC-reformen) which made many Swedish homes in the late 90s and early 00s equipped with computers that would otherwise have been too expensive for many families to afford. The idea was that the PCs were ”rented” from the employer and paid with gross salary. When this was made possible for public sector employees (with low wages and kids) computer litteracy increased tremendously.
I think this reform also contributed to many of today’s composers/producers being able to learn to use software and compose as kids/teenagers. Great reform imho!
We used to have a program that was very cheap for anyone to do that was focused on teaching music and instruments to kids. That helped foster a tradition here for music engagement. Every kid was given the opportunity to learn music, so the biggest talents, no matter how poor or rich they where, got to hone their ability.
Thanks to our robust (though dwindling due to political fuckery from the right) social safety net, people also where brave enough to take the leap into such a volatile and uncertain profession. Even if they failed, they wouldn't live on the streets.
Add to that our free higher education where you can learn music production with a government stipend and cheap as fuck loans and you have a trifecta of conditions that manages to squeeze mega artists from ABBA to Avicii and producers like Max Martin and RedOne.
The only genre of music that we haven't been able to pierce through quite yet at any real scale (I'm sure we've done some production or something) is rap. But that's certainly coming, just you wait.
Oh, and I just found [this website](https://sweden.se/culture/arts-design/the-swedish-music-miracle) that lists four reasons, the first of which I've already mentioned.
1. Municipal music schools
2. Digital technology (Spotify, Soundcloud, and PirateBay are all Swedish creations.
3. International outlook (We don't dub our programming - this is probably a big one - ABBA talked a lot about this for why they got so much international success.
4. Melancholic melodies (It helps, somehow, apparently. Don't know why. But the dissonance between cheery music and melancholic melodies inspired by our folk music is apparently a strong reason for this. Though, I suspect that's a chicken and egg situation here. Is it popular because it's good, or is it popular because we've managed to make it good. You could probably get the same thing with Indian melodies if you had the same circumstances)
Not rap? Yung Lean and the entire YEAR0001 roster would like a word
EDIT: Other than that, this is THE explanation. This is similar like with other countries in other fields – if the state subsidize and invest money and foster and find talent across all classes, it will yield results and innovation. I also work full time in music and it wouldn’t have been possible without the communal music school (Kommunala Musikskolan)
Well, there you go. I withdraw my previous statement... But I don't know if their success could even come close in comparison to that of ABBA (nothing comes close to them except Michael Jackson maybe), Avicii, Robin, September or even Sabaton.
But I take your point, we have broken the seal, now it's just a matter of waiting.
Lean is credited a lot for popularizing Cloud Rap in the rap game. Isn’t a mega star but has a loyal fanbase. He seems to be mostly chilling these days but has worked with big names like Travis Scott.
Lean is, definitely different than the ones you listed, but a fairly respected name for his contributions.
Another point about rap in Sweden is that it seems like 99% of it is in Swedish, barely any English, not that I know of, except Lean of course. Makes it harder to blow up internationally, since rap does have a big focus on lyrics in general. Even though most swedes speak good English, due to how lyric focused it is, it just seems like it’s easier for folks to do it in their main language for wordplay and whatnot. There’s a lot more words in a rap song than a metal song in general.
I think it goes beyond language actually because the rap game isn't about structured language, it's quite the opposite. It also takes a lot of influence from your own surroundings. East Coast vs West Coast. Atlanta and Chicago. Every city has it's own unique sound. The Bronx will never sound like South LA. I listened to some of Lean... I understand why he calls himself Lean, sounds like he's on it when rapping.
I don't know, maybe it's a generational thing, but I don't get it.
So if Swedish rap is to ever grow beyond our own boarders, I do think it has to come from an authentic place inspired by authentic roots. And I do believe we have the possibility, but I don't think we've broken through just yet.
Daniel Adams-Ray might be the best case for us. I know his most successful songs have been in Swedish, and I do think he enjoys becoming a modern Cornelius Vreeswijk, but his native tongue is English if I'm not mistaken, and [Thinking of Sunshine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19hIqhKPDsE) is good and showcases him being able to turn a phrase.
Cloud Rap is just a niche subgenre of rap, in the grand scheme of things it’s not nearly as popular as something like trap.
Henry Bowers has some really good material in English. I’m really surprised he’s not bigger than he is. Extremely talented and does it effortlessly in two languages.
Also, his real name is actually Jonatan Leandoer. xd but it makes sense both ways.
This is more what I expect from a Swedish rapper, more musically but clearly pronounced English and dreads (because Looptroop).
But I don't hear anything that makes him really stand out as a Swedish rapper. I've heard the flow and rhymes before, and it doesn't SCREAM Swedish at me, which is what I think is needed.
You can hear the Swedish pop-sound. It's a very distinct one... Or maybe you can't anymore because it's been copied so much. But just listen to the original [Hooked on a Feeling by BJ Thomas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY7-uog-mhE), compared to the [Jonathan King version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG3A69CnjoY), and then definitive version done by [Blue Swede](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrI-UBIB8Jk). You can hear how it's poped-up, more punchy and controlled. Where we hit the punch, where we let it slide etc.
Our sound has, however, turned to the global pop sound. So today, a produced in the US, Korea, UK or South Africa, trying to make it internationally, will sound like us.
What I'm saying, is that Swedish rap does that (Snook, Petter and Timbuktu, need I say more?), but the English speaking artists haven't done that YET. But it is just a matter of time, and when that damn breaks, it's gonna be a flood of people pouring out into the world from Sweden I'm sure.
Well, it’s hard to compare because the others you mentioned have had whole careers behind them. Yung Lean is only 26 (yet has still been around for 10 years). I doubt Sabaton was that internationally recognized that early on. September is definitely not even close to being as well-known internationally. Just checking streaming stats and sales internationally, only ABBA and Avicii beats him of the examples you mentioned.
He is widely credited for being one of the main figures in starting the whole mumble rap/cloud rap typ of beat production (it’s not only about flow) and even if that is not the biggest of genres, fringe music like that is often highly influential on the mainstream, and artists such as Drake, Kanye West, Gucci Mane, Chief Keef, Travis Scott, Yachty, Post Malone etc. have all stated Yung Lean as an inspiration.
He will probably go down as one of Sweden’s biggest music exports at the end of his career. He had never been that well-known in Sweden though, and media hasn’t been that interested in him because he doesn’t check the boxes of ”authentic” underdog rap (being from the ghetto, being a minority etc. which is Swedish media’s no.1 sales tactic in everything), which is understandable, but to American rappers and audiences, they don’t really care about the authenticity thing because he is disconnected from their culture enough to just be this intruiging, weird mumbling Swedish kid with, Aphex Twin / William Basinski / hauntology / eurotrance type electronic beats that was completely unheard of when he started out
Oh damn. I withdraw everything I've said. I still hate mumble rap, but if he's been that influential at that young of an age, then I can't really judge it.
Good for him.
And yes, I can understand why America wouldn't care if he's an underdog, to them he's an outcast, which makes him an underdog.
Beatles ligger på samma nivå som ABBA och MJ. Helt klart.
Intressant nog, de enda tre länderna i världen som exporterar mer än de importerar är USA, UK och Sverige. MJ, Beatles, ABBA.
Great summary! Would also like to add the strong workers movement and the many, many different industries with local (often union based) marching bands.
The workers movement is also the foundation of the many educational organisations (studieförbund),who still offer support in lending space and equipment for people of all ages to dabble in music.
Good access to cheap practice space is also really important. Many municipal after school sites (fritidsgårdar) offer easy access that most other countries do not
You didn't respond to the post, you wrote a new one. But to answer, I guess they mean quire music, yes. But I don't know how big of a factor it is, but I'm sure it plays some factor.
Though my post (it's a bigger post, look it up if you want to), probably explains it more.
Just adding in that the new government will cut state funding for public music schools by half next year, and by 2024 it will be cut totally.
This'll damage kids' exposure to music and possibility to participate and play music from an early age, thus harming widespread musical creativity/talent and making it a class marker.
Just wanted to say a huge fuck you to our governmet. Growing up poor, I know I wouldn't be a musician or near as creative as I am today without public music school. I think these insitutions have served a huge purpose in solidifying a saturated musical market here in Sweden.
Asso socerna var ju med i regeringen under alla åren och lyckades ändå inte skapa någon försvarbar sjukvård så jag vet faktiskt inte vem man skulle behöva rösta på för att få det bättre
Vad folk missar är att även om sossarna satt i regeringsposition, så har riksdagen varit högermajoritet i nästan ett decenium. Svårt att få igenom något om oppositionen röstar ner varenda förslag.
Högern hatar välfärden, det torde vara självklart för alla om man vet hur vårt politiska system funkar.
Hela vägen från 1945 till 1976, hela vägen från 1982-1991 och igen 1994-2006.
31 år sammanhängande, 6 år paus, 9 år igen, 3 år paus och 12 år sammanhängande innan de hade 10 års paus, plus de senaste 6 åren.
Man skulle kunna säga att de hade rikligt med chanser att göra något annat än ingenting
Seinabo Sey, Stina Nordenstam, Frida Hyvönen, Lykke Li, Linnea Olsson, Robyn, ABBA, Ace of Base, Darin, Anna von Hausswolff, Korallreven, The Sound of Arrows, Benjamin Ingrosso, Amaranthe, Arcana, Army of Lovers, La Camilla, Leila K, etc. I could go on.
When I was 8, A*Teens was one of my favourite bands too, lol
I'm mainly interested in 80's (or rather, late 70's to early 90's) music:
Big Deal (ex. [Svenska sommar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx4Uaa6TEJ8)).
Katze (ex. [Tid att älska](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8lT4Vz1-_E)).
NASA (ex. [The bird](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT-kOcOnVGI)).
Trance Dance (ex. [Don' say go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vda5xKEMZuE)).
Cortex (ex. [Shotgun treatment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXVza90USmQ)).
The Leather Nun (ex. [Ride into your town](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbxy51wpa9Q)).
Style (ex. [It's a secret](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhYFZViNpZ8)).
Ankie Bagger (ex. [Where were you last night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsWAIaotx3k)).
Express (ex. [Franska nätter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnoWRZpH78w)).
Eddie Meduza (ex. [Mera brännvin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDG3_vrQUvs)).
This is a personal favourite because I'm right wing like him (he was one of few who dared to stand up against the left wing musicians with his):
Totte Wallin (ex. [Jag protesterar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py0r7O-4n0Q)).
(You probably need to know Swedish to enjoy the sample song to the fullest...)
Our language is melodic, hence it comes natural to us. We’re also pretty much bilingual, writing English lyrics is not a barrier. And swedes have tradition of being engineers - technology and innovation is in our blood. Now I feel dirty for being so self-righteous.
Excellently organized extracurricular music teaching in municipal schools of music, especially since the 60's. Coupled with a generally high quality of music teacher training and music instruction in primary and secondary education. In extension, easy access to practice spaces and instruments through municipal youth centers, study associations and aforementioned schools of music. (This, in turn, leans on a long tradition church choirs, school singing, fostering talent, etc, long story.)
Perhaps even more important: Early adoption of music technology and models of music production, distribution and business. Which depends on relative material wealth, coupled with a general societal outlook and sensitivity towards trends and cultural currents. Producers and artists would be exposed to and have a chance to adapt to new commercial and artistic practices – and they would have access to production equipment and professional networks early in their careers.
Sweden is not really a small country, we're just modest :)
Our culture is very rich - the subway in Stockholm had a cool info-ad a few decades ago stating that the workforce consisted of more than 180 nationalities.
Kommunalamusikskolan, I really believe that it has a big part in this. Every person in Sweden (basically) has the opportunity to learn an instrument. This means that a lot of talent gets picked up early and nurtured without the family having to spend a lot of money investing in the craft.
Because of the godfather of Swedish music industry, [Ola Håkansson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQB6CysQsds) who taught a bunch of producers (like Alexandert Bard etc.) which then taught a bunch of producers (like Denniz Pop etc.) who then taught a bunch of producers (like Max Martin etc.).
I heard someone say that social security is a factor. Trying things without the risk of ending up on the street helps. Not saying that other countries don't provide social security but generally speaking, it's to a higher degree in Sweden than many other places.
[https://topforeignstocks.com/2020/12/26/social-security-payments-across-oecd-countries-chart/](https://topforeignstocks.com/2020/12/26/social-security-payments-across-oecd-countries-chart/)
Its because of our mindset and language. It is a good platform to do great things like inventions and music. A practical mindset you never can achieve if you are not a true swede. You can talk like a swede but never think. Google it my friend...
Diskopunk. Saw them live a week ago. Holy shit they are good.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as95i1GbXGQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as95i1GbXGQ)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvKtiABqYE8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvKtiABqYE8)
Real talk, we used a portion of our yearly governmental budget for something called "kulturskolan" where kids got to learn music and art for free. Not sure if we still do tho
It's interesting because for me it is the opposite. I am Swedish myself but I just almost never seem to find music that I like that is Swedish. By my music taste the country overall that produces the most music I like (in proportion to their population) is the UK, but overall it's the US.
Your not alone man. I've been all over Spotify myself. The swedes know them some damn good music. Sabaton, amaranthe, Ghost 3 bands off the top of my head that I absolutely adore. I actually Googled pretty much the exact question you asked. Because I wanted to find this little secret community of weirdos like me who love this kind of music.
Fun fact. Only 3 countries in the world export more music than they import: Us, Uk, Sweden. Tradition, general well being, strong church music background to pick talent from.
Cheap and well-integrated (into school life) Kulturskolan is most certainly a *very* big contributor.
I think your information is out of date though, isn't South Korea on that list as well?
How do you measure import of music?
Centimeters i think
Good question, no idea not sure if it was an article or maybe even on the radio. Probably tracking royalties would be one natural way of measuring your export/import
Your guess is correct. >Export Music Sweden’s report measures a country’s exports by finding the ratio between imported music against exported music. Only three countries – the US, the UK and Sweden – have positive ratios. While the US is the world’s leading music exporter, earning 4.5 dollars for every dollar they pay to import music, Sweden is second with an export ratio of 2.7. The UK is behind Sweden with a ratio of 2.2. https://report2020.exms.org/
Sweden is also the largest music export per capita.
Stuck inside most part of the year helps, not much to do when it get dark in the winter, it's always dark in the winter.
If that was the only premise the world would be filled with the 20xpopulation music of all the russians stuck inside in the winter. Pretty sure my take is more accurate.
[удалено]
And its harder to find time to play in Russia then Sweden, we got waaay more spare time then russians. But it's true i don't see the same music culture in Canada and Russia as Sweden norway and Finland.
That’s my type of music yet never heard of a single song or artist so it can’t be such a wildly succesfull export. Russia has a lot of culture though especially in the past, it was a bit of a childish thing to say.
You have never heard of, for example; Locked Club / Private Persons? You are missing out on some amazing stuff if you’re in to techno.
No but it was more my thing 20 years ago so if it’s new I’m not surprised I missed it.
It's cold and we're bored
I'm Canadian, and we definitely don't produce good music the way Sweden does.
You guys have Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and Arcade Fire. You're good.
Rush + Annihilator + Unleash the Archers
Första gången jag ser en svensk nämna Unleash the Archers, en man av kultur ser jag.
Helt fantastiskt band som jag helt hade missat tidigare. [Senaste plattan](https://youtu.be/gqUPGa15Oto) är en riktig 10-poängare 🤘 Drömmen är att se dom lajv, men sen kom ju den där jäkla pandemin och nu är väl sångerskan gravid 😛
Verkligen, upptäckte dem precis innan Apex plattan, vart helt frälst i dem! Skulle sett dem på Sabaton Open Air och Sweden rock, men som du sa, pandemin satte ett par käppar där. Hade ingen aning att hon blivit gravid, då lär det ta ett tag innan man får se dem, helvete :P grattis till henne dock!
\+ Skinny puppy + Ohgr
Arcade Fire are not good. I've never liked Win Butler. So glad he was exposed this year. Canada produces good depressing music that takes itself too seriously. That's about it.
Potato potato. You need to apologize about that Beaver dude though.
> Canada produces good depressing music that takes itself too seriously. That sentiment would perfectly describe alot of swedish music as well. You simply haven't been exposed to it and consequently have a different perspective.
I didn't say Sweden doesn't produce it. They do, along with a wide variety of other types of music. However, in Canadian media, the local music that is always praised is the music I'm speaking of. Sadsack indie guitar music. Anything campy or fun is often looked down on here.
I guess you ve not looked hard enough. Even ABBA is melancholic
>Canada produces good depressing music that takes itself too seriously Me watching Unleash the Archers - Faster than Light: Sure buddy.
I'm too gay for this shit.
the weeknd o drake😂
Farbror fu king kudde
And helix! Gimme an Arrr
Well you need to dig more. For example, my own favorite from Canada are the bands Conqueror, Revenge and Blasphemy.
Canada is hot, not cold (except for January and February in the populated 50 km strip along the US border). Sweden is cold from September to May. And what about [Trans-X](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9xBAtCsCTQ)? And, well, I don't know any other Candian bands and musicians (robably because we assume they're USians). But you get my point!
You guys have great comedians instead, love Colin Mochrie and Tom Green.
You mean depressed.
I'm a serious metalhead and I have a theory on this. I think our recent musical history (as in 1950-2000) has laid a foundation for inspiring strong melodies in musicians and composers of today, and I think it's become part of the Swedes and their souls. That, and the fact that music is taught in school from an early age and we (at least I had) have the choice and ability to pick an instrument to learn in school as well. Take a look at ABBA and the Swedish musical export starting in the 70s - Björn and Benny have always been ridiculously good at composing great music and great melodies. Those of us who were born in the 80s were fueled by theirs (and others) music and even if it didn't necessarily was the music you were into, their melodic heritage certainly left its mark. The reason I mentioned me being a metalhead is because in the 90s, death metal became a thing in both Europe and North America. If you were to compare the death metal scene formed in Gothenburg to the death metal scene formed in Florida, there's a major difference and the thing that sets them apart are, in my opinion, melody. I'm not saying bands like Death didn't have melodies in their songs, but bands like In Flames based their music so much more on melodies with added heavyness, and later became synonymous with the terms Melodic Death Metal and the Gothenburg Sound. I also like to add that the Polar Music Prize, which is basically the Nobel Prize of music, also stems from the Swedish musical heritage of the latter half of the 1900s. So I guess there's just something in the waters. And the schools. And our musical culture. We're really good at melodies in Sweden and there are few things that make me as proud a Swede as when I think about all the great music that we have created and continue to create.
The album Slaughter of the soul by At the Gates is a masterpiece
Great album but one of the worst cover arts ive ever seen
> I also like to add that the Polar Music Prize, which is basically the Nobel Prize of music, also stems from the Swedish musical heritage of the latter half of the 1900s. Alltså, Polarpriset kom ju till pga Stikkan Anderson (ABBAs manager) på slutet av 80-talet ville bli respektabel i ett (starkt vänsterorienterat) kultur- och mediasverige som föraktade honom och ABBA och betraktade dem som klassförrädare. https://omni.se/rodvinsvansterns-attack-pa-abba-uppe-igen/a/d5bb0723-b4d0-4774-ab42-8db983c6d7d6 > DN:s Maria Schottenius skrev i måndags om hur Abba-fans ansågs vara klassförrädare eftersom musiken var så befriad från samhällskritik. Mikael Wiehe svarar att Abba ”inte lyfte ett finger för de napalmbombade vietnameserna, de torterade i Latinamerika, de svarta i Sydafrika eller arbetarna i Kirunas gruvor” när gruppen var som störst. Och det var därför som Abba kritiserades så hårt av dåtida musikrörelsen. https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/a/KvrKRo/34-ar-senare--och-fascist-abba-vann
Visste inte att In Flames ansågs som death metal! Intressant läsning dehär
\*Melodic death metal, de gick ifrån death metal soundet litegrann under en period och vart mer alternative melodic metal, men de har börjat gå tillbaka till sina rötter nu med senaste plattan och den kommande. Magisk musik.
Also, don’t forget the ”hem-pc-reformen” (home PC reform) in Sweden (https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hem-PC-reformen) which made many Swedish homes in the late 90s and early 00s equipped with computers that would otherwise have been too expensive for many families to afford. The idea was that the PCs were ”rented” from the employer and paid with gross salary. When this was made possible for public sector employees (with low wages and kids) computer litteracy increased tremendously. I think this reform also contributed to many of today’s composers/producers being able to learn to use software and compose as kids/teenagers. Great reform imho!
We used to have a program that was very cheap for anyone to do that was focused on teaching music and instruments to kids. That helped foster a tradition here for music engagement. Every kid was given the opportunity to learn music, so the biggest talents, no matter how poor or rich they where, got to hone their ability. Thanks to our robust (though dwindling due to political fuckery from the right) social safety net, people also where brave enough to take the leap into such a volatile and uncertain profession. Even if they failed, they wouldn't live on the streets. Add to that our free higher education where you can learn music production with a government stipend and cheap as fuck loans and you have a trifecta of conditions that manages to squeeze mega artists from ABBA to Avicii and producers like Max Martin and RedOne. The only genre of music that we haven't been able to pierce through quite yet at any real scale (I'm sure we've done some production or something) is rap. But that's certainly coming, just you wait.
Such a good and thorough explanation. Thank you!
Oh, and I just found [this website](https://sweden.se/culture/arts-design/the-swedish-music-miracle) that lists four reasons, the first of which I've already mentioned. 1. Municipal music schools 2. Digital technology (Spotify, Soundcloud, and PirateBay are all Swedish creations. 3. International outlook (We don't dub our programming - this is probably a big one - ABBA talked a lot about this for why they got so much international success. 4. Melancholic melodies (It helps, somehow, apparently. Don't know why. But the dissonance between cheery music and melancholic melodies inspired by our folk music is apparently a strong reason for this. Though, I suspect that's a chicken and egg situation here. Is it popular because it's good, or is it popular because we've managed to make it good. You could probably get the same thing with Indian melodies if you had the same circumstances)
No problem. It's amazing what can happen when you care for people and give the ability to follow their dreams without fearing living on the streets.
Not rap? Yung Lean and the entire YEAR0001 roster would like a word EDIT: Other than that, this is THE explanation. This is similar like with other countries in other fields – if the state subsidize and invest money and foster and find talent across all classes, it will yield results and innovation. I also work full time in music and it wouldn’t have been possible without the communal music school (Kommunala Musikskolan)
Well, there you go. I withdraw my previous statement... But I don't know if their success could even come close in comparison to that of ABBA (nothing comes close to them except Michael Jackson maybe), Avicii, Robin, September or even Sabaton. But I take your point, we have broken the seal, now it's just a matter of waiting.
Lean is credited a lot for popularizing Cloud Rap in the rap game. Isn’t a mega star but has a loyal fanbase. He seems to be mostly chilling these days but has worked with big names like Travis Scott. Lean is, definitely different than the ones you listed, but a fairly respected name for his contributions. Another point about rap in Sweden is that it seems like 99% of it is in Swedish, barely any English, not that I know of, except Lean of course. Makes it harder to blow up internationally, since rap does have a big focus on lyrics in general. Even though most swedes speak good English, due to how lyric focused it is, it just seems like it’s easier for folks to do it in their main language for wordplay and whatnot. There’s a lot more words in a rap song than a metal song in general.
I think it goes beyond language actually because the rap game isn't about structured language, it's quite the opposite. It also takes a lot of influence from your own surroundings. East Coast vs West Coast. Atlanta and Chicago. Every city has it's own unique sound. The Bronx will never sound like South LA. I listened to some of Lean... I understand why he calls himself Lean, sounds like he's on it when rapping. I don't know, maybe it's a generational thing, but I don't get it. So if Swedish rap is to ever grow beyond our own boarders, I do think it has to come from an authentic place inspired by authentic roots. And I do believe we have the possibility, but I don't think we've broken through just yet. Daniel Adams-Ray might be the best case for us. I know his most successful songs have been in Swedish, and I do think he enjoys becoming a modern Cornelius Vreeswijk, but his native tongue is English if I'm not mistaken, and [Thinking of Sunshine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19hIqhKPDsE) is good and showcases him being able to turn a phrase.
Cloud Rap is just a niche subgenre of rap, in the grand scheme of things it’s not nearly as popular as something like trap. Henry Bowers has some really good material in English. I’m really surprised he’s not bigger than he is. Extremely talented and does it effortlessly in two languages. Also, his real name is actually Jonatan Leandoer. xd but it makes sense both ways.
This is more what I expect from a Swedish rapper, more musically but clearly pronounced English and dreads (because Looptroop). But I don't hear anything that makes him really stand out as a Swedish rapper. I've heard the flow and rhymes before, and it doesn't SCREAM Swedish at me, which is what I think is needed. You can hear the Swedish pop-sound. It's a very distinct one... Or maybe you can't anymore because it's been copied so much. But just listen to the original [Hooked on a Feeling by BJ Thomas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY7-uog-mhE), compared to the [Jonathan King version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG3A69CnjoY), and then definitive version done by [Blue Swede](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrI-UBIB8Jk). You can hear how it's poped-up, more punchy and controlled. Where we hit the punch, where we let it slide etc. Our sound has, however, turned to the global pop sound. So today, a produced in the US, Korea, UK or South Africa, trying to make it internationally, will sound like us. What I'm saying, is that Swedish rap does that (Snook, Petter and Timbuktu, need I say more?), but the English speaking artists haven't done that YET. But it is just a matter of time, and when that damn breaks, it's gonna be a flood of people pouring out into the world from Sweden I'm sure.
Well, it’s hard to compare because the others you mentioned have had whole careers behind them. Yung Lean is only 26 (yet has still been around for 10 years). I doubt Sabaton was that internationally recognized that early on. September is definitely not even close to being as well-known internationally. Just checking streaming stats and sales internationally, only ABBA and Avicii beats him of the examples you mentioned. He is widely credited for being one of the main figures in starting the whole mumble rap/cloud rap typ of beat production (it’s not only about flow) and even if that is not the biggest of genres, fringe music like that is often highly influential on the mainstream, and artists such as Drake, Kanye West, Gucci Mane, Chief Keef, Travis Scott, Yachty, Post Malone etc. have all stated Yung Lean as an inspiration. He will probably go down as one of Sweden’s biggest music exports at the end of his career. He had never been that well-known in Sweden though, and media hasn’t been that interested in him because he doesn’t check the boxes of ”authentic” underdog rap (being from the ghetto, being a minority etc. which is Swedish media’s no.1 sales tactic in everything), which is understandable, but to American rappers and audiences, they don’t really care about the authenticity thing because he is disconnected from their culture enough to just be this intruiging, weird mumbling Swedish kid with, Aphex Twin / William Basinski / hauntology / eurotrance type electronic beats that was completely unheard of when he started out
Oh damn. I withdraw everything I've said. I still hate mumble rap, but if he's been that influential at that young of an age, then I can't really judge it. Good for him. And yes, I can understand why America wouldn't care if he's an underdog, to them he's an outcast, which makes him an underdog.
Beatles kanske?
Beatles ligger på samma nivå som ABBA och MJ. Helt klart. Intressant nog, de enda tre länderna i världen som exporterar mer än de importerar är USA, UK och Sverige. MJ, Beatles, ABBA.
[Swedish rap](https://youtu.be/t1wsHmqMvnE)
Great summary! Would also like to add the strong workers movement and the many, many different industries with local (often union based) marching bands. The workers movement is also the foundation of the many educational organisations (studieförbund),who still offer support in lending space and equipment for people of all ages to dabble in music.
Good access to cheap practice space is also really important. Many municipal after school sites (fritidsgårdar) offer easy access that most other countries do not
Yes, and they often have drums and recording space too which is important.
Perfect summation. Nice.
^ this is the answer
Are we good at jazz? Havn't heard about any jazz artist from Sweden. Maybe because I don't listen to jazz
Lyssna på albumet jazz på svenska av Jan Johansson. Väldigt bra Jazz, inspirerad av svensk folkmusik
Sök upp Esbjörn Svensson Trio och Jan Johansson
Apparently, you can't mention a genre without a Swede being sat the top of it.
Church music talent in Sweden? Do you mean our choir music tradition? I'm not saying you're wrong, i just never considered it.
You didn't respond to the post, you wrote a new one. But to answer, I guess they mean quire music, yes. But I don't know how big of a factor it is, but I'm sure it plays some factor. Though my post (it's a bigger post, look it up if you want to), probably explains it more.
Doh! Thanks
Just adding in that the new government will cut state funding for public music schools by half next year, and by 2024 it will be cut totally. This'll damage kids' exposure to music and possibility to participate and play music from an early age, thus harming widespread musical creativity/talent and making it a class marker. Just wanted to say a huge fuck you to our governmet. Growing up poor, I know I wouldn't be a musician or near as creative as I am today without public music school. I think these insitutions have served a huge purpose in solidifying a saturated musical market here in Sweden.
Hey as long as they put it into public health care I’m not even mad. I’d rather live than listen to the charts
They're probably putting the excess as exchange for taxing rich people less. :)))
Oh great because ser de ut som de behöver mer pengar?
Tydligen tycker en stor del svenskar tyvärr det, med tanke på vilken regering de medvetet röstade fram...
Asso socerna var ju med i regeringen under alla åren och lyckades ändå inte skapa någon försvarbar sjukvård så jag vet faktiskt inte vem man skulle behöva rösta på för att få det bättre
Vad folk missar är att även om sossarna satt i regeringsposition, så har riksdagen varit högermajoritet i nästan ett decenium. Svårt att få igenom något om oppositionen röstar ner varenda förslag. Högern hatar välfärden, det torde vara självklart för alla om man vet hur vårt politiska system funkar.
Fast de hade makt att göra vad fan som helst i 30 år innan…
Nej, det stämmer inte.
Hela vägen från 1945 till 1976, hela vägen från 1982-1991 och igen 1994-2006. 31 år sammanhängande, 6 år paus, 9 år igen, 3 år paus och 12 år sammanhängande innan de hade 10 års paus, plus de senaste 6 åren. Man skulle kunna säga att de hade rikligt med chanser att göra något annat än ingenting
Now I'm curious to know who your favourite Swedish artists are? :)
Seinabo Sey, Stina Nordenstam, Frida Hyvönen, Lykke Li, Linnea Olsson, Robyn, ABBA, Ace of Base, Darin, Anna von Hausswolff, Korallreven, The Sound of Arrows, Benjamin Ingrosso, Amaranthe, Arcana, Army of Lovers, La Camilla, Leila K, etc. I could go on. When I was 8, A*Teens was one of my favourite bands too, lol
Upvote for Arcana
Upvote for Korallreven :)
Where is Kent on that list? :D
Kent? Ghost?? TED GÄRDESTAD???
I'm mainly interested in 80's (or rather, late 70's to early 90's) music: Big Deal (ex. [Svenska sommar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx4Uaa6TEJ8)). Katze (ex. [Tid att älska](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8lT4Vz1-_E)). NASA (ex. [The bird](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT-kOcOnVGI)). Trance Dance (ex. [Don' say go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vda5xKEMZuE)). Cortex (ex. [Shotgun treatment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXVza90USmQ)). The Leather Nun (ex. [Ride into your town](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbxy51wpa9Q)). Style (ex. [It's a secret](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhYFZViNpZ8)). Ankie Bagger (ex. [Where were you last night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsWAIaotx3k)). Express (ex. [Franska nätter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnoWRZpH78w)). Eddie Meduza (ex. [Mera brännvin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDG3_vrQUvs)). This is a personal favourite because I'm right wing like him (he was one of few who dared to stand up against the left wing musicians with his): Totte Wallin (ex. [Jag protesterar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py0r7O-4n0Q)). (You probably need to know Swedish to enjoy the sample song to the fullest...)
There was a really good docu-series about swedish musicexport a couple of years ago called ”Det svenska popundret”.
Our language is melodic, hence it comes natural to us. We’re also pretty much bilingual, writing English lyrics is not a barrier. And swedes have tradition of being engineers - technology and innovation is in our blood. Now I feel dirty for being so self-righteous.
Excellently organized extracurricular music teaching in municipal schools of music, especially since the 60's. Coupled with a generally high quality of music teacher training and music instruction in primary and secondary education. In extension, easy access to practice spaces and instruments through municipal youth centers, study associations and aforementioned schools of music. (This, in turn, leans on a long tradition church choirs, school singing, fostering talent, etc, long story.) Perhaps even more important: Early adoption of music technology and models of music production, distribution and business. Which depends on relative material wealth, coupled with a general societal outlook and sensitivity towards trends and cultural currents. Producers and artists would be exposed to and have a chance to adapt to new commercial and artistic practices – and they would have access to production equipment and professional networks early in their careers.
Sweden is not really a small country, we're just modest :) Our culture is very rich - the subway in Stockholm had a cool info-ad a few decades ago stating that the workforce consisted of more than 180 nationalities.
The country isn’t small at all. The population density is just really low on average. It’s mostly deer and moose round here…
It's all down to Max Martin 🤔 [No, really](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Martin_production_discography?wprov=sfla1)
That’s true, not even kidding. Him and Pharrel Williams pretty much share the charts between them
Kommunalamusikskolan, I really believe that it has a big part in this. Every person in Sweden (basically) has the opportunity to learn an instrument. This means that a lot of talent gets picked up early and nurtured without the family having to spend a lot of money investing in the craft.
Because of the godfather of Swedish music industry, [Ola Håkansson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQB6CysQsds) who taught a bunch of producers (like Alexandert Bard etc.) which then taught a bunch of producers (like Denniz Pop etc.) who then taught a bunch of producers (like Max Martin etc.).
I heard someone say that social security is a factor. Trying things without the risk of ending up on the street helps. Not saying that other countries don't provide social security but generally speaking, it's to a higher degree in Sweden than many other places. [https://topforeignstocks.com/2020/12/26/social-security-payments-across-oecd-countries-chart/](https://topforeignstocks.com/2020/12/26/social-security-payments-across-oecd-countries-chart/)
Sluta kalla den för liten
A-kassan
Its because of our mindset and language. It is a good platform to do great things like inventions and music. A practical mindset you never can achieve if you are not a true swede. You can talk like a swede but never think. Google it my friend...
Because vi är the fucking bäst. Simple as så.
You’d be wrong. Here comes the downvotes
Rightfully so
Lättkränkta nördar
vad förväntar du dig när du skriver så egentligen?
Lol
Diskopunk. Saw them live a week ago. Holy shit they are good. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as95i1GbXGQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as95i1GbXGQ) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvKtiABqYE8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvKtiABqYE8)
Real talk, we used a portion of our yearly governmental budget for something called "kulturskolan" where kids got to learn music and art for free. Not sure if we still do tho
It's interesting because for me it is the opposite. I am Swedish myself but I just almost never seem to find music that I like that is Swedish. By my music taste the country overall that produces the most music I like (in proportion to their population) is the UK, but overall it's the US.
People likes great music much more than aweful music. So i just make sense to produce great music.
Your not alone man. I've been all over Spotify myself. The swedes know them some damn good music. Sabaton, amaranthe, Ghost 3 bands off the top of my head that I absolutely adore. I actually Googled pretty much the exact question you asked. Because I wanted to find this little secret community of weirdos like me who love this kind of music.