Roxette almost done Roxette is an obvious part of Swedish music history and one of Sweden’s most successful bands ever. They sold tens of millions of records, topped charts worldwide and showed that Swedish pop could compete with the very greatest. But perhaps most importantly of all, their songs live on. Roxette created music that still evokes memories, emotions and sing-alongs, proof of a career that was not only about success but about creating something timeless.
Roxette was formed in 1986 by Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson in Halmstad. Gessle, who was already an established songwriter and pop star in Gyllene Tider, teamed up with singer Marie Fredriksson. Marie had a powerful and soulful voice with an expression that could be both vulnerable and explosive and Per had an almost instinctive feeling for melodies that stuck immediately. The combination was unusual and magical with two strong wills and two completely different personalities that together created a sound greater than the sum of their parts.
At first, Roxette was primarily a Swedish project, but their breakthrough came in an almost fairytale-like way. When the album Look Sharp! happened to end up in the hands of an American radio station, everything exploded. Suddenly, The Look topped the Billboard charts, an almost improbable feat for a band from Sweden at the time. It was the start of an international career that quickly took Roxette from small studios in Halland to the world’s largest arenas.
The hits then continued to line up and became an obvious part of 90s pop culture with songs like Listen to Your Heart, It Must Have Been Love, Joyride, Dangerous and Fading Like a Flower. A mix of mixed strong emotions and perfectly polished pop rock. Roxette mastered the art of writing songs that worked just as well on headphones as in packed concert halls. Their music was direct, emotional and at the same time internationally viable, something very few bands have managed to do.
Roxette had their greatest success during the period 1989–1992 when they did a world tour called ”Join the Joyride World Tour”. They also did a world tour in 1994–1995 called ”Crash! Boom! Bang! World Tour”. After that, the duo stopped performing live for a few years, but in 2001 they went on a 26-date European tour called ”Room Service Tour”.
However, their career was not without its trials. After years of intensive touring and enormous pressure, Marie Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2002, which changed everything. Her long rehabilitation and return to music became a strong story of will and love. When Roxette later returned to the stage, it was no longer just a pop band but a symbol of endurance and respect between two artists who had been through more than most.
On October 28, 2022, Per Gessle released the album Pop-Up Dynamo! under the name PG Roxette. The album was made together with singers Helena Josefsson and Dea Norberg, and the song My Chosen One with singer Lotta ”Léon” Lindgren.
After a long development process, the musical Joyride The Musical had its world premiere at Malmö Opera on September 6, 2024. The musical is based on Roxette’s music with the plot taken from British Jane Fallon’s relationship novel Got You Back!.
Hit songs:
Neverending Love (1986)
It Must Have Been Love (1987/1990)
The Look (1988)
Listen to Your Heart (1988)
Dangerous (1988)
Joyride (1991)
Fading Like a Flower (1991)
Spending My Time (1991)
How Do You Do! (1992)
Sleeping in My Car (1994)
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