Swedish~ Stereo~

Linda Sundblad today sends New Year's congratulations with a very nice gift - new remix of her latest single "Det E Som Det E".
Linda definitely knows what's required for a good New Year's Eve party and gives away this new club-version of her single for free. So download it and get fun! This is really-really good.

Could there be any better New Year gift for schlager-fans than brand new single from Shirley Clamp? Brand new dance single in English!
Recently Shirley was working on her shape hard after she's got envolved in advertising company, she has obviously got quite thinner and looks gorgeous being ready to come back on the stage with a fresh stuff.
Her new single "Little By Little" was written by Oscar Holter and Jakke Erixson and it's definitely Shirley you've never heard before - much dancier and modern than old good Shirley-schlagers from previous albums, but it's still purest pop in its best with catchy guitar riffs in verses and shiny exploding choruses.
Single is officially out on January 9th but you can already check it online.

Holidays are on so I'll keep on sharing Christmas cards and live-performances at least whole this week and here is another Swedish artist sending congratulations to fans - Anna Bergendahl singing two songs from her latest album.
By the way here you can check a nice documentary SVT has made about Anna's life after Eurovision and her trip to USA in a search of insipration

This is the autumn of Darin. Så Mycket Bättre has given him two new Top-2 hits in Sweden ("En apa som liknar dig", "Astrologen") and who knows how many hits new Darin's album can bring. The work has got release date - January 30th, the name - "Exit" and you can also check cover and tracklisting including single "Nobody Knows" and other tracks recorded with some big international producers like Jim Beanz, Sacha Skarbek, The Jackie Boyz and David Gamson here.
Tonight Darin has come back on TV to visit Niklas Strömstedt in Tack för musiken to chat, have fun and surely to sing his own stuff and covers of his favorite songs. Check the whole show here.

How long ago have we got Mohombi's fresh leaks? Well, recently Nikki Minaj's demo-version of "Starships" has surfaced with Mohombi being signed as demo-singer. I find Mohombi in this track hardly recognizable and don't support the opinion about it's actually being him (or at least being him among other vocalists in chorus). Another new track appearing in web doesn't leave doubts about Mohombi performing though, this is his style, his voice and today it was published on Mohombi's Facebook page.
"Got Another One" is a summerish r'n'b-pop track, neither dance-stomper nor a ballad, just a very nice melodic Mohombi-pop with proper hit-tune and hopefully a sign of new releases coming soon.

Since release of Jimmy Jansson's single "Ditt Hjärta" two years ago it was quite silent around the artist though he was constantly working as songwriter and stood behind The Playtones Melodifestivalen success "The King" as producer.
This winter Jimmy presents new music stepping on a new path that radio-listeners can already get a sneak peek of with the new song "Let Her Go" and Jimmy still goes pop-rock but this is neither schlageristic Jimmy of "Amanda" (and older) times nor Kent-sounding Jimmy we heard on "Ditt Hjärta". This is much more American pop-rock stuff with a slight Andreas Johnson's feeling.
You can already find another quite interesting demo-track "Take It Or Leave It" that I'd like Jimmy to take but he claims he's just a demo-singer on it. This is very-VERY Jedwardesque explosive pop-track with a great tune written by Jimmy with Micah Wilshire and Todd Wright (who have also co-written "Let Her Go") and another really worth checking one.

Could there be better any Christmas gift for Swedish club-music fans than video for Avicii's new hit "I Could Be The One (Nicktim)"? Probably the most entertaining and funniest (in self-ironical way) Avicii's video ever.
This time Avicii collaborates with Dutch DJ Nicky Romero and upcoming Swedish star Noonie Bao making a big step from his trends somewhere to what I'd call milder version of Dada Life with still a deadly sticking tune and loads of energy.

Let's keep on surfing Swedish Christmas TV and check what SVT has prepared for us.
Well, the most interesting I've found is the beginning of Så ska det låta season with Christmas theme and 4 popular artists - Malena Ernman, Sarah Dawn Finer, Kalle Moraeus and Peter Jöback. Opera, folk, soul and newly musical stars all had Christmas releases in the past and it was definitely interesting to check how they'll be sounding together. You can watch the whole show here and some performances below.

Swedish TV as it happens every year presents some wonderful schlager/pop-stars in its Christmas shows. Bingolloto has brough whole bunch of Melodifestivalen-stars - Sanna Nielsen. Magnus Carlsson, Sean Banan, Yohio, Lotta Engberg and Christer Sjögren singing some beautiful Christmas or their own stuff. By the way show has become the first big TV-presentation of Yohio who will take part in Melodifestivalen-2013 very soon. You can watch the whole show here and some separate performances below.

0.09.45 - Sean Banan - Gott Nytt Jul
0.59.35 - Yohio - Without Wings
1.55.50 - Sean Banan - Sean Den Förste Banan
2.20.22 - Lotta Engberg and Christer Sjögren - The Christmas Song
2.37.40 - Magnus Carlsson - Little Drummer Boy
2.58.25 - Sanna Nielsen - Viskar Ömt Mitt Namn
3.29.31 - Sanna Nielsen, Magnus Carlsson - O helga natt

Youtube Christmas-gifts from Swedish artists keep coming and today we've got a wonderful music card from the woman who's absolutely the best Swedish female artist making Christmas stuff in my personal list - Sarah Dawn Finer (Måns is on the top among male Swedish Christmas singers if you'er interested).
Sarah has performed beautiful acoustic version of "Maybe This Christmas" (released on her album "Winterland") with a great bonus-surprise imitating a trumpet! Don't know how come we've missed this Sarah's talent but it's really worth-checking.

Amanda Fondell has decided to make a Christmas gift to her fans making acoustic version of classic hit "Santa Baby", nice and I'd say simple if Amanda's vocal manner wasn't so special.

While Eric Saade keeps working on some fresh music stuff and plans new album his releasing history stays active without pauses. His DVD has become #1 in Sweden and Eric keeps performing in Sweden. Today you can watch him singing (new singles among others) live with a band in Sollentuna Centrum.

Fresh pop-alert on the blog! Suvi, who you probably never heard about before, makes a wonderful debut with the single "Clovers" coming out along with premiere of video.
Lately Suvi collaborated with Julius Duhs and Robin Svensk (a.k.a Robin Rocks & Rubio) who previously worked with Loreen (album version of "Sober"), Nervo and Miike Snow. Can you find any relations with any of them in a sound of "Clovers"? Yes and no at the same time. Beautiful electronic production of live arrangement and dreamy melody brings that fragile feeling of slightly dramatic atmosphere of "Sober" but still this is very special concept which hopefully will be followed by loads of new stuff.
You can also check another Suvi's track "Monsoon" on her soundcloud channel.

Since last year's participation in Melodifestivalen and release of the album "Run" the only Anders Fernette's work we heard about was his personal training, no hint about working on new music stuff. But the wait over as Anders becomes frontman of Renegade Five - rock-band built by Da Buzz's Per Lidén which has already changed two vocalists (and released two albums) in the past and now it's Anders' turn (hopefully for a longer time).
Today band premieres video for the song "Erase Me" already released on a previous album but re-recorded with Anders and you can already check below how good Anders as rock-singer is.

Today Ulrik Munther premieres video for his newest single "San Francisco Says Hello" (just realizing how many videos we got last year before his debut album release and how long ago we had the last one). The video has turned intentionally quite 70s, very dark and atmospheric. Check it below!

Melodifestivalen-2013 participant Tone Damli makes a nice presentation of her new music stuf with the single "Smash" which is already out this week and you can check it right here below.
"Smash" was writen by Jason Gill (man behind Eric Saade's recent hits including their duo with Tone), Robin Fredriksson & Mattias Larsson (who also worked with Eric a lot and have co-written Tone's Melodifestivalen duo with Erik Segerstedt). The song is a nice bridge between Tone's more acoustic country-smelling pop-stuff like "Butterflies" and Mr. Saade's dance-hits of "Hearts In The Air" direction. The result sounds like a proper Carly Rae Jepsen's new single, very catchy, uplifting and poptastic.

Sanna Nielsen who has released new Christmas-album "Vinternatten" few weeks ago has arrived to Nyhetsmorgon studio today to make very nice acoustic set performing classic song "Drummer boy" and new single "Viskar ömt ditt namn", both are very pleasant and Christmas-mood raising!

Agnes' latest single "All I Want Is You" has unexpectedly got a hip-hop remix produced by The Salazar Brothers in a company with British Pase. This is a bit weird experience listening to urban Agnes like this but still worth checking, isn't it?

Brand new Alex Saidac's single "Proud To Be A Problem" is out in Sweden this week.
During our interview with Alex last year she promised that she'll get poppier with every next single and that's what she really did with the second one - "Stay In This Moment" but the third has made an unexpected turn!
The track starts from hip-hop verse, you never heard Alex urban like this before but when you get a bursting dreamy pop-chorus you realize that old good Alex collaborating with Oscar Holter and Jakke Erixson is back and "Proud To Be A Problem" is just another side of her music concept.
Alex has released a series of teasers here and the full song online that you can check below.

New Eurovision-preselection in Malta as usually has brought a lot of Swedish names in songwriting credits. You can see Thomas G:Son, Niclas Lundin, Johan Bejerholm and some others among authors.
More surprising was to see the artist from Sweden even though originally coming from Malta and already managing to participate in Maltese selection before.
Kevin Borg has come back home with a big classic schlager-ballad "Needing You" having a slight schlager-feeling and respectable songwriting team behind - Danne Attlerud, Simon Gribbe, Michael Clauss and Thomas Thörnholm appearing at Melodifestivalen before. Kevin's Christmas single has gone directly #1 on iTunes in Malta earlier this year so he definitely has a big chance to win the competition.

First time we've heard about John De Sohn was when they've come up with Andreas Moe making "Long Time", collaboration that has turned to be a platinum hit. Now John De Sohn comes back with another hit "Dance Our Tears Away" and new vocalist Kristin Amparo (lady known in Sweden from this season of X Factor).
"Dance Our Tears Away" is anthemic dance-mix of Flo Rida's "Wild Ones" and Otto Knows' "Million Voices" with a wonderful growth and club-euphoric chorus. Almost nothing common with "Long Time" but not any less adorable.

Whole bunch of Christmas presents has arrived from Emilia!
The singer releases new single from the album "I Belong To You" - "You're Not Right For Me" and as all the other one it's a romantic soul-ballad sounding very beautiful with Emilia's soft voice. And as previous singles it has also got the video you can watch below.
Emilia has also released "Winter" Christmas-EP containing 4 tracks following soul-direction of "I Belong To You". If you've missed it you can check its previews here.

Though I don't know a lot about Rasmus Alessandro Cantoreggi except the fact that the single "Sinners Heist" of this half-Swede, half-Italian DJ was released few months ago the single has got a video premiere and this is a worthy reason to share it with you.
"Sinners Heist" is that sort of electronic-dance music which has relatively started to be a trend in Sweden with Adrian Lux's breakthrough but still never was a mainstream, Adrian remained the best in it. Anyway probably we've his strong rival now though Cantoreggi's music is more fragile and less clubby comparing with Adrian's mystic electonic club-sound. This is closer to what Adrian makes for Lune.

Julian Brandt and Marina Schiptjenko who have just released their debut EP "Absence" have started recording the stuff for the second one "Distance".
The first sneak peek of new EP is the track "Count The Stars" which sounds like the poppiest project's track, I consider it like duo's Christmas gift to fans, this is equally as cheesy as joyful in a classic Christmas proportion. I definitely don't mind if this will be a common direction of the next EP and if we'll get it soon.

Another two pop-diamonds of this music year in Sweden - Miriam Bryant and Linnea Henriksson have become Musikhjälpen guests.
Both have presented their hit-singles of this year (Miriam - "Finders, Keepers" and Linnea - "Lyckligare Nu") and also have premiered newest singles (Linnea - "Mitt rum i ditt hjärta" and Miriam - "Raised in Rain"). You can enjoy their beautiful acoustic sets below.

Today Musikhjälpen-studio has got a really top-star guest visiting the studio. Loreen has arrived to visit to perform beautiful acoustic version of "In My Head" and another original version of "Crying Out Your Name", no need to say how Loreen is adorable live so sit still and enjoy this wonderful performance.

While Swedish House Mafia's big hit "Don't You Worry Child" becomes bigger all over the world and was even nominated for Grammy as Best Dance Recording recent solo-single of Steve Angello "Yeah" gets a video treatment and this is right as spectacular as you can expect from SHM's member.

It's the day of big club premieres today! But who can mind when we have such respectable names like Alex Sayz presenting their stuff?
Alex is coming back with a new single "Freakin' Out" featuring Tania Zygar and as the most of Swedish club stage this winter it's the track in a search of new sound, going in a heavy dark electro sound flirting with dubstep but still very melodic and decorated by mesmerizing vocal line.

Swedish DJ Lucas Nord who has recently made a debut as releasing artist presents new single "Time For Us". The song is a big electronic dance-stomper in Lucas' own style and magic he wraps his tracks in.
If you're interedsted in some more fresh stuff from Lucas you can also check his new remix for Loreen's "Crying Out Your Name" released not so long ago.

Eric Saade keeps presenting new stuff in a bunch and just in a week after release of previous video "Marching (In The Name Of Love)" his another new single "Miss Unknown" gets its video premiere.
This time it's more more calm and romantic, no big chases and thrillers...well, except the end.

Swedish club-wonders Nause have presented a new track "This Is The Song" earlier this year, something unusual for their Avicii-esque sound but very anthemic in a Swedish dance-pop way and quite summerish.
Expectedly now later we can listen to a vocal version bringing pop-flesh to a club-track, the song is released and you can check it below.

Another big star visiting glass studio of Musikhjälpen today was Amanda Jenssen whose new album "Hymns For The Haunted" has already become golden. And it was Edith Backlund who helped her playing guitar and singing backing vocals while Amanda performed "Ghost" and "Illusionist".

Eurodance collaboration of Arash and Sean Paul "She Makes Me Go" presented earlier this year has got a video treatment today.
And as usually Arash's video has turned pretty effective and anything but low-budget, this time it's all about parties and among other hot bodies you can even find Aylar that you should know well by Basshunter's videos.

Annual charity radio-show Musikhjälpen has started working this week. Hosts Gina Dirawi, Timbuktu and Kodjo Akolor will be spending whole days in a glass cube meeting their music guests, talking and performing their music.
Yesterday we've got wonderful Sarah Dawn Finer visiting the show with few tracks from her newest album "Sanningen Kommer Om Natten" - "Lova mig ingenting" and "Med dig vid min sida" (and even doing Euphoria-dance with Gina). Nice to see Sarah not being attached to promotion of her singles and trying to present different songs from the album.

Young Zara Larsson has become a real music wonder taking part in different talent contest during last years. In 2008 she has won TV4's Talang and now she has started working on her own stuff.
Kids grow fast and surely Sara is already not that little loud girl, she turns to a beautiful pop-lady and all that's left from that Sara is her great voice which she demonstrates really well in the first track "Uncover" from her upcoming EP to be out in January.
This is a big and touching ballad that you could found on some Rihanna's album but this is Sara who performs it and she makes not less professionally or beautuifully.

It's been such a long time since the last Robin Bengtsson's video "Another lover's gone" and today Robin presents new one for his latest awesome single "Cross the Universe". This is definitely new Robin, much more mature, serious and standing on his own path outside of Idol-bubble.

Feels like Sweden has got its own Ryan Tedder though not having any single released in a homeland yet.
Jonas Myrin has started working as songwriter collaborating with Natasha Bedingfield, Guy Sigsworth, Justin Hawkins (The Darkness), Iain Archer (Snowpatrol), Björn Yttling (Peter Bjorn and John) and was even nominated for Grammy twice (2011 - Best Gospel Song - "Our God", 2013 - Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music - "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)").
Recently Jonas has turned to his own career releasing the single "Day Of The Battle" in Germany, Austria and Switzerland this summer and nice OneRepublic-meets-Oskar Linnros pop-track was very warmly accepted on local radio. The song was produced by Jonas with Carl Wikström Ask who recently worked with Linnea Henriksson, Daniel Adams-Ray, Veronica Maggio and you can definitely feel vibes of their releases in this song.
Debut Jonas' album "Dreams Plans Everything" is also already out in Germany and you can pre-listen it here, this is very OneRepublic and full of great anthemic tunes.
Oh! And I can't help but mention that together with Peter Kvint Jonas has written the song "Must Be Love" that will be performed by Lucia Pinera at Melodifestivalen-2013.

Though we've got a pretty awesome introduction to dance-Gravitonas at the project's latest EP "Hyperborea" new collaboration with German Michael Mind Project has become the danciest experience in Gravitonas' career.
Brand new track "Antiheroes" co-written by Gravitonas as well has turned to be a great club-anthem of 2012's trends with a big pop-tune crowned by Swedish House Mafia-smelling choirs in a sing-along chorus.
By the way Gravitonas has just released "Hyperborea Remixes" with a bunch of mixes for "Incredible" and "Borderland" which obviously means "Borderland" is the next single to be promoted. But we'll get back to it next time.

And the second today's video premiere from another popular Swedish pop-guy is provided by Eric Saade.
Eric has recently presented new single "Marching (In The Name Of Love)" in Sweden but also works on his career in Norway and Poland (today Eric releases his album "Eric Saade Deluxe" in the first one) so both Sweden and Norway have their premieres of the new video on local media-resources.
You can check the video below and as usual Eric has tried to bring the story into the video and make it properly entertaining.

Series of Danny's singes go too fast this year which is a weird step but can we blame him for bringing a lot of new stuff? The singer has recently premiered new single "Delirious" and expectedly he has slowed down the tempo after "Amazing" and "All In Your Head" making a ballad which is a light melodic mix of r'n'b and pop. The song goes a bit Eric Saade's "Miss Unknown" in r'n'b verses before turning to a more direct sing-along part proving this single choise well.

Erik Linder's newest album has included really nice surprise - the song "Så Länge Hjärtat Slår" written by Måns Zelmerlöw and Hanne Sørvaag together with Dan Sundquist (producer of Anna Bergendahl's "This Is My Life" and Didrik Solli-Tangen's "My Heart Is Yours").
The song has turned to be a schlager-ballad slightly old-school but with a good classic growth from intimate piano-intro to a big cinematic culmination. Hanne has provided vocals for album version of the song but it was Erik's girlfriend - Timoteij's Elina who has performed it in Bingolotto few days ago.
I should remind you that Måns has also co-written track "Hello Goodbye" for another hot Swedish-Norwegian duo of Erik Segerstedt and Tone Damli and they'll be performing it in the second heat of Melodifestivalen-2013.

Just a few months before making new Melodifestivalen attempt Ulrik Munther presents new single in Sweden - "San Francisco Says Hello" that he has written together with Martin Ekman.
"San Francisco Says Hello" is a thoughtful pop-rok song with a nice atmosphere showing Ulrik's music growth since release of his debut album. This is more mature Ulrik and he's definitely gonna be tougher schlager-rival this Spring.

Pernilla Wahlgren who comes back to Melodifestivalen next year with Hanna Hedlund and Jenny Silver re-releases Christmas album "Holiday With You" she has presented last year. You'll ask what's the sense in re-releasing album just in a year? Well, there are at least 7 reasons - new tracks included into this edition (among them you'll find new version of Pernilla's single "Holiday with you", classic cover "Jag såg mamma kyssa tomten" recorded by Pernilla's son Benjamin and English version of "Jul Jul strålande jul").
Check the whole list here and snippets of new songs here. And don't miss Pernilla's lovely disco collaboration "Christmas On The Dancefloor" with Cotton Club, Charlotte Perrelli, Jan Johansen, Richard Häger, Sara Löfgren and Afro-Dite.

Loreen's Japanese fans have turned to be real lucky having few wonderful bonus-tracks on singer's debut album "Heal" - along with radio-versions of "Euphoria" also 2 acoustic version - guitar and strings have entered the edition.
You heard the strings-version many times during the summer but guitar-version has turned to be a very nice surprise with a mystic feeling and almost post-apocalyptic sadness, incredibly beautiful track!

The last Darin's Så Mycket Bättre has arrived and this time it was made for The Sounds' "Seven Days a Week". Darin has basically come back to what he has started from. I mean electropop-sound he has made debut at Så Mycket Bättre performing "Stockholm". But while "Stockholm" was utterly dramatic track "Seven Days a Week" appeals to a much lighter and happier side of Darin. Just like the most of covers it sounds like nothing you heard from this singer before but is undeniably another great gem of Darin's collection.
Currently Darin reigns in the top-3 of Swedish iTunes-chart with "Astrologen", "Seven Days A Week" and "En Apa Som Liknar Dig" which officially makes him a king of this season (while Petra Marklund and Laleh can be considred as queens of previous ones).
This Saturday we'll hear the last bunch of covers and it will be the night of Darin's music, if you want to know which songs will be performed by whom check Schlagerprofilerna's post.

On the way to Japanese audience Ulrik Munther releases a nice Christmas pack made of CD including English cover of "Tänd Ett Ljus" - "Shine A Light" (which was originally released by the band Triad in 80s and has become a classic Christmas song in Sweden) and remixes of his previous singles which you can prelisten here with DVD containing nice documentary and other goodies. Ulrik's version of "Tänd Ett Ljus" has become very warm, acoustic and sing-along with a lot of artist's own personality in it and you can already listen to it below.
I should remind you that Ulrik participates in Melodifestivalen this winter. He's going to perform the song "Tell The World I'm Here" co-written by Thomas G:son and Peter Boström and he's already odds favorite so who knows? Maybe it's Ulrik who will be representing Sweden at Eurovision next year.

Daniel Lindström who has won the very first Idol season over Loreen and Darin and was even Loreen's boyfriend after Idol is back with new Christmas stuff.
This is EP "My Christmas Wish" containing three songs written by Daniel and Joakim Holgersson, expectedly quite soul-inspired which sound properly for Christmas atmosphere making.
Below you can check cut of songs and here you can listen to full versions.