Håkan Hellström
Encyclopedia
Håkan Hellström (ˈhoːkan ˈhɛlːstrøm) (born 2 April 1974) is a Swedish musician
. He got his Swedish breakthrough in the year 2000 with the song "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg" ("Don't feel sorry for me, Gothenburg
"). In 2005, Hellström released his fourth album, Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått (literally: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue), which is a collection of old material that never made it onto any of his albums, a few new songs and covers. In 2006, following the birth of his son, he announced that he would take a break from touring and recording. Despite this, he still performed occasional gig
s. Since then he has released his fifth album För sent för Edelweiss (Too Late for Edelweiss). His sixth and most recent album is the critically acclaimed 2 steg från Paradise, released on October 13, 2010.
Hellström played drums in the Swedish indie pop
band Broder Daniel
between 1988 and 1994, then briefly for Swedish alternative rock
band Honey Is Cool
. In 1997 he rejoined Broder Daniel to play the bass, until 2003 when he left the band again to focus completely on his solo career. Although sometimes accused for consistently singing out of tune, he has over time grown to be popular with all ages due to his enthusiasm, scene energy and interpretations of old popular favourites live.
, via Hellström's own band Broder Daniel, to American indie rock band Pavement
. Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg was particularly lush with references to Morrissey
and The Smiths
. While some critics have celebrated Hellström's personal take on music history (and pointed out that Morrissey himself was not a stranger to incorporating lines written by others), it has also led to accusations of plagiarism.
In 2002, Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet
ran an article bringing attention to the similarities between his song "När jag ser framåt" and the piece Pie Jesu
from Andrew Lloyd Webber
's Requiem. "När jag ser framåt" was the second track of the single "Kom igen Lena!". Following the accusations, the single was withdrawn from the market, and re-released with a different b-side.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He got his Swedish breakthrough in the year 2000 with the song "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg" ("Don't feel sorry for me, Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
"). In 2005, Hellström released his fourth album, Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått (literally: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue), which is a collection of old material that never made it onto any of his albums, a few new songs and covers. In 2006, following the birth of his son, he announced that he would take a break from touring and recording. Despite this, he still performed occasional gig
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
s. Since then he has released his fifth album För sent för Edelweiss (Too Late for Edelweiss). His sixth and most recent album is the critically acclaimed 2 steg från Paradise, released on October 13, 2010.
Hellström played drums in the Swedish indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band Broder Daniel
Broder Daniel
Broder Daniel was an alternative rock band from Gothenburg, Sweden. They formed in the late 1980s and then consisted of classmates Henrik Berggren and Daniel Gilbert...
between 1988 and 1994, then briefly for Swedish alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Honey Is Cool
Honey Is Cool
Honey Is Cool was an alternative rock band from Sweden. The band was formed in 1994 by Karin Dreijer, drummer Johan Hagström, and bass player Staffan Larsson, who were soon complemented by guitarist Anders Göthberg who soon left the band and was replaced by John Jern.-History:During the second half...
. In 1997 he rejoined Broder Daniel to play the bass, until 2003 when he left the band again to focus completely on his solo career. Although sometimes accused for consistently singing out of tune, he has over time grown to be popular with all ages due to his enthusiasm, scene energy and interpretations of old popular favourites live.
Accusations of plagiarism
Throughout his career, Hellström's influences have shown clearly in his music, which often includes lines or melodies picked up from other people's songs. The sources range from Evert TaubeEvert Taube
Evert Axel Taube was a Swedish author, artist, composer and singer. He is best known for his folk songs, and is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians.-Biography:...
, via Hellström's own band Broder Daniel, to American indie rock band Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
. Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg was particularly lush with references to Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
and The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
. While some critics have celebrated Hellström's personal take on music history (and pointed out that Morrissey himself was not a stranger to incorporating lines written by others), it has also led to accusations of plagiarism.
In 2002, Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
ran an article bringing attention to the similarities between his song "När jag ser framåt" and the piece Pie Jesu
Pie Jesu
Pie Jesu is a motet derived from the final couplet of the Dies irae and often included in musical settings of the Requiem Mass. The settings of the Requiem Mass by Luigi Cherubini, Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Duruflé, John Rutter, Karl Jenkins and Fredrik Sixten include a Pie Jesu as an independent...
from Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's Requiem. "När jag ser framåt" was the second track of the single "Kom igen Lena!". Following the accusations, the single was withdrawn from the market, and re-released with a different b-side.
Albums
- Känn ingen sorg för mig GöteborgKänn ingen sorg för mig GöteborgKänn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg is the debut album by Swedish musician Håkan Hellström. It was released on 16 October 2000. Until today the album has sold over 80,000 copies , which equals a platinum certification in Sweden.-Music and lyrics:...
(Don't feel sad for me, Gothenburg) (2000) (Platinum) - Det är så jag säger detDet är så jag säger detDet är så jag säger det, released on 28 October 2002, is the Swedish pop artist Håkan Hellström's second album. In English, the title would be: "That is how I say it."...
(That's how I say it) (2002) (Platinum) - Ett kolikbarns bekännelserEtt kolikbarns bekännelseris an album by Håkan Hellström, released in 2005. The title would be translated as "Confessions of a Colic Child". Musically the album is quite different from the earlier Hellström records...
(Confessions of a colic-child) (2005) (Gold) - Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blåttNåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blåttis an album by Håkan Hellström, released in 2006. In English the title corresponds to "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." The title describes the nature of the album - some songs are leftovers from earlier recordings, some are newly-written ones and a few others are...
(Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue) (2005) (Gold) - För sent för Edelweiss (Too late for Edelweiss) (2008) (Gold)
- Två steg från paradiseTvå steg från paradiseis the sixth studio album by the Swedish singer Håkan Hellström, that is to be released on October 13, 2010. It was produced by Håkan Hellström with Joakim Åhlund. A double A-side single featuring "Saknade te havs" and "River en vacker dröm" has been released at the moment...
(Two steps from paradise) (2010) (Platinum)
Singles
- Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg (Don't feel sad for me, Gothenburg) (2000)
- Ramlar (Falling) (2000)
- En vän med en bil (A friend with a car) (2001)
- Nu kan du få mig så lätt (Now you can get me so easily) (2001)
- Kom igen Lena! (Come on Lena!) (2002)
- Den fulaste flickan i världen (The ugliest girl in the world) (2003)
- Mitt Gullbergs kaj paradis (My Gullberg's quay paradise) (2003)
- En midsommarnatts dröm (A midsummernight's dream) (2005)
- Dom kommer kliva på dig igen (They will step on you again) (2005)
- Gårdakvarnar och skit (Farmmills and shit) (2005)
- 13 (2005)
- Jag hatar att jag älskar dig och jag älskar dig så mycket att jag hatar mig (I hate that I love you and I love you so much that I hate myself) (2006)
- Klubbland (Clubland) (2006)
- För en lång lång tid (For a long long time) (2008)
- Kär i en ängel (In love with an angel) (2008)
- Jag vet inte vem jag är men jag vet att jag är din (I don't know who I am but I know that I am yours) (2008)
- River en vacker dröm / Saknade te havs (Double A-side) (Tearing down a beautiful dream / Lost at sea) (2010)
External links
- Håkan Hellström's official website (in Swedish)