Idol (Sweden)
Encyclopedia
Idol is a Swedish
reality-competition talent show airing on TV4. It debuted in August 2004, and it has since become one of the most popular shows on Swedish television. Part of the Idol franchise
, it originated from the reality program Pop Idol
created by British
entertainment executive Simon Fuller
, which was first aired in 2001 in the United Kingdom
.
The program seeks to discover the best singer in Sweden
through a series of nationwide auditions. The outcomes of the later stages of the competition are determined by public phone voting. The format features three judges who give critiques of the contestants' performances: Sony BMG manager Laila Bagge
; record producer Anders Bagge
; and songwriter Andreas Carlsson
. From 2004 to 2007, each season had two hosts who stayed for just one season. However, since 2008, each season only has one host. Peter Jihde
is the only one to have served as the host for multiple seasons. The present host is Pär Lernström
. The eighth and current season of Idol is the last one, ending on December 9, 2011.
Through the seven series, the winners have been Daniel Lindström
, Agnes Carlsson
, Markus Fagervall
, Marie Picasso
, Kevin Borg
, Erik Grönwall
and Jay Smith
. Smith was the oldest winner at 29 whilst Carlsson was the youngest at only 17. To date, Idol contestants have collectively sold over 1,100,000 albums in Sweden alone.
: Karlstad
, Göteborg, Malmö
, Umeå
, Stockholm
Season 2
: Malmö
, Sundsvall
, Göteborg, Piteå
, Stockholm
Season 3
: Malmö
, Göteborg, Falun
, Umeå
, Stockholm
Season 4
: Göteborg, Skellefteå
, Malmö
, Borlänge
, Stockholm
Season 5
: Göteborg, Luleå
, Karlstad
, Lund
, Stockholm
Season 6
: Göteborg, Gävle
, Malmö
, Umeå
, Stockholm
Season 7
: Göteborg, Karlstad
, Malmö
, Luleå
, Stockholm
and Peter Magnusson
, and the four judges were Sony BMG manager Daniel Breitholtz
, record producer Peter Swartling
, vocal coach Kishti Tomita
and musician Claes af Geijerstam
. Towards the end of the final stages of the season, Sony BMG released the album Det Bästa Från Idol 2004
which included covers of some of the songs that the final 11 contestants had sung during the competition. The album became a success and was certified gold in Sweden for sales of 20,000 copies.
Winner Daniel Lindström
signed a recording contract with Sony BMG, the label in partnership with the show's management. Immediately after the grand final, Lindström released the coronation song "Coming True" which debuted at number 1 on the Swedish singles chart, held the top spot for seven weeks and was certified double platinum. His self-titled debut album Daniel Lindström
was released in early December and this too hit number 1. It went on to be certified Platinum, selling over 50,000 copies. His second album Nån slags verklighet was released in August 2006 and peaked at number 3. Recorded completely in his native language, it was less successful than his debut but gained a gold certification. After over two years away from the music industry, Lindström's third album D-Day was released on January 29, 2009. Despite critical acclaim however, the album failed to achieve commercial success, peaking at number 25 and selling less than 5,000 copies.
Runner-up Darin Zanyar
also signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and has gone on to enjoy huge success in Sweden, Finland and Germany. His debut album The Anthem was released in February 2005, charted at number 1 and was certified platinum, selling over 50,000 copies in Sweden. The first single "Money For Nothing" was also a huge number 1 hit. His second, self-titled album Darin was released later the same year and surpassed the success of its predecessor, gaining platinum status with sales of almost 80,000 copies and producing Zanyar's second Swedish number 1 single. Break the News
was released in late 2006, became his third chart-topping album, was certified gold and gave Zanyar his third number 1 single with "Desire
". On December 3, 2008, after almost a two year break from the music industry, Zanyar's fourth album, Flashback
was released. It peaked at number 10, becoming his first not to reach number 1 or gain a certification, despite the huge success of its lead single "Breathing Your Love" featuring Kat DeLuna
. In 2009, Zanyar parted ways with Sony BMG and signed a new recording contract with Universal Music. His fifth studio album, LoveKiller was released on August 18, 2010. It debuted at number 2, and reached number 1 in its second week, becoming Zanyar's fourth number 1 album.
and Johan Wiman emerged as the new hosts of the show but the judging panel remained the same. As in season one, Sony BMG released a compilation album towards the end of the finals that included cover versions of some of the songs that the final 11 contestants had sung. The album, Idol 2005 - My Own Idol was a huge success, earning double platinum status in Sweden for the sale of 80,000 copies.
Winner Agnes Carlsson
signed with Sony BMG and released her coronation song "Right Here, Right Now", which spent six weeks at number 1 and gained double platinum status. Her self-titled debut album Agnes
was released in mid-December and held the top spot for two weeks. It was certified platinum in its first week due to enormous sales and has to date sold over 90,000 copies, making it the highest-selling album by an Idol contestant. Less than a year later, in October 2006, Carlsson released her second album, Stronger
, which also peaked at number 1, sold over 50,000 copies and was certified platinum. In late 2007, she covered and released the song "All I Want For Christmas Is You
" with fellow Idol contestant Måns Zelmerlöw
, which peaked at number 3 on the singles chart. Carlsson's departed from Sony BMG in late 2007 and signed a deal with Stockholm-based independent label Roxy Records. Her third studio album Dance Love Pop
was released on October 29, 2008, peaked at number 5 and was certified platinum, making Carlsson the first Idol contestant to achieve three platinum albums. It was preceded by the gold-selling single "On and On" which peaked at number 8 for four weeks. Carlsson became the first Idol contestant to receive international recognition when the second single from the album, "Release Me
" was launched worldwide during 2009. It reached the top ten in seventeen countries, including the number 1 spot on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart
and sold over 900,000 copies. Carlsson's highly-anticipated fourth studio album is expected in the last quarter of 2010 or the first quarter of 2011.
Runner-up Sebastian Karlsson
also signed with Sony BMG and his first single "Do What You're Told
" peaked at number 1 for four weeks. His self-titled debut album Sebastian
was released in March 2006, hit number 1 and gained gold certification, selling over 30,000 copies. His second effort The Vintage Virgin
was released a year later in March 2007 and peaked at number two on the Swedish albums chart. It yielded two top 3 singles and was also certified gold for sales exceeding 30,000. Karlsson's third studio album, The Most Beautiful Lie
was released on January 29, 2009, but failed to match the success of his previous efforts. The Most Beautiful Lie stalled at number 32 and spent only one week on the Top 60 albums chart.
Third place finisher Sibel Redzep
did not initially release any music. Unlike most other previous Idol contestants, she did not sign a recording contract with Sony BMG, but instead chose to sign a deal with Warner Bros. Records
. In March 2008, over two years after her appearance on Idol, her debut album, The Diving Belle
was finally released. The critically acclaimed album peaked at number 9 for two weeks on the Swedish albums chart and was accredited gold after selling just over 20,000 copies.
Fourth place finisher Måns Zelmerlöw
signed with Warner Bros. Records
but didn't release his debut single "Cara Mia
" until February 2007. The song reached number 1 in Sweden and also gained chart success in Finland, where it peaked at number 4. His first album, Stand By For...
was released a month later and it too reached number 1, selling almost 50,000 copies to gain platinum certification. In late 2007, he covered and released the song "All I Want For Christmas Is You
" with season two winner Agnes Carlsson
, which peaked at number 3. His second album MZW
was released on March 25, 2009 and after debuting at number 4, it made a sudden jump from number 26 to number 1 in its ninth week, becoming Zelmerlow's second chart-topping album. It has so far been certified gold with sales in excess of 30,000 copies.
Eighth place finisher Ola Svensson
signed a record contract with Universal
and released his debut album Given To Fly
in March 2006. The album peaked at number one, yielded two number one singles and was certified gold. His second album Good Enough
came in October 2007 and peaked at number 6. It was re-released in early 2008 under the name Good Enough - the Feelgood Edition and hit a new peak of number 2. The album became more successful than Svensson's debut and provided him with his third number 1 single in "S.O.S
". It sold over 35,000 copies and was accredited gold. Scensson's third album is slated for release in 2010, with the preceding singles "Sky's the Limit
" and "Unstoppable
" both peaking at number 1 in Sweden.
Semifinalist Jim Almgren Gândara
became the guitarist of Swedish/American rock band Carolina Liar
, signing a contract with Atlantic Records
. Their debut album Coming To Terms
was released in the US on May 19, 2008 and peaked at number 148 on the Billboard Hot 200. Their debut single "I'm Not Over" peaked at number 3 on the US Rock Chart
and their second single "Show Me What I'm Looking For" reached number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100
and number 7 on the Irish Singles Chart
.
and Johan Wiman returned to host once again, but were joined by actress Sanna Bråding
and actor Mogge Sseruwagi. 6000 people auditioned for the third season, and the finalists' compilation album, Det Bästa Från Idol 2006, sold over 40,000 copies.
Winner Markus Fagervall
signed with Sony BMG and released his coronation song "Everything Changes" immediately after his win. The single held the number 1 spot for seven weeks and was certified double platinum. His debut album Echo Heart was released in mid-December 2006 and was a massive success. Not only did it stay at number 1 for three weeks, it sold over 80,000 copies, and was accredited double platinum. His second album Steal My Melody was released on 15 October 2008 and was much less successful than his debut, peaking at number 11 but selling just over 20,000 copies to go gold.
Runner-up Erik Segerstedt
also signed with Sony BMG and released his first album, A Different Shade
in February 2007. The album peaked at number 2, gave Segerstedt his a number 1 single and was accredited gold for selling over 25,000 copies. In early 2008 it was announced that Segerstedt had joined together with fellow season three contestant Danny Saucedo
and season four fifth place finisher Mattias Andréasson
to form the boyband E.M.D. The group have achieved massive success in Sweden, with four consecutive number 1 hit singles. The first, "All for Love" held the number 1 spot for 6 weeks and was certified triple platinum, becoming the highest selling single in Sweden by an Idol contestant. Their debut album, A State of Mind
was released in May 2008 and it too hit number 1. It was certified double platinum for sales of over 80,000 copies and spent more weeks on the chart than any other Idol contestant album. The group's second studio album, a compilation of Christmas songs titled Välkommen Hem
was released in November 2009 and became the highest-selling album ever by an Idol alumnus after being certified quadruple platinum for the sale of a massive 160,000 copies.
Sixth place finisher Danny Saucedo
was signed to Sony BMG music, and his debut album Heart Beats was released in May 2007. The record peaked at number 1, produced two chart-topping singles and was certified gold for the sale of over 30,000 copies. In early 2008, Saucedo formed the boyband E.M.D with fellow season three contestant Erik Segerstedt and season four fifth place finisher Mattias Andréasson to form the boyband E.M.D. In late 2008, Saucedo released "Radio
", the lead single from his second solo album, which became his third number one single. The album, Set Your Body Free
was released on Christmas Eve and debuted at number 2. In its second week on the chart however, it fell to number 36 and spent only five weeks on the chart.
, Carolina Gynning
and Carina Berg
. The series also saw the judging panel reduce to three, with musician Claes af Geijerstam
bowing out of the series for personal reasons. Another change from previous seasons was the grand finale venue. For the first time it was moved from the usual television studios to the 16,000-seat Globen Arena in Stockholm
. The finale contestants' compilation album Det Bästa Från Idol 2007 was released at the end of November and was certified platinum after selling over 40,000 copies.
Winner Marie Picasso
was signed to Sony BMG and her coronation song "This Moment" was released immediately after her victory. The single spent two weeks at number one and was certified platinum. Her debut album The Secret was released in mid-December and held the number 1 spot for three weeks. It sold just over 60,000 copies and was accredited platinum. However, the album failed to yield any other successful singles, with the second and final song released, "Winning Streak" missing the Top 60.
Runner-up Amanda Jenssen
also signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and released her debut album Killing My Darlings in May 2008. The album peaked at number 1 on the Swedish albums chart and has since been certified double platinum for the sale of over 80,000 copies. So far she has been more commercially successful than winner Picasso, with all four singles released from Killing My Darlings making it into the top fifteen, including a number 1 with "Do You Love Me?" Jenssen's highly anticipated second album Happyland was released on October 28, 2009. The album debuted at number 3 and has gone on to sell over 60,000 copies, spending more weeks on the official albums chart than her debut.
Fourth place finisher Daniel Karlsson
released his first single, "Would You Believe?" in late 2008, which peaked at number 8. His debut album was originally set for release in early 2009 but is yet to appear.
Fifth place finisher Mattias Andréasson
joined together with season three Idol contestants Erik Segerstedt
and Danny Saucedo
to form the boyband E.M.D in early 2008.
returning to the show. The season saw a dramatic line-up change on the juding panel, with all three judges, Daniel Breitholtz
, Peter Swartling
and Kishti Tomita
departing from the show for various personal reasons. They were replaced by Sony BMG manager Laila Bagge
, record producer Anders Bagge
and songwriter Andreas Carlsson
. The change made Idol the first series in the franchise to completely replace its entire judging panel. For the second time, the grand finale was held in Stockholm's Globen, which set a new record for the largest live audience at an Idol finale anywhere in the world, with an estimated crowd of 16,000 people. It also marked only the second time in worldwide Idol history where neither of the final two contestants were born in the host country. Kevin Borg
was born in Malta
and Alice Svensson
was born in Vietnam
. The only other Idol contest to have this occur was Greece's Super Idol
in 2004.
Winner Kevin Borg
was signed to Sony BMG, and his coronation song "With Every Bit of Me
" was released immediately as his debut single. Like the previous four winners' singles, Borg's debuted at number 1 on the singles chart. It went on to hold the top spot for five weeks and was certified double platinum. Unlike his four predecessors, who had their first albums released only weeks after their victories, Borg was given longer to record his own debut. The lead single, "Street Lights" was released in late February 2009 and peaked at number 10 on the Swedish singles chart. The album The Beginning followed on March 4 and debuted at number 3. Although it sold over 10,000 copies in its first week of release, The Beginning was the first Idol winner's album not to debut or peak at number 1. It gained a gold certification for sales in excess of 35,000 copies, but is the only debut Idol winner album not to reach platinum status.
Fourth place contestant Johan Palm
signed with Epic Records
and his debut single "Emma-Lee
", released in early April 2009, reached the number 1 spot on the Swedish singles chart in its third week. His first album, My Antidote was released on 22 May 2009 and debuted at number 3. After nine weeks on the chart it was certified gold for sales in excess of 20,000 copies.
Fifth place contestant Anna Bergendahl
was signed by Universal Records
at the end of 2009, a year after season five of Idols. She was selected to compete in Melodifestivalen 2010
, going on to win the contest and represent Sweden in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest
in Oslo
, Norway
. Her winning song "This Is My Life
" debuted at number one on the Swedish singles chart, a position it held for four consecutive weeks. Her debut album, Yours Sincerely
was released on April 21, 2010 and also hit the number one spot in its first week, making Bergendahl the only season five Idol contestant to achieve a chart-topping album. The record was certified gold for Swedish sales of over 20,000 copies.
once again returning to host the show, along with judges Laila Bagge
, Anders Bagge
and Andreas Carlsson
. An Idol record of 11,000 people auditioned for the series, which included an 'audition tour' around Sweden by judge Anders Bagge in order to find talent outside the most densely populated areas. The series marked a new change to the format of the show, whereby the bottom two contestants in each week of the finals were required to sing again. Their previous votes were wiped clean and the public re-cast their votes. The rule was brought in as an attempt to prevent 'shock eliminations' of the more talented contestants, and had already proved successful in other countries. The grand finale was once again held in Stockholm's Globen, with guest performers including season two winner Agnes Carlsson
, who in 2009 had become the first Idol alumni to achieve worldwide stardom.
Winner Erik Grönwall
signed with Sony BMG and released his coronation song ""Higher"
", which spent five weeks at number one and was certified platinum. Like all previous Idol winners (with the exception of Kevin Borg), his self-titled debut album Erik Grönwall
was released only two weeks after his victory, and went into the official Swedish chart at number one, a position it held for four weeks. The album was certified platinum for the sale of over 40,000 copies. His second album, Somewhere Between a Rock and a Hard Place was released in June 2010 and peaked at number two.
Runner-Up Calle Kristiansson
also signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and released his self-titled debut album Calle Kristiansson on December 21, 2009. The album debuted at number two, held off the top spot by season six winner Erik Grönwall
. The album held the number two spot for a total of four weeks and was accredited gold for sales of over 20,000 copies.
Also third placer Tove Styrke
released a music album in November 2010 named Tove Styrke.
returning as host the show, along with judges Laila Bagge
, Anders Bagge
and Andreas Carlsson
. A new Idol record was set during the April and May auditions, with a total of 11,700 applicants.
is the new host of the series, after Peter Jihde
declined to return as host after Idol 2010
.
Swedish Gold, Platinum, and/or Multi-Platinum certifications (Worldwide Sales)
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
reality-competition talent show airing on TV4. It debuted in August 2004, and it has since become one of the most popular shows on Swedish television. Part of the Idol franchise
Idol series
The British talent search television series Pop Idol has spawned spin-offs in 42 territories, in what is now referred to as the "Idols" format, as described by FremantleMedia...
, it originated from the reality program Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
created by British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
entertainment executive Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
, which was first aired in 2001 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The program seeks to discover the best singer in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
through a series of nationwide auditions. The outcomes of the later stages of the competition are determined by public phone voting. The format features three judges who give critiques of the contestants' performances: Sony BMG manager Laila Bagge
Laila Bagge
Laila Natali Bagge Wahlgren, born 15 December 1972 in Lund as Laila Natali Cahling, formerly Laila Bagge, is a Swedish manager and songwriter. Her mother is Swedish and her father is Palestinian. She worked for Sony BMG New York for three years as a talent scout. Laila also found the members and...
; record producer Anders Bagge
Anders Bagge
Sven Anders Bagge is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer and partner with Peer Åström. The two songwriters / producers are known as Bagge & Peer...
; and songwriter Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson is a Swedish music producer, composer, and pop songwriter.-Biography:Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2001....
. From 2004 to 2007, each season had two hosts who stayed for just one season. However, since 2008, each season only has one host. Peter Jihde
Peter Jihde
Peter Jihde is a Swedish television host and sports reporter on TV4.Jihde was born in Malmö, Sweden. He has hosted "Sporten", "Fotbollskväll", and has presented Olympic games and football world championships. Jihde has also hosted his own talk show "Hos Jihde" on SVT and is a former floorball...
is the only one to have served as the host for multiple seasons. The present host is Pär Lernström
Pär Lernström
Pär Lernström, born September 4, 1980, is a Swedish television and radio presenter, which he has been since 2001.He has worked for SR Stockholm, Utbildningsradion, MTV:s morningshow "Mycket mer än müsli", Aftonbladet TV7 and Mix Megapol....
. The eighth and current season of Idol is the last one, ending on December 9, 2011.
Through the seven series, the winners have been Daniel Lindström
Daniel Lindström
Daniel Lindström is a Swedish singer from Umeå who won the Swedish Idol 2004 contest against Darin Zanyar. His first single, "Coming True", sold double platinum, and his self-titled album, released in December 2004, topped the Swedish pop charts...
, Agnes Carlsson
Agnes Carlsson
Agnes Emilia Carlsson, also known mononymously as Agnes , is a Swedish recording artist. She rose to fame as the winner of Idol 2005, the second season of the Swedish Idol series...
, Markus Fagervall
Markus Fagervall
Markus Fagervall won Idol 2006, the third season of the Swedish version of Pop Idol. Markus beat out Erik Segerstedt on December 1, 2006 to take the title. His first single "Everything Changes" peaked at number one on the Swedish singles chart...
, Marie Picasso
Marie Picasso
Marie Picasso is a Swedish singer, host and model who first rose to fame as a housemate on the popular reality television show Big Brother, before going on to win the fourth series of the Swedish singing competition Idol.-Big Brother:In 2002, Picasso appeared as a housemate on the hugely popular...
, Kevin Borg
Kevin Borg (singer)
Kevin James Borg is a Maltese pop singer who lives and works in Sweden. Borg rose to musical fame as the winner of the fifth series of the Swedish singing competition Idol in 2008...
, Erik Grönwall
Erik Grönwall
Erik Grönwall is a Swedish singer and songwriter. In December 2009, he won Swedish Idol.During several of the shows he received standing ovations from the jury for his performances. His first single, "Higher", sold gold on digital downloads after onlythree days...
and Jay Smith
Jay Smith
Jay Alexander Smith is an English footballer who plays for Conference National side AFC Telford, where he plays as a midfielder.-Playing career:Smith started his professional football career with Aston Villa...
. Smith was the oldest winner at 29 whilst Carlsson was the youngest at only 17. To date, Idol contestants have collectively sold over 1,100,000 albums in Sweden alone.
Audition cities
Season 1Idol 2004
-24 September :#Alex Falk - Celebration #Cornelia Dahlgren - What It Feels Like For A Girl #Fillip Williams - This Love #Angel Hansson - Hello...
: Karlstad
Karlstad
Karlstad is a city, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city had 61,685 inhabitants in 2010 out of a municipal total that during the first quarter 2010 was 84,885 inhabitants...
, Göteborg, Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Season 2
Idol 2005
The second season of Swedish Idol premiered in August 2005 and continued until its grand finale on 2 December, when 17-year-old Agnes Carlsson from Vänersborg was crowned winner. The series was the first to crown a female Idol and is to date the sole season to be won by either a public or judges'...
: Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sundsvall
Sundsvall
-External links:* - Official site from Nordisk Familjebok - Sundsvalls tourist information bureau. - The alternative guide to Sundsvall. - Blog with photos from Sundsvall....
, Göteborg, Piteå
Piteå
Piteå is a locality and the seat of Piteå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The town has 22,650 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 41,000 in 2008.- Geography :...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Season 3
Idol 2006
The third season of Idol premiered in Sweden on August 29, 2005 and continued until its grand finale on December 1, when 24-year-old Markus Fagervall from Övertorneå was crowned winner...
: Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Göteborg, Falun
Falun
Falun is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the capital of Dalarna County...
, Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Season 4
Idol 2007
The fourth season of Swedish Idol premiered on September 3, 2007 and continued until its grand finale on 7 December, when 28-year-old Marie Picasso was crowned winner. It was the first season to feature an all-female finale, and is to date the only season to crown a winner who had previously fallen...
: Göteborg, Skellefteå
Skellefteå
-Industry:*Boliden AB, a big mining and smelting company*Alimak*Natural User Interface Technologies AB - NUITEQ, a promising emerging technology start-up company-Sports:*Skellefteå AIK, an ice hockey team in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien....
, Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Borlänge
Borlänge
Borlänge is a locality and the seat of Borlänge Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 49200 inhabitants in 2011.- History :Originally Borlänge was the name of a tiny village, and the first historical information about it is from 1390. The village was insignificant up until about 1870...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Season 5
Idol 2008
The fifth season of Swedish Idol premiered on September 3, 2008 and continued until its grand finale on 12 December, when 22-year-old Kevin Borg was crowned winner. It was the first season to feature new judges Laila Bagge, Anders Bagge and Andreas Carlsson, a move that made it the first Idol...
: Göteborg, Luleå
Luleå
- Transportation :Local buses are run by .A passenger train service is available from Luleå Centralstation on Sweden's national SJ railway service northbound to Narvik on the Norwegian coast, or southbound to Stockholm. See Rail transport in Sweden....
, Karlstad
Karlstad
Karlstad is a city, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city had 61,685 inhabitants in 2010 out of a municipal total that during the first quarter 2010 was 84,885 inhabitants...
, Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Season 6
Idol 2009
Idol 2009 was the sixth season of the Swedish idol series and was broadcast by TV 4. The jury, identical to the previous year, consisted of Anders Bagge, Laila Bagge and Andreas Carlsson. Peter Jihde, the show's host, was also a continuation of the previous year's cast. The audition cities visited...
: Göteborg, Gävle
Gävle
Gävle is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 71,033 inhabitants in 12/31 2010. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland , having received its charter in 1446 from Christopher of Bavaria.-History:It is believed that the name Gävle...
, Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Season 7
Idol 2010
The seventh season of Swedish Idol premiered on September 7, 2010 and concluded in December 2010 and was broadcasted by TV4. Judges Anders Bagge, Laila Bagge Wahlgren and Andreas Carlsson continued to judge the show's contestants for their third year, along with, for the fourth consecutive year,...
: Göteborg, Karlstad
Karlstad
Karlstad is a city, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city had 61,685 inhabitants in 2010 out of a municipal total that during the first quarter 2010 was 84,885 inhabitants...
, Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Luleå
Luleå
- Transportation :Local buses are run by .A passenger train service is available from Luleå Centralstation on Sweden's national SJ railway service northbound to Narvik on the Norwegian coast, or southbound to Stockholm. See Rail transport in Sweden....
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Season 1
The first season of Idol debuted in the summer of 2004 and was an instant phenomenon, following in the success of other Idol competitions from around the world. The show's co-hosts were comedians David HelleniusDavid Hellenius
David Hellenius is a Swedish comedian and television presenter, often co-operating with Peter Magnusson.Hellenius started his television carrier at ZTV. In 2004, he led the first season of the Swedish Idol series, "Idol 2004", on TV4 with Peter Magnusson. Hellenius and Magnusson were later joined...
and Peter Magnusson
Peter Magnusson
Charles Peter Magnusson is a Swedish Actor, writer and comedian.Magnusson was the host of the first season of Idol 2004 in Sweden...
, and the four judges were Sony BMG manager Daniel Breitholtz
Daniel Breitholtz
Daniel Breitholtz, born October 18, 1977, is an A&R-manager at Sony BMG. Together with voice coach Kishti Tomita, manager and talent scout Peter Swartling and producer, musician and disc jockey Claes af Geijerstam he is a part of the Idol 2004, Idol 2005, Idol 2006 and Idol 2007 jury.Breitholtz has...
, record producer Peter Swartling
Peter Swartling
Peter Swartling was one of the Swedish judges on the TV talent show Idol on TV4. He made it clear that he wouldn't participate in the fourth season of Idol due to him being forced to commute between Sweden and USA, where he currently lives...
, vocal coach Kishti Tomita
Kishti Tomita
Kishti Tomita is a Swedish voice coach, TV personality and singer. Together with A&R manager Daniel Breitholtz and manager and talent scout Peter Swartling she is a part of the Swedish Idol 2004, Idol 2005,Idol 2006 and Idol 2007 jury...
and musician Claes af Geijerstam
Claes af Geijerstam
Claes af Geijerstam , nicknamed Clabbe , is a Swedish musician, radio personality and DJ who is mostly famous for his talent of rapid speech and his many years as a radio DJ....
. Towards the end of the final stages of the season, Sony BMG released the album Det Bästa Från Idol 2004
Det Bästa Från Idol 2004
Det bästa från Idol is a series of annual releases from the Swedish Idol music competition series.- Det bästa från Idol 2004 :# All finalists - "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell...
which included covers of some of the songs that the final 11 contestants had sung during the competition. The album became a success and was certified gold in Sweden for sales of 20,000 copies.
Winner Daniel Lindström
Daniel Lindström
Daniel Lindström is a Swedish singer from Umeå who won the Swedish Idol 2004 contest against Darin Zanyar. His first single, "Coming True", sold double platinum, and his self-titled album, released in December 2004, topped the Swedish pop charts...
signed a recording contract with Sony BMG, the label in partnership with the show's management. Immediately after the grand final, Lindström released the coronation song "Coming True" which debuted at number 1 on the Swedish singles chart, held the top spot for seven weeks and was certified double platinum. His self-titled debut album Daniel Lindström
Daniel Lindström (album)
Daniel Lindström is the eponymous debut album of Swedish pop singer Daniel Lindström, released in 2004.-Track listing:# Break Free# Coming True# My Love Won't Let You Down# A Life Without You# Run# Take It To Heart...
was released in early December and this too hit number 1. It went on to be certified Platinum, selling over 50,000 copies. His second album Nån slags verklighet was released in August 2006 and peaked at number 3. Recorded completely in his native language, it was less successful than his debut but gained a gold certification. After over two years away from the music industry, Lindström's third album D-Day was released on January 29, 2009. Despite critical acclaim however, the album failed to achieve commercial success, peaking at number 25 and selling less than 5,000 copies.
Runner-up Darin Zanyar
Darin Zanyar
Darin Zanyar more commonly known as Darin is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter of Kurdish descent and one of Sweden's best-selling artists, with numerous chart topping songs and music albums.-Early life:...
also signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and has gone on to enjoy huge success in Sweden, Finland and Germany. His debut album The Anthem was released in February 2005, charted at number 1 and was certified platinum, selling over 50,000 copies in Sweden. The first single "Money For Nothing" was also a huge number 1 hit. His second, self-titled album Darin was released later the same year and surpassed the success of its predecessor, gaining platinum status with sales of almost 80,000 copies and producing Zanyar's second Swedish number 1 single. Break the News
Break the News
Break the News is the third studio album by the Swedish singer Darin. It was released on November 22, 2006 in Sweden. The album reached the top of the Swedish Album Charts. Four singles were released from the album in Sweden with an additional track charting from promotion...
was released in late 2006, became his third chart-topping album, was certified gold and gave Zanyar his third number 1 single with "Desire
Desire (Darin song)
"Desire" is a song recorded by Swedish singer Darin. It was released as the third single from Darin's third studio album Break the News in Sweden on May 7, 2007...
". On December 3, 2008, after almost a two year break from the music industry, Zanyar's fourth album, Flashback
Flashback (Darin album)
Flashback is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer/songwriter Darin Zanyar. It was released on December 3, 2008 in Sweden and became Darin's 4th top 10 album. It features the physical singles Breathing Your Love and What If plus the digital singles Runaway and See U At The Club...
was released. It peaked at number 10, becoming his first not to reach number 1 or gain a certification, despite the huge success of its lead single "Breathing Your Love" featuring Kat DeLuna
Kat DeLuna
Kathleen Emperatriz "Kat" DeLuna is an American pop singer of Dominican heritage. DeLuna has a soprano vocal range. Her debut single, "Whine Up", reached the top ten in Belgium and France, peaked inside the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Her...
. In 2009, Zanyar parted ways with Sony BMG and signed a new recording contract with Universal Music. His fifth studio album, LoveKiller was released on August 18, 2010. It debuted at number 2, and reached number 1 in its second week, becoming Zanyar's fourth number 1 album.
Season 2
The second season of Idol debuted in the summer of 2005, and carried on the show's huge success. Television personalities Tobbe BlomTobbe Blom
Tobias Peter "Tobbe" Blom is a Swedish TV host on TV4 and magician. He is best known for his stage name Tobbe Trollkarl.Tobbe was the host of Idol 2005 along Johan Wiman and has also done a kids show for morning TV on TV4...
and Johan Wiman emerged as the new hosts of the show but the judging panel remained the same. As in season one, Sony BMG released a compilation album towards the end of the finals that included cover versions of some of the songs that the final 11 contestants had sung. The album, Idol 2005 - My Own Idol was a huge success, earning double platinum status in Sweden for the sale of 80,000 copies.
Winner Agnes Carlsson
Agnes Carlsson
Agnes Emilia Carlsson, also known mononymously as Agnes , is a Swedish recording artist. She rose to fame as the winner of Idol 2005, the second season of the Swedish Idol series...
signed with Sony BMG and released her coronation song "Right Here, Right Now", which spent six weeks at number 1 and gained double platinum status. Her self-titled debut album Agnes
Agnes (album)
Agnes is the debut album composed of the songs performed by the Idol 2005 winner Agnes Carlsson. The album debuted at #1 in Sweden and stayed there for 2 weeks. The lead single, "Right Here, Right Now ", written and produced by Jörgen Elofsson, topped the Swedish Top 60 Singles chart for six weeks...
was released in mid-December and held the top spot for two weeks. It was certified platinum in its first week due to enormous sales and has to date sold over 90,000 copies, making it the highest-selling album by an Idol contestant. Less than a year later, in October 2006, Carlsson released her second album, Stronger
Stronger (Agnes album)
-Release history:-Charts and certifications:...
, which also peaked at number 1, sold over 50,000 copies and was certified platinum. In late 2007, she covered and released the song "All I Want For Christmas Is You
All I Want for Christmas Is You
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on November 1, 1994 as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Merry Christmas. The song was written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, both of whom were also the producers...
" with fellow Idol contestant Måns Zelmerlöw
Måns Zelmerlöw
Måns Petter Albert Sahlén Zelmerlöw is a Swedish pop singer. He is probably best known for his 2007 song "Cara Mia," which was his entry in that year's Melodifestivalen...
, which peaked at number 3 on the singles chart. Carlsson's departed from Sony BMG in late 2007 and signed a deal with Stockholm-based independent label Roxy Records. Her third studio album Dance Love Pop
Dance Love Pop
Dance Love Pop is the third studio album by Swedish recording artist Agnes, released originally on October 29, 2008 in Sweden. This was Agnes' first studio album since 2006 and her comeback to the music stage. The album is written and produced by Swedish song-writer Anders Hansson and geared...
was released on October 29, 2008, peaked at number 5 and was certified platinum, making Carlsson the first Idol contestant to achieve three platinum albums. It was preceded by the gold-selling single "On and On" which peaked at number 8 for four weeks. Carlsson became the first Idol contestant to receive international recognition when the second single from the album, "Release Me
Release Me (Agnes song)
"Release Me" is a pop song recorded by Swedish singer Agnes taken from her third album Dance Love Pop. The track was written by Agnes Carlsson, Anders Hansson and Sharon Vaughn. It was released as the album's second single in Sweden, and as Agnes' debut single internationally.The song has been...
" was launched worldwide during 2009. It reached the top ten in seventeen countries, including the number 1 spot on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and sold over 900,000 copies. Carlsson's highly-anticipated fourth studio album is expected in the last quarter of 2010 or the first quarter of 2011.
Runner-up Sebastian Karlsson
Sebastian Karlsson (singer)
Sebastian Karlsson, or Sebastian , is a Swedish singer and performer, best known for his participation in Idol 2005, where he came in second place after Agnes Carlsson...
also signed with Sony BMG and his first single "Do What You're Told
Do What You're Told
"Do What You're Told" is the debut single from Swedish pop/rock and alternative rock artist Sebastian, released from his debut album "Sebastian" on February 1, 2006...
" peaked at number 1 for four weeks. His self-titled debut album Sebastian
Sebastian (album)
Sebastian is the 2006 debut album from Swedish pop/rock singer Sebastian Karlsson, led by the first single and four weeks #1 hit "Do What You're Told". The album was released on March 1, debuting at #1 in Sweden, and not falling until a few weeks thereafter...
was released in March 2006, hit number 1 and gained gold certification, selling over 30,000 copies. His second effort The Vintage Virgin
The Vintage Virgin
The Vintage Virgin is the second studio album from Swedish pop/rock and alternative rock singer Sebastian Karlsson, led by the singles "Words and Violence" and the Melodifestivalen 2007 entry "When the Night Comes Falling" the album was released on March 7, 2007 one year and one week after his...
was released a year later in March 2007 and peaked at number two on the Swedish albums chart. It yielded two top 3 singles and was also certified gold for sales exceeding 30,000. Karlsson's third studio album, The Most Beautiful Lie
The Most Beautiful Lie
The Most Beautiful Lie is the third album by Sebastian Karlsson.-Track listing:#"Stay Forever" 3:57#"Serial Lovers" 3:54#"Up Up High" 3:36#"My Baby Fears No One" 3:41#"Cross My Heart" 3:55#"Come On " 4:28...
was released on January 29, 2009, but failed to match the success of his previous efforts. The Most Beautiful Lie stalled at number 32 and spent only one week on the Top 60 albums chart.
Third place finisher Sibel Redzep
Sibel Redzep
Sibel Redzep, is a Macedonian-born Swedish pop singer of Turkish descent. She is known from the Swedish television show Idol 2005, where she was the second runner up....
did not initially release any music. Unlike most other previous Idol contestants, she did not sign a recording contract with Sony BMG, but instead chose to sign a deal with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. In March 2008, over two years after her appearance on Idol, her debut album, The Diving Belle
The Diving Belle
The Diving Belle is the debut album from Turkish/Macedonian born singer Sibel. The album was released 12 March 2008 and reached number nine on the Swedish album charts...
was finally released. The critically acclaimed album peaked at number 9 for two weeks on the Swedish albums chart and was accredited gold after selling just over 20,000 copies.
Fourth place finisher Måns Zelmerlöw
Måns Zelmerlöw
Måns Petter Albert Sahlén Zelmerlöw is a Swedish pop singer. He is probably best known for his 2007 song "Cara Mia," which was his entry in that year's Melodifestivalen...
signed with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
but didn't release his debut single "Cara Mia
Cara Mia (Måns Zelmerlöw song)
"Cara Mia" is a song recorded by Swedish singer Måns Zelmerlöw. It was released as the first single from Måns' debut album Stand By For... in Sweden on February 28, 2007 digitally and later released as a CD single. The song served as Måns' Melodifestivalen 2007 entry coming eventual 3rd place...
" until February 2007. The song reached number 1 in Sweden and also gained chart success in Finland, where it peaked at number 4. His first album, Stand By For...
Stand By For...
Stand By For... is the debut album from Swedish singer and model Måns Zelmerlöw. It was released on May 23, 2007, debuting and peaking at number 1 on the official Swedish album chart. The album has spawned 4 top 50 singles including 'Cara Mia', Måns' entry in Melodifestivalen 2007...
was released a month later and it too reached number 1, selling almost 50,000 copies to gain platinum certification. In late 2007, he covered and released the song "All I Want For Christmas Is You
All I Want for Christmas Is You
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on November 1, 1994 as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Merry Christmas. The song was written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, both of whom were also the producers...
" with season two winner Agnes Carlsson
Agnes Carlsson
Agnes Emilia Carlsson, also known mononymously as Agnes , is a Swedish recording artist. She rose to fame as the winner of Idol 2005, the second season of the Swedish Idol series...
, which peaked at number 3. His second album MZW
MZW
MZW is the second solo album from Swedish singer and model Måns Zelmerlöw. The album fits more into the dance genre than pop as his debut album Stand By For... did. The album features 'Hope & Glory', Måns' entry into Melodifestivalen 2009, Sweden's selection process to decide their Eurovision entry...
was released on March 25, 2009 and after debuting at number 4, it made a sudden jump from number 26 to number 1 in its ninth week, becoming Zelmerlow's second chart-topping album. It has so far been certified gold with sales in excess of 30,000 copies.
Eighth place finisher Ola Svensson
Ola Svensson
Ola Nils Håkan Svensson , professionally known simply as Ola, is a Swedish pop singer born in Lund in the southern region of Skåne, Sweden. He first appeared on Idol in 2005. He has sold over 135 000 records in Sweden and his songs have been played on the radio just under 200,000 times in Sweden...
signed a record contract with Universal
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
and released his debut album Given To Fly
Given to Fly (album)
Given to Fly is the debut album released by Swedish pop singer Ola.It was released in Sweden in June 2006, and debuted at #1 in the official Swedish album chart.-Track listing:#"Rain"#"Cops Come Knocking"#"How We Do It"#"Given to Fly"#"Till the End"...
in March 2006. The album peaked at number one, yielded two number one singles and was certified gold. His second album Good Enough
Good Enough (album)
Good Enough is the second studio album to be released by Swedish pop singer Ola. The album originally debuted and peaked at #6 on the Swedish albums chart, however it reached a new peak at #2, when re-released with a new track listing in 2008....
came in October 2007 and peaked at number 6. It was re-released in early 2008 under the name Good Enough - the Feelgood Edition and hit a new peak of number 2. The album became more successful than Svensson's debut and provided him with his third number 1 single in "S.O.S
S.O.S. (Ola Svensson song)
S.O.S. is a Swedish English language hit for Swedish singer Ola Svensson written by Tony Nilsson, taken from his third album Good Enough, also appearing in Good Enough - The Feelgood Edition. The hit credited to just Ola was a #1 hit on the Swedish Singles Chart on the chart dated 22 November 2007,...
". It sold over 35,000 copies and was accredited gold. Scensson's third album is slated for release in 2010, with the preceding singles "Sky's the Limit
Sky's the Limit (Ola Svensson song)
Sky's the Limit is a Swedish 2009 English language song by Ola Svensson that reached #1 on 10 July 2009, where it stayed for 1 week.-Charts:...
" and "Unstoppable
Unstoppable (Ola Svensson song)
Unstoppable, full title "Unstoppable " is a Swedish English language hit sung by the Swedish singer Ola Svensson and was recorded in 2010...
" both peaking at number 1 in Sweden.
Semifinalist Jim Almgren Gândara
Jim Almgren Gândara
Jim Almgren Gândara is a Swedish singer and former guitar player of the American rock band Carolina Liar. Jim was a contestant on the Swedish Idol 2005 being cut just before the Top 10...
became the guitarist of Swedish/American rock band Carolina Liar
Carolina Liar
Carolina Liar is a Swedish alternative rock band. Lead vocalist Chad Wolf is originally from Charleston, South Carolina, but the band and most of its members originate from Sweden....
, signing a contract with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. Their debut album Coming To Terms
Coming to Terms
Coming to Terms is the first studio album from American rock band Carolina Liar. It was released on May 19, 2008.- Track listing :# "I'm Not Over" – 3:23# "Coming To Terms" – 3:29# "Last Night" – 3:50# "Show Me What I'm Looking For" – 4:02...
was released in the US on May 19, 2008 and peaked at number 148 on the Billboard Hot 200. Their debut single "I'm Not Over" peaked at number 3 on the US Rock Chart
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
and their second single "Show Me What I'm Looking For" reached number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number 7 on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
.
Season 3
The third season of Idol premiered on August 29, 2006 and holds the record for the most successful season launch, with 1.1 million viewers tuning in to the first episode. Tobbe BlomTobbe Blom
Tobias Peter "Tobbe" Blom is a Swedish TV host on TV4 and magician. He is best known for his stage name Tobbe Trollkarl.Tobbe was the host of Idol 2005 along Johan Wiman and has also done a kids show for morning TV on TV4...
and Johan Wiman returned to host once again, but were joined by actress Sanna Bråding
Sanna Bråding
Sanna Bråding is a Swedish actress. Her first appearance was in the soap opera Tre Kronor during the 90s. In 2004 she starred in the film A Hole in My Heart...
and actor Mogge Sseruwagi. 6000 people auditioned for the third season, and the finalists' compilation album, Det Bästa Från Idol 2006, sold over 40,000 copies.
Winner Markus Fagervall
Markus Fagervall
Markus Fagervall won Idol 2006, the third season of the Swedish version of Pop Idol. Markus beat out Erik Segerstedt on December 1, 2006 to take the title. His first single "Everything Changes" peaked at number one on the Swedish singles chart...
signed with Sony BMG and released his coronation song "Everything Changes" immediately after his win. The single held the number 1 spot for seven weeks and was certified double platinum. His debut album Echo Heart was released in mid-December 2006 and was a massive success. Not only did it stay at number 1 for three weeks, it sold over 80,000 copies, and was accredited double platinum. His second album Steal My Melody was released on 15 October 2008 and was much less successful than his debut, peaking at number 11 but selling just over 20,000 copies to go gold.
Runner-up Erik Segerstedt
Erik Segerstedt
Erik Segerstedt was the runner-up to Markus Fagervall on the third season of Swedish version of Idol 2006.In 2007, he became part of the Swedish band E.M.D...
also signed with Sony BMG and released his first album, A Different Shade
A Different Shade
A Different Shade is a 2007 album from Swedish singer Erik Segerstedt, released on February 1, 2007, and debuted at number 2 on the Swedish album chart...
in February 2007. The album peaked at number 2, gave Segerstedt his a number 1 single and was accredited gold for selling over 25,000 copies. In early 2008 it was announced that Segerstedt had joined together with fellow season three contestant Danny Saucedo
Danny Saucedo
Danny Saucedo is a Swedish singer and songwriter often presented just as Danny, who competed as one of the finalists in Idol 2006 - the Swedish version of Idol where he got to the top 6 before being eliminated.Danny has released three music albums and eleven music singles...
and season four fifth place finisher Mattias Andréasson
Mattias Andréasson
Mattias Andréasson, born on March 29, 1981, Swedish singer and Swedish Idol 2007 contestant . He is also known as dmaSOUL. Starting 2007, he is part of the Swedish band E.M.D..-Idol:...
to form the boyband E.M.D. The group have achieved massive success in Sweden, with four consecutive number 1 hit singles. The first, "All for Love" held the number 1 spot for 6 weeks and was certified triple platinum, becoming the highest selling single in Sweden by an Idol contestant. Their debut album, A State of Mind
A State of Mind (album)
A State of Mind is the first album released by Swedish boy band E.M.D.. The album was released in on May 14, 2008 following up the massive success of their first two singles All for Love and Jennie Let Me Love You.-Track listing:...
was released in May 2008 and it too hit number 1. It was certified double platinum for sales of over 80,000 copies and spent more weeks on the chart than any other Idol contestant album. The group's second studio album, a compilation of Christmas songs titled Välkommen Hem
Välkommen hem
Välkommen hem is the second album released by Swedish boy band E.M.D.. It marks their first release of material sung in Swedish. The album was released in Sweden on November 9, 2009 and features both classic and lesser known Christmas songs. The album was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden at...
was released in November 2009 and became the highest-selling album ever by an Idol alumnus after being certified quadruple platinum for the sale of a massive 160,000 copies.
Sixth place finisher Danny Saucedo
Danny Saucedo
Danny Saucedo is a Swedish singer and songwriter often presented just as Danny, who competed as one of the finalists in Idol 2006 - the Swedish version of Idol where he got to the top 6 before being eliminated.Danny has released three music albums and eleven music singles...
was signed to Sony BMG music, and his debut album Heart Beats was released in May 2007. The record peaked at number 1, produced two chart-topping singles and was certified gold for the sale of over 30,000 copies. In early 2008, Saucedo formed the boyband E.M.D with fellow season three contestant Erik Segerstedt and season four fifth place finisher Mattias Andréasson to form the boyband E.M.D. In late 2008, Saucedo released "Radio
Radio (Danny Saucedo song)
Radio is an English language song by Danny Saucedo and the first single taken from his album Set Your Body Free. The song released in 2008 was written by Michel Zirton, Tobias Gustavsson and Danny Saucedo himself....
", the lead single from his second solo album, which became his third number one single. The album, Set Your Body Free
Set Your Body Free
Set Your Body Free is the second solo album by Swedish pop/dance singer Danny Saucedo. It was released on 24 December 2008. The first single 'Radio' reached #1 on Swedish charts, and stayed there for two weeks. The album was released by Sony Music....
was released on Christmas Eve and debuted at number 2. In its second week on the chart however, it fell to number 36 and spent only five weeks on the chart.
Season 4
Season four of Idol launched on September 3, 2007 with a brand new hosting team made up of television personalities Peter JihdePeter Jihde
Peter Jihde is a Swedish television host and sports reporter on TV4.Jihde was born in Malmö, Sweden. He has hosted "Sporten", "Fotbollskväll", and has presented Olympic games and football world championships. Jihde has also hosted his own talk show "Hos Jihde" on SVT and is a former floorball...
, Carolina Gynning
Carolina Gynning
Carolina Gynning Nilsson is a Swedish model, actress and television host. Gynning became especially well-known to the public after winning Big Brother 2004, and has since become a television host for shows such as Dagens Man, Idol 2007 and Förkväll.-Early life:Gynning was born in Malmö but grew up...
and Carina Berg
Carina Berg
Carina Lilly Berg is a Swedish comedian and radio/TV personality. Berg is married to television host Kristian Luuk, who hosted Melodifestivalen 2007 and Melodifestivalen 2008. As of 2006 Berg is one of the hosts for the show Förkväll along with Carolina Gynning and Alexandra Pascalidou on TV4 in...
. The series also saw the judging panel reduce to three, with musician Claes af Geijerstam
Claes af Geijerstam
Claes af Geijerstam , nicknamed Clabbe , is a Swedish musician, radio personality and DJ who is mostly famous for his talent of rapid speech and his many years as a radio DJ....
bowing out of the series for personal reasons. Another change from previous seasons was the grand finale venue. For the first time it was moved from the usual television studios to the 16,000-seat Globen Arena in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. The finale contestants' compilation album Det Bästa Från Idol 2007 was released at the end of November and was certified platinum after selling over 40,000 copies.
Winner Marie Picasso
Marie Picasso
Marie Picasso is a Swedish singer, host and model who first rose to fame as a housemate on the popular reality television show Big Brother, before going on to win the fourth series of the Swedish singing competition Idol.-Big Brother:In 2002, Picasso appeared as a housemate on the hugely popular...
was signed to Sony BMG and her coronation song "This Moment" was released immediately after her victory. The single spent two weeks at number one and was certified platinum. Her debut album The Secret was released in mid-December and held the number 1 spot for three weeks. It sold just over 60,000 copies and was accredited platinum. However, the album failed to yield any other successful singles, with the second and final song released, "Winning Streak" missing the Top 60.
Runner-up Amanda Jenssen
Amanda Jenssen
Jenny Amanda Katarina Jenssen is a Swedish singer and Idol 2007 runner-up. Jenssens first album released in 2008 became one of that year's most sold music albums in Sweden which saw it peak at number 1 on the Swedish album chart...
also signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and released her debut album Killing My Darlings in May 2008. The album peaked at number 1 on the Swedish albums chart and has since been certified double platinum for the sale of over 80,000 copies. So far she has been more commercially successful than winner Picasso, with all four singles released from Killing My Darlings making it into the top fifteen, including a number 1 with "Do You Love Me?" Jenssen's highly anticipated second album Happyland was released on October 28, 2009. The album debuted at number 3 and has gone on to sell over 60,000 copies, spending more weeks on the official albums chart than her debut.
Fourth place finisher Daniel Karlsson
Daniel Karlsson
Daniel Karlsson is a Swedish singer and songwriter. He later on took the name The Moniker as his stage name.-As Daniel Karlsson:...
released his first single, "Would You Believe?" in late 2008, which peaked at number 8. His debut album was originally set for release in early 2009 but is yet to appear.
Fifth place finisher Mattias Andréasson
Mattias Andréasson
Mattias Andréasson, born on March 29, 1981, Swedish singer and Swedish Idol 2007 contestant . He is also known as dmaSOUL. Starting 2007, he is part of the Swedish band E.M.D..-Idol:...
joined together with season three Idol contestants Erik Segerstedt
Erik Segerstedt
Erik Segerstedt was the runner-up to Markus Fagervall on the third season of Swedish version of Idol 2006.In 2007, he became part of the Swedish band E.M.D...
and Danny Saucedo
Danny Saucedo
Danny Saucedo is a Swedish singer and songwriter often presented just as Danny, who competed as one of the finalists in Idol 2006 - the Swedish version of Idol where he got to the top 6 before being eliminated.Danny has released three music albums and eleven music singles...
to form the boyband E.M.D in early 2008.
Season 5
Season five of Idol launched on September 3, 2008 with host Peter JihdePeter Jihde
Peter Jihde is a Swedish television host and sports reporter on TV4.Jihde was born in Malmö, Sweden. He has hosted "Sporten", "Fotbollskväll", and has presented Olympic games and football world championships. Jihde has also hosted his own talk show "Hos Jihde" on SVT and is a former floorball...
returning to the show. The season saw a dramatic line-up change on the juding panel, with all three judges, Daniel Breitholtz
Daniel Breitholtz
Daniel Breitholtz, born October 18, 1977, is an A&R-manager at Sony BMG. Together with voice coach Kishti Tomita, manager and talent scout Peter Swartling and producer, musician and disc jockey Claes af Geijerstam he is a part of the Idol 2004, Idol 2005, Idol 2006 and Idol 2007 jury.Breitholtz has...
, Peter Swartling
Peter Swartling
Peter Swartling was one of the Swedish judges on the TV talent show Idol on TV4. He made it clear that he wouldn't participate in the fourth season of Idol due to him being forced to commute between Sweden and USA, where he currently lives...
and Kishti Tomita
Kishti Tomita
Kishti Tomita is a Swedish voice coach, TV personality and singer. Together with A&R manager Daniel Breitholtz and manager and talent scout Peter Swartling she is a part of the Swedish Idol 2004, Idol 2005,Idol 2006 and Idol 2007 jury...
departing from the show for various personal reasons. They were replaced by Sony BMG manager Laila Bagge
Laila Bagge
Laila Natali Bagge Wahlgren, born 15 December 1972 in Lund as Laila Natali Cahling, formerly Laila Bagge, is a Swedish manager and songwriter. Her mother is Swedish and her father is Palestinian. She worked for Sony BMG New York for three years as a talent scout. Laila also found the members and...
, record producer Anders Bagge
Anders Bagge
Sven Anders Bagge is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer and partner with Peer Åström. The two songwriters / producers are known as Bagge & Peer...
and songwriter Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson is a Swedish music producer, composer, and pop songwriter.-Biography:Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2001....
. The change made Idol the first series in the franchise to completely replace its entire judging panel. For the second time, the grand finale was held in Stockholm's Globen, which set a new record for the largest live audience at an Idol finale anywhere in the world, with an estimated crowd of 16,000 people. It also marked only the second time in worldwide Idol history where neither of the final two contestants were born in the host country. Kevin Borg
Kevin Borg (singer)
Kevin James Borg is a Maltese pop singer who lives and works in Sweden. Borg rose to musical fame as the winner of the fifth series of the Swedish singing competition Idol in 2008...
was born in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and Alice Svensson
Alice Svensson
Alice Cecilia Linh Svensson is a Swedish singer and Idol 2008 1-runner up. Svensson was adopted from Vietnam and moved to Sweden with her family when she was 10 months old she has since resided in Hedesunda.- Beginnings :...
was born in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The only other Idol contest to have this occur was Greece's Super Idol
Super Idol
Super Idol was the first Greek version of the British television hit show Pop Idol. It was a talent contest to find a pop performer. The first series of the show, from February 8 to June 17, 2004, was hosted by Themis Georgantas and the winner was Stavros Konstantinou.Due to low ratings Mega...
in 2004.
Winner Kevin Borg
Kevin Borg (singer)
Kevin James Borg is a Maltese pop singer who lives and works in Sweden. Borg rose to musical fame as the winner of the fifth series of the Swedish singing competition Idol in 2008...
was signed to Sony BMG, and his coronation song "With Every Bit of Me
With Every Bit of Me
"With Every Bit of Me" is a Swedish English language single by Maltese-Swedish singer Kevin Borg, winner of the Swedish version of Idol in its fifth season in 2008. The single debuted at number one on the Swedish Single Charts on 18 December 2009 and remained there for four weeks, making it both...
" was released immediately as his debut single. Like the previous four winners' singles, Borg's debuted at number 1 on the singles chart. It went on to hold the top spot for five weeks and was certified double platinum. Unlike his four predecessors, who had their first albums released only weeks after their victories, Borg was given longer to record his own debut. The lead single, "Street Lights" was released in late February 2009 and peaked at number 10 on the Swedish singles chart. The album The Beginning followed on March 4 and debuted at number 3. Although it sold over 10,000 copies in its first week of release, The Beginning was the first Idol winner's album not to debut or peak at number 1. It gained a gold certification for sales in excess of 35,000 copies, but is the only debut Idol winner album not to reach platinum status.
Fourth place contestant Johan Palm
Johan Palm
Johan Palm is a former contestant on Swedish Idol 2008 ending up in fourth place. Palm performed several English songs on Swedish Idol, including "Friday I'm In Love" by the Cure, "Poison" by Alice Cooper, and "The Winner Takes It All" by Abba. He also performed a special edition of "We Built This...
signed with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
and his debut single "Emma-Lee
Emma-Lee
Emma-Lee is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitar player and photographer based in Toronto, Ontario. She released her debut album Never Just a Dream in 2008 to critical acclaim from the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail. The album was picked up by Bumstead Records and re-released on March 3, 2009....
", released in early April 2009, reached the number 1 spot on the Swedish singles chart in its third week. His first album, My Antidote was released on 22 May 2009 and debuted at number 3. After nine weeks on the chart it was certified gold for sales in excess of 20,000 copies.
Fifth place contestant Anna Bergendahl
Anna Bergendahl
Anna Henrietta Bergendahl is a Swedish singer. She was born in Stockholm and raised in Nyköping and Katrineholm. Bergendahl is of partial Irish descent as her grandmother was born and lives in Ireland, and Anna's first performance in front of an audience was made in a cathedral in York when she...
was signed by Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
at the end of 2009, a year after season five of Idols. She was selected to compete in Melodifestivalen 2010
Melodifestivalen 2010
Melodifestivalen 2010 was a Swedish song contest held between February and March 2010. It was the selection for the 50th song to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, and was the 49th edition of Melodifestivalen...
, going on to win the contest and represent Sweden in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Her winning song "This Is My Life
This Is My Life (Anna Bergendahl song)
- Charts :-Release history :-External links:* - Youtube* - Youtube...
" debuted at number one on the Swedish singles chart, a position it held for four consecutive weeks. Her debut album, Yours Sincerely
Yours Sincerely (album)
Yours Sincerely is a 2010 album by Anna Bergendahl. It was released on 14 April 2010 reaching the top of the Swedish Albums Chart on 23 April 2010-Singles:*"This is My Life" was the first single from the album, it was released on 28 February 2010...
was released on April 21, 2010 and also hit the number one spot in its first week, making Bergendahl the only season five Idol contestant to achieve a chart-topping album. The record was certified gold for Swedish sales of over 20,000 copies.
Season 6
Season six of Idol premiered on September 8, 2009 with Peter JihdePeter Jihde
Peter Jihde is a Swedish television host and sports reporter on TV4.Jihde was born in Malmö, Sweden. He has hosted "Sporten", "Fotbollskväll", and has presented Olympic games and football world championships. Jihde has also hosted his own talk show "Hos Jihde" on SVT and is a former floorball...
once again returning to host the show, along with judges Laila Bagge
Laila Bagge
Laila Natali Bagge Wahlgren, born 15 December 1972 in Lund as Laila Natali Cahling, formerly Laila Bagge, is a Swedish manager and songwriter. Her mother is Swedish and her father is Palestinian. She worked for Sony BMG New York for three years as a talent scout. Laila also found the members and...
, Anders Bagge
Anders Bagge
Sven Anders Bagge is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer and partner with Peer Åström. The two songwriters / producers are known as Bagge & Peer...
and Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson is a Swedish music producer, composer, and pop songwriter.-Biography:Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2001....
. An Idol record of 11,000 people auditioned for the series, which included an 'audition tour' around Sweden by judge Anders Bagge in order to find talent outside the most densely populated areas. The series marked a new change to the format of the show, whereby the bottom two contestants in each week of the finals were required to sing again. Their previous votes were wiped clean and the public re-cast their votes. The rule was brought in as an attempt to prevent 'shock eliminations' of the more talented contestants, and had already proved successful in other countries. The grand finale was once again held in Stockholm's Globen, with guest performers including season two winner Agnes Carlsson
Agnes Carlsson
Agnes Emilia Carlsson, also known mononymously as Agnes , is a Swedish recording artist. She rose to fame as the winner of Idol 2005, the second season of the Swedish Idol series...
, who in 2009 had become the first Idol alumni to achieve worldwide stardom.
Winner Erik Grönwall
Erik Grönwall
Erik Grönwall is a Swedish singer and songwriter. In December 2009, he won Swedish Idol.During several of the shows he received standing ovations from the jury for his performances. His first single, "Higher", sold gold on digital downloads after onlythree days...
signed with Sony BMG and released his coronation song ""Higher"
Higher (Erik Grönwall song)
Higher is a Swedish English language single by Erik Grönwall, winner of the Swedish version of Idol in its sixth season in 2009. He sang the winning song when he was declared winner on 11 December 2009....
", which spent five weeks at number one and was certified platinum. Like all previous Idol winners (with the exception of Kevin Borg), his self-titled debut album Erik Grönwall
Erik Grönwall (album)
Erik Grönwall is the debut self-titled album of Erik Grönwall, winner of the Swedish singing television competition Idol 2009.It entered the Swedish Albums Chart straight in at #1 staying there for 4 weeks .- Erik Grönwall - Track listing :-Release history:-Charts and certifications:...
was released only two weeks after his victory, and went into the official Swedish chart at number one, a position it held for four weeks. The album was certified platinum for the sale of over 40,000 copies. His second album, Somewhere Between a Rock and a Hard Place was released in June 2010 and peaked at number two.
Runner-Up Calle Kristiansson
Calle Kristiansson
Calle Kristiansson born July 5, 1988 in Kristianstad is a Swedish singer who came first runner-up in Idol 2009 after the winner Erik Grönwall. On December 23, 2009 Kristiansson released his first music album containing 11 songs from his performances on Idol....
also signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and released his self-titled debut album Calle Kristiansson on December 21, 2009. The album debuted at number two, held off the top spot by season six winner Erik Grönwall
Erik Grönwall
Erik Grönwall is a Swedish singer and songwriter. In December 2009, he won Swedish Idol.During several of the shows he received standing ovations from the jury for his performances. His first single, "Higher", sold gold on digital downloads after onlythree days...
. The album held the number two spot for a total of four weeks and was accredited gold for sales of over 20,000 copies.
Also third placer Tove Styrke
Tove Styrke
Tove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke is a singer, songwriter, pianist, and model. Born in Umeå, Sweden, she rose to prominence as a contestant on Swedish Idol 2009, finishing in third place...
released a music album in November 2010 named Tove Styrke.
Season 7
Season seven of Idol will premier in September 2010 with Peter JihdePeter Jihde
Peter Jihde is a Swedish television host and sports reporter on TV4.Jihde was born in Malmö, Sweden. He has hosted "Sporten", "Fotbollskväll", and has presented Olympic games and football world championships. Jihde has also hosted his own talk show "Hos Jihde" on SVT and is a former floorball...
returning as host the show, along with judges Laila Bagge
Laila Bagge
Laila Natali Bagge Wahlgren, born 15 December 1972 in Lund as Laila Natali Cahling, formerly Laila Bagge, is a Swedish manager and songwriter. Her mother is Swedish and her father is Palestinian. She worked for Sony BMG New York for three years as a talent scout. Laila also found the members and...
, Anders Bagge
Anders Bagge
Sven Anders Bagge is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer and partner with Peer Åström. The two songwriters / producers are known as Bagge & Peer...
and Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson is a Swedish music producer, composer, and pop songwriter.-Biography:Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2001....
. A new Idol record was set during the April and May auditions, with a total of 11,700 applicants.
Season 8
Season eight of Idol premiered on TV4 on September 4, 2011, and is the last season of Idol. Pär LernströmPär Lernström
Pär Lernström, born September 4, 1980, is a Swedish television and radio presenter, which he has been since 2001.He has worked for SR Stockholm, Utbildningsradion, MTV:s morningshow "Mycket mer än müsli", Aftonbladet TV7 and Mix Megapol....
is the new host of the series, after Peter Jihde
Peter Jihde
Peter Jihde is a Swedish television host and sports reporter on TV4.Jihde was born in Malmö, Sweden. He has hosted "Sporten", "Fotbollskväll", and has presented Olympic games and football world championships. Jihde has also hosted his own talk show "Hos Jihde" on SVT and is a former floorball...
declined to return as host after Idol 2010
Idol 2010
The seventh season of Swedish Idol premiered on September 7, 2010 and concluded in December 2010 and was broadcasted by TV4. Judges Anders Bagge, Laila Bagge Wahlgren and Andreas Carlsson continued to judge the show's contestants for their third year, along with, for the fourth consecutive year,...
.
Top Selling Idol Alumni
This list only includes contestants with at least one certified album, and the totals do not include EPs, digital-only albums and/or pre-Idol recordings.Swedish Gold, Platinum, and/or Multi-Platinum certifications (Worldwide Sales)
| Former contestant Total sales |
Debut album | Second album | Third album | Fourth album | Fifth album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Agnes Carlsson Agnes Carlsson Agnes Emilia Carlsson, also known mononymously as Agnes , is a Swedish recording artist. She rose to fame as the winner of Idol 2005, the second season of the Swedish Idol series... (Season 2, Winner) 345,000 |
Agnes Agnes (album) Agnes is the debut album composed of the songs performed by the Idol 2005 winner Agnes Carlsson. The album debuted at #1 in Sweden and stayed there for 2 weeks. The lead single, "Right Here, Right Now ", written and produced by Jörgen Elofsson, topped the Swedish Top 60 Singles chart for six weeks... (December 19, 2005) Columbia 93,000 2xPlatinum Peak: #1 |
Stronger Stronger (Agnes album) -Release history:-Charts and certifications:... (October 11, 2006) Columbia 52,000 Platinum Peak: #1 |
Dance Love Pop Dance Love Pop Dance Love Pop is the third studio album by Swedish recording artist Agnes, released originally on October 29, 2008 in Sweden. This was Agnes' first studio album since 2006 and her comeback to the music stage. The album is written and produced by Swedish song-writer Anders Hansson and geared... (October 29, 2008) Roxy Records 200,000 Platinum Peak: #5 |
||
| 2. | E.M.D (Erik Segerstedt Erik Segerstedt Erik Segerstedt was the runner-up to Markus Fagervall on the third season of Swedish version of Idol 2006.In 2007, he became part of the Swedish band E.M.D... , Mattias Andréasson Mattias Andréasson Mattias Andréasson, born on March 29, 1981, Swedish singer and Swedish Idol 2007 contestant . He is also known as dmaSOUL. Starting 2007, he is part of the Swedish band E.M.D..-Idol:... and Danny Saucedo Danny Saucedo Danny Saucedo is a Swedish singer and songwriter often presented just as Danny, who competed as one of the finalists in Idol 2006 - the Swedish version of Idol where he got to the top 6 before being eliminated.Danny has released three music albums and eleven music singles... ) 260,000 |
A State of Mind A State of Mind (album) A State of Mind is the first album released by Swedish boy band E.M.D.. The album was released in on May 14, 2008 following up the massive success of their first two singles All for Love and Jennie Let Me Love You.-Track listing:... (May 14, 2008) Ariola 90,000 2xPlatinum Peak: #1 |
Välkommen Hem Välkommen hem Välkommen hem is the second album released by Swedish boy band E.M.D.. It marks their first release of material sung in Swedish. The album was released in Sweden on November 9, 2009 and features both classic and lesser known Christmas songs. The album was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden at... (November 9, 2009) Ariola 160,000 4xPlatinum Peak: N/A1 |
Rewind (December 3, 2010) Ariola 10,000 N/A Peak: #20 |
||
| 3. | Darin Zanyar Darin Zanyar Darin Zanyar more commonly known as Darin is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter of Kurdish descent and one of Sweden's best-selling artists, with numerous chart topping songs and music albums.-Early life:... (Season 1, Runner-Up) 186,000 |
The Anthem The Anthem (Darin album) The Anthem is a studio album from Swedish singer and former Idol contestant Darin. It was his first commercial release following the independent release of his previous album "Darin Zanyar" in 2002. The album features two top 10 singles including the number one single 'Money For Nothing'... (February 14, 2005) RCA 52,000 Platinum Peak: #1 |
Darin Darin (album) Darin is the second studio album by Swedish singer/songwriter Darin. It was released on September 28, 2005 in Sweden and features the singles Step Up, Want Ya! and "Who's That Girl?". The album became Darin's second number 1 album... (September 28, 2005) Columbia 71,000 Platinum Peak: #1 |
Break the News Break the News Break the News is the third studio album by the Swedish singer Darin. It was released on November 22, 2006 in Sweden. The album reached the top of the Swedish Album Charts. Four singles were released from the album in Sweden with an additional track charting from promotion... (November 22, 2006) Columbia 22,000 Gold Peak: #1 |
Flashback Flashback (Darin album) Flashback is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer/songwriter Darin Zanyar. It was released on December 3, 2008 in Sweden and became Darin's 4th top 10 album. It features the physical singles Breathing Your Love and What If plus the digital singles Runaway and See U At The Club... (December 3, 2008) Epic 16,000 N/A Peak: #10 |
LoveKiller (August 18, 2010) Universal 25,000 Gold Peak: #1 |
| 4. | Amanda Jenssen Amanda Jenssen Jenny Amanda Katarina Jenssen is a Swedish singer and Idol 2007 runner-up. Jenssens first album released in 2008 became one of that year's most sold music albums in Sweden which saw it peak at number 1 on the Swedish album chart... (Season 4, Runner-Up) 178,000 |
Killing My Darlings (May 7, 2008) Epic 84,000 2xPlatinum Peak: #1 |
Happyland (October 28, 2009) Epic 94,000 2xPlatinum Peak: #3 |
|||
| 5. | Markus Fagervall Markus Fagervall Markus Fagervall won Idol 2006, the third season of the Swedish version of Pop Idol. Markus beat out Erik Segerstedt on December 1, 2006 to take the title. His first single "Everything Changes" peaked at number one on the Swedish singles chart... (Season 3, Winner) 102,000 |
Echo Heart (December 18, 2006) RCA 81,000 2xPlatinum Peak: #1 |
Steal My Melody (October 15, 2008) RCA 21,000 Gold Peak: #11 |
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| 6. | Måns Zelmerlöw Måns Zelmerlöw Måns Petter Albert Sahlén Zelmerlöw is a Swedish pop singer. He is probably best known for his 2007 song "Cara Mia," which was his entry in that year's Melodifestivalen... (Season 2, 5th Place) 83,000 |
Stand By For... Stand By For... Stand By For... is the debut album from Swedish singer and model Måns Zelmerlöw. It was released on May 23, 2007, debuting and peaking at number 1 on the official Swedish album chart. The album has spawned 4 top 50 singles including 'Cara Mia', Måns' entry in Melodifestivalen 2007... (March 23, 2007) Warner Records 48,000 Platinum Peak: #1 |
MZW MZW MZW is the second solo album from Swedish singer and model Måns Zelmerlöw. The album fits more into the dance genre than pop as his debut album Stand By For... did. The album features 'Hope & Glory', Måns' entry into Melodifestivalen 2009, Sweden's selection process to decide their Eurovision entry... (March 25, 2009) Warner Records 35,000 Gold Peak: #1 |
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| 7. | Daniel Lindström Daniel Lindström Daniel Lindström is a Swedish singer from Umeå who won the Swedish Idol 2004 contest against Darin Zanyar. His first single, "Coming True", sold double platinum, and his self-titled album, released in December 2004, topped the Swedish pop charts... (Season 1, Winner) 77,000 |
Daniel Lindström Daniel Lindström (album) Daniel Lindström is the eponymous debut album of Swedish pop singer Daniel Lindström, released in 2004.-Track listing:# Break Free# Coming True# My Love Won't Let You Down# A Life Without You# Run# Take It To Heart... (December 9, 2004) RCA 53,000 Platinum Peak: #1 |
Nån Slags Verklighet (August 16, 2006) RCA 22,000 Gold Peak: #3 |
D-Day (January 29, 2009) LaLuff 3,000 N/A Peak: #25 |
||
| 8. | Sebastian Karlsson Sebastian Karlsson (singer) Sebastian Karlsson, or Sebastian , is a Swedish singer and performer, best known for his participation in Idol 2005, where he came in second place after Agnes Carlsson... (Season 2, Runner-Up) 72,000 |
Sebastian Sebastian (album) Sebastian is the 2006 debut album from Swedish pop/rock singer Sebastian Karlsson, led by the first single and four weeks #1 hit "Do What You're Told". The album was released on March 1, debuting at #1 in Sweden, and not falling until a few weeks thereafter... (March 1, 2006) RCA 38,000 Gold Peak: #1 |
The Vintage Virgin The Vintage Virgin The Vintage Virgin is the second studio album from Swedish pop/rock and alternative rock singer Sebastian Karlsson, led by the singles "Words and Violence" and the Melodifestivalen 2007 entry "When the Night Comes Falling" the album was released on March 7, 2007 one year and one week after his... (March 7, 2007) RCA 32,000 Gold Peak: #2 |
The Most Beautiful Lie (January 29, 2009) Roxy Records 2,000 N/A Peak: #32 |
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| 9. | Ola Svensson Ola Svensson Ola Nils Håkan Svensson , professionally known simply as Ola, is a Swedish pop singer born in Lund in the southern region of Skåne, Sweden. He first appeared on Idol in 2005. He has sold over 135 000 records in Sweden and his songs have been played on the radio just under 200,000 times in Sweden... (Season 2, 8th Place) 71,000 |
Given to Fly Given to Fly (album) Given to Fly is the debut album released by Swedish pop singer Ola.It was released in Sweden in June 2006, and debuted at #1 in the official Swedish album chart.-Track listing:#"Rain"#"Cops Come Knocking"#"How We Do It"#"Given to Fly"#"Till the End"... (May 31, 2006) Universal 22,000 Gold Peak: #1 |
Good Enough Good Enough (album) Good Enough is the second studio album to be released by Swedish pop singer Ola. The album originally debuted and peaked at #6 on the Swedish albums chart, however it reached a new peak at #2, when re-released with a new track listing in 2008.... (October 3, 2007) Universal 37,000 Gold Peak: #2 |
Ola (September 15, 2010) Universal 12,000 N/A Peak: #3 |
||
| 10. | Marie Picasso Marie Picasso Marie Picasso is a Swedish singer, host and model who first rose to fame as a housemate on the popular reality television show Big Brother, before going on to win the fourth series of the Swedish singing competition Idol.-Big Brother:In 2002, Picasso appeared as a housemate on the hugely popular... (Season 4, Winner) 62,000 |
The Secret (December 19, 2007) RCA 62,000 Platinum Peak: #1 |
||||
| 11. | Erik Grönwall Erik Grönwall Erik Grönwall is a Swedish singer and songwriter. In December 2009, he won Swedish Idol.During several of the shows he received standing ovations from the jury for his performances. His first single, "Higher", sold gold on digital downloads after onlythree days... (Season 6, Winner) 53,000 |
Erik Grönwall Erik Grönwall (album) Erik Grönwall is the debut self-titled album of Erik Grönwall, winner of the Swedish singing television competition Idol 2009.It entered the Swedish Albums Chart straight in at #1 staying there for 4 weeks .- Erik Grönwall - Track listing :-Release history:-Charts and certifications:... (December 16, 2009) Columbia 43,000 Platinum Peak: #1 |
Somehwere Between a Rock and a Hard Place (June 2, 2010) Columbia 10,000 N/A Peak: #2 |
|||
| 12. | Danny Saucedo Danny Saucedo Danny Saucedo is a Swedish singer and songwriter often presented just as Danny, who competed as one of the finalists in Idol 2006 - the Swedish version of Idol where he got to the top 6 before being eliminated.Danny has released three music albums and eleven music singles... (Season 3, 6th Place) 49,000 |
Heart Beats (May 30, 2007) Ariola 32,000 Gold Peak: #1 |
Set Your Body Free Set Your Body Free Set Your Body Free is the second solo album by Swedish pop/dance singer Danny Saucedo. It was released on 24 December 2008. The first single 'Radio' reached #1 on Swedish charts, and stayed there for two weeks. The album was released by Sony Music.... (December 24, 2008) Ariola 17,000 N/A Peak: #2 |
|||
| 13. | Kevin Borg Kevin Borg Kevin James Borg is a Maltese pop singer who lives and works in Sweden. Borg rose to musical fame as the winner of the fifth series of the Swedish singing competition Idol in 2008... (Season 5, Winner) 37,000 |
The Beginning (March 4, 2009) Ariola 37,000 Gold Peak: #3 |
||||
| 14. | Anna Bergendahl Anna Bergendahl Anna Henrietta Bergendahl is a Swedish singer. She was born in Stockholm and raised in Nyköping and Katrineholm. Bergendahl is of partial Irish descent as her grandmother was born and lives in Ireland, and Anna's first performance in front of an audience was made in a cathedral in York when she... (Season 5, 5th Place) 34,000 |
Yours Sincerely Yours Sincerely (album) Yours Sincerely is a 2010 album by Anna Bergendahl. It was released on 14 April 2010 reaching the top of the Swedish Albums Chart on 23 April 2010-Singles:*"This is My Life" was the first single from the album, it was released on 28 February 2010... (April 21, 2010) Universal 34,000 Gold Peak: #1 |
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| 15. | Calle Kristiansson Calle Kristiansson Calle Kristiansson born July 5, 1988 in Kristianstad is a Swedish singer who came first runner-up in Idol 2009 after the winner Erik Grönwall. On December 23, 2009 Kristiansson released his first music album containing 11 songs from his performances on Idol.... (Season 6, Runner-Up) 31,000 |
Calle Kristiansson (December 23, 2009) Columbia 31,000 Gold Peak: #2 |
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| 16. | Erik Segerstedt Erik Segerstedt Erik Segerstedt was the runner-up to Markus Fagervall on the third season of Swedish version of Idol 2006.In 2007, he became part of the Swedish band E.M.D... (Season 3, Runner-Up) 28,000 |
A Different Shade A Different Shade A Different Shade is a 2007 album from Swedish singer Erik Segerstedt, released on February 1, 2007, and debuted at number 2 on the Swedish album chart... (February 21, 2007) Epic 28,000 Gold Peak: #2 |
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| 17. | Johan Palm Johan Palm Johan Palm is a former contestant on Swedish Idol 2008 ending up in fourth place. Palm performed several English songs on Swedish Idol, including "Friday I'm In Love" by the Cure, "Poison" by Alice Cooper, and "The Winner Takes It All" by Abba. He also performed a special edition of "We Built This... (Season 5, 4th Place) 27,000 |
My Antidote (May 20, 2009) Epic 27,000 Gold Peak: #3 |
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| 18. | Sibel Redzep Sibel Redzep Sibel Redzep, is a Macedonian-born Swedish pop singer of Turkish descent. She is known from the Swedish television show Idol 2005, where she was the second runner up.... (Season 2, 3rd Place) 21,000 |
The Diving Belle The Diving Belle The Diving Belle is the debut album from Turkish/Macedonian born singer Sibel. The album was released 12 March 2008 and reached number nine on the Swedish album charts... (March 12, 2008) Warner Records 21,000 Gold Peak: #9 |
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- 1 Välkommen HemVälkommen hemVälkommen hem is the second album released by Swedish boy band E.M.D.. It marks their first release of material sung in Swedish. The album was released in Sweden on November 9, 2009 and features both classic and lesser known Christmas songs. The album was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden at...
by E.M.D was ineligible to chart as it had been sold exclusively by ICA AB retail stores.
Winner, runner-up, third-place
- Season 1 (2004): Winner Daniel LindströmDaniel LindströmDaniel Lindström is a Swedish singer from Umeå who won the Swedish Idol 2004 contest against Darin Zanyar. His first single, "Coming True", sold double platinum, and his self-titled album, released in December 2004, topped the Swedish pop charts...
, before Darin ZanyarDarinDarin may refer to*Darin , full name Darin Zanyar, a Swedish pop singer*Bobby Darin, American pop singer*Ricardo Darín, Argentine actor*Darin Strauss, American author-See also:*Daran, a village in Azerbaijan*Daren, Taitung, a township in Taiwan...
and Filip Williams - Season 2 (2005): Winner Agnes CarlssonAgnes CarlssonAgnes Emilia Carlsson, also known mononymously as Agnes , is a Swedish recording artist. She rose to fame as the winner of Idol 2005, the second season of the Swedish Idol series...
, before Sebastian KarlssonSebastian Karlsson (singer)Sebastian Karlsson, or Sebastian , is a Swedish singer and performer, best known for his participation in Idol 2005, where he came in second place after Agnes Carlsson...
and Sibel RedzepSibel RedzepSibel Redzep, is a Macedonian-born Swedish pop singer of Turkish descent. She is known from the Swedish television show Idol 2005, where she was the second runner up.... - Season 3 (2006): Winner Markus FagervallMarkus FagervallMarkus Fagervall won Idol 2006, the third season of the Swedish version of Pop Idol. Markus beat out Erik Segerstedt on December 1, 2006 to take the title. His first single "Everything Changes" peaked at number one on the Swedish singles chart...
, before Erik SegerstedtErik SegerstedtErik Segerstedt was the runner-up to Markus Fagervall on the third season of Swedish version of Idol 2006.In 2007, he became part of the Swedish band E.M.D...
and Johan Larsson - Season 4 (2007): Winner Marie PicassoMarie PicassoMarie Picasso is a Swedish singer, host and model who first rose to fame as a housemate on the popular reality television show Big Brother, before going on to win the fourth series of the Swedish singing competition Idol.-Big Brother:In 2002, Picasso appeared as a housemate on the hugely popular...
, before Amanda JenssenAmanda JenssenJenny Amanda Katarina Jenssen is a Swedish singer and Idol 2007 runner-up. Jenssens first album released in 2008 became one of that year's most sold music albums in Sweden which saw it peak at number 1 on the Swedish album chart...
and Andreas Sjöberg - Season 5 (2008): Winner Kevin BorgKevin BorgKevin James Borg is a Maltese pop singer who lives and works in Sweden. Borg rose to musical fame as the winner of the fifth series of the Swedish singing competition Idol in 2008...
, before Alice SvenssonAlice SvenssonAlice Cecilia Linh Svensson is a Swedish singer and Idol 2008 1-runner up. Svensson was adopted from Vietnam and moved to Sweden with her family when she was 10 months old she has since resided in Hedesunda.- Beginnings :...
and Robin Bengtsson - Season 6 (2009): Winner Erik GrönwallErik GrönwallErik Grönwall is a Swedish singer and songwriter. In December 2009, he won Swedish Idol.During several of the shows he received standing ovations from the jury for his performances. His first single, "Higher", sold gold on digital downloads after onlythree days...
, before Calle KristianssonCalle KristianssonCalle Kristiansson born July 5, 1988 in Kristianstad is a Swedish singer who came first runner-up in Idol 2009 after the winner Erik Grönwall. On December 23, 2009 Kristiansson released his first music album containing 11 songs from his performances on Idol....
and Tove StyrkeTove StyrkeTove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke is a singer, songwriter, pianist, and model. Born in Umeå, Sweden, she rose to prominence as a contestant on Swedish Idol 2009, finishing in third place... - Season 7 (2010): Winner Jay SmithJay Smith (singer)Jay Jon Christopher Smith is a Swedish singer and guitarist with English ancestry. He won the Swedish Idol 2010 title, beating Minnah Karlsson in the December 10, 2010 final in the Ericsson Globe theater...
, before Minnah KarlssonMinnah KarlssonMinnah Caroline Karlsson, born 26 March 1989 in Hallstavik is a Swedish singer.MK came second in the Swedish Idol 2010, where she met Jay Smith in the finals....
and Olle Hedberg - Season 8 (2011): (Upcoming Season)
External links
- Daniel Lindström Official Website
- Agnes Carlsson Official Website
- Kevin Borg Official Website
- Erik Grönwall Official Website
- Jay Smith Official Website
- Darin Zanyar Official Website
- EMD Official Website
- Amanda Jenssen Official Website
- Alice Svensson Official Website
- Calle Kristiansson Official Website
- Tove Styrke Official Website
- Rebound! Official Website
- Minnah Karlsson Unofficial Website
- Olle Hedberg Official Website
- Linnea Henriksson Official Website
- Geir Rönning Official Website