Origins

The Scandinavian electro-pop scene kickstarted with the invention of the Nordik Beat sound 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...

 in the late 1980s. By merging the new technologies at the time, building small inexpensive studios armed with computers and samplers rather than traditional instruments and studio equipment, and the latest dance music trends (house

House music

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...

, techno

Techno

Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...

, hip-hop, electro, etc) with the Scandinavian focus since ABBA

ABBA

ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

 on mixing strong pop melodies with catchy hooks, both a new sound and a new way of making music were born. A commonly recognized birth date for the movement has become the October 1987 cover story of ID Magazine in the UK, a cover graced by the first international Afro-Scandinavian pop star, La Camilla from Army of Lovers

Army Of Lovers

Army of Lovers are a Swedish dance music group formed in 1987.The name of the band alludes to a documentary Armee der Liebenden oder Revolte der Perversen about the German gay rights activist Rosa von Praunheim, the title of which in turn alludes to the Theban Band.-History:The founding members,...

, as the face of the brand new Nordik Beat movement.

Sonet Records

A loose network of musicians, artists, record labels and associated clubs soon begun to appear. One of the two main centers was Sonet

Sonet Records

Sonet Records is a jazz record label operating as an imprint of Universal Music Sweden. It was founded in Sweden in 1956.Sonet Records was established by Sven Lindholm and Gunnar Bergström, who managed the label into the 1980s. Dag Haeggqvist, the owner of Gazell Records, became an executive of the...

 - Scandinavia's leading independent record company in the 1980s and until its sale to Polygram

PolyGram

PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...

 in 1992, with a market share of 20% for all music sales in Scandinavia. Sonet was the natural investor and distributor for the various Nordik Beat record labels. Sonet's own dance label, Ton Son Ton, was led by songwriter, artist and record producer Alexander Bard

Alexander Bard

Alexander Bengt Magnus Bard is a Swedish artist, music producer and writer.-Background and education:Bard was born Alexander Bengt Magnus Bard in Medevi, Motala Municipality, Sweden. After he had completed his upper secondary education, Bard studied in the United States and in Amsterdam, Netherlands...

, whose band Army of Lovers became one of the leading acts of the new scene with global record sales in excess of 7 million between 1990-1995.

Swemix

The second center was Swemix, a loose but large and highly influential DJ collective which was soon turned into a proper record company of its own. Swemix fostered such influential talents as Denniz Pop

Denniz Pop

Dag Krister Volle , better known under the artistic name Denniz Pop , was a Swedish DJ, music producer and songwriter....

, Douglas Carr

Douglas Carr

Douglas Ward Carr was an English amateur cricketer.Carr went to Brasenose College at Oxford University and while there played both football and cricket...

, Stonebridge

Stonebridge (DJ)

StoneBridge is the pseudonym for the Swedish DJ and record producer, Sten Hallström.-History:StoneBridge won international renown with the remix of the 1993 hit "Show Me Love" with Robin S. Until then, he had been running the Swedish DJ/remix outfit Swemix, formed at the end of the 1980s...

 and SoundFactory, all with enormous influence on international pop and dance music throughout the 1990s and beyond. It was quite typical for this egalitarian and playful scene that Army of Lovers made their records with Swemix and Swemix was distributed by Sonet. Other Nordik Beat labels associated with Sonet and Swemix were Telegram (which signed soul vocalist Titiyo

Titiyo

Titiyo Yambalu Felicia Jah is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter, who has won four Grammis.-Early life:Titiyo was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Ahmadu Jah, a Sierra Leonean drummer, and Maylen Bergström. She is the half- sister of singer Neneh Cherry, and stepsister to Eagle-Eye Cherry...

, sister of Swedish artists Neneh Cherry

Neneh Cherry

Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...

 and Eagle-Eye Cherry

Eagle-Eye Cherry

Eagle-Eye Lanoo Cherry is a Swedish musician of African-American descent.-Life and career:Cherry was born in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of African American jazz artist Don Cherry and Swedish painter/textile artist Monika "Moki" Cherry . He is half-brother of singer Neneh Cherry, his mother's...

, and ragga/dancehall star Papa Dee

Papa Dee

David Christopher Daniel Wahlgren , better known by the stage name Papa Dee, is a Swedish rap, ragga and dancehall musician...

) and Ricochet (the home of more R&B-inspired artists such as Robyn

Robyn

Robin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...

 and Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown is a Swedish singer. She was born in Hjällbo, northeast of Gothenburg.When she moved to Stockholm in the 1990s, she started working as a phone receptionist for influential Swedish record label Telegram records and this eventually led to a record deal...

).

Division

The Nordik Beat scene divided in the 1990s into an international hit factory of production powerhouses like Cheiron Studios

Cheiron Studios

Cheiron Studios was a recording studio located at Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden founded in 1992 by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa. Cheiron Studios was apart from being a recording studio, also a label Cheiron Records in affiliation with BMG for a while, and the music publishing service Cheiron Songs...

 (the home of Denniz Pop, Douglas Carr, and Max Martin

Max Martin

Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...

, who became the songwriters and producers of both Swedish artists like Army Of Lovers, E-Type, Robyn, Ace of Base

Ace of Base

Ace of Base is a pop band based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Its original lineup consisted of Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg, and three siblings, Jonas "Joker" Berggren, Malin "Linn" Berggren and Jenny Berggren...

, Kayo

Kayo

Kayo may refer to:* KAYO , radio station licensed to Wasilla, Alaska* Kayo , Korean term for pop music* Kayo, member of the new wave band Polysics, whose name is taken from the Korean term* Kayo, boxing trading card producer...

 and Dr Alban, and international stars such as Backstreet Boys

Backstreet Boys

The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...

, Britney Spears

Britney Spears

Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...

, N-Sync, Pink

Pink (singer)

Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....

 and Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...

) Murlyn Music

Murlyn Music Group

Murlyn Music Group AB or just Murlyn Music is Stockholm-based international music production company founded in 1998 by Anders Bagge and Christian Wåhlberg. Wåhlberg takes care of administration and Bagge of artstic production...

 (the home of 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...

, Arnthor Birgisson

Arnthor Birgisson

Arnthor Birgisson born on February 12, 1976, in Reykjavik, Iceland, is a Swedish songwriter and producer. His music can be described as a mixture of pop and R&B...

 and Bloodshy & Avant

Bloodshy & Avant

Bloodshy and Avant are a music production and songwriting team from Sweden made up of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg...

, who became the singwriters and producers of artists such as Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...

, Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

, Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue

Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...

, Madonna

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

 and Jordin Sparks

Jordin Sparks

Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...

) and Eclectic (the home of Anders Hansson

Anders Hansson

Anders Hansson, born in 1976, is a Swedish politician of the Moderate Party. He has been a member of the Riksdag since 2006.- External links :*...

and Johan Aberg

Johan Aberg

Johan Aberg is a Swedish songwriter and producer, who has worked with Cher, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Victoria Beckham.- Sources :...

 who wrote for and produced artists like Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera

Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

 and Cher

Cher

Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...

). But the Nordik Beat scene also fathered the Scandinavian dance music scene whose godfather ever since the 1980s was Stonebridge, later followed by DJs, songwriters and producers like Axwell

Axwell

Axwell is a DJ, remixer, record producer and record label owner from Sweden. He is part of a three person group dubbed the Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello...

, Sebastian Ingrosso

Sebastian Ingrosso

Sebastian Ingrosso is a Swedish DJ and producer of Italian descent. Born in Grahamstown, South Africa but raised in Solna, Sweden. Sebastian spent his teenage years in his fathers studio learning how to make music, with his first official remix released on Mega Records in 1999...

, Steve Angello

Steve Angello

Steve Angello is a Greek-Swedish DJ, producer, and record label owner. He is part of a three person group dubbed the Swedish House Mafia.- Background :...

 and Eric Prydz

Eric Prydz

Eric Sheridan Prydz is a Swedish DJ and producer based in London, United Kingdom. The pronunciation of his surname is often questioned; it is pronounced "prids", but when under his alias, Pryda, it is pronounced "pride-ah"...

.

Following the folding of Sonet into Polygram (later Universal Music) in 1992, the new independent record label Stockholm Records

Stockholm Records

Stockholm Records is a Swedish subsidiary of Universal Music Group.The boutique label was originally launched in 1992 as an independent record company by its Swedish founders Ola Håkansson and Alexander Bard in partnership with the original distributor and investor Polygram in London.Håkansson and...

 - led by Ola Håkansson

Ola Håkansson

Ola Håkansson is a Swedish singer, composer and producer.Ola Håkansson was born in Stockholm. He was the singer of the band Ola and the Janglers and later Secret Service. In 1986 he recorded the duet "The Way You Are" with Agnetha Fältskog.He was part of the songwriting trio Norell Oson Bard...

 of Secret Service

Secret Service (band)

Secret Service is a Swedish pop/New Wave band, popular in the early 1980s. In 1979, Ola Håkansson, a former vocalist of Ola & the Janglers and then a publishing manager at Sonet Records, teamed up with Tim Norell and Ulf Wahlberg to write a few songs that they submitted to the Melodifestivalen, a...

 fame and Alexander Bard of Army Of Lovers fame - took over the role as the leading independent Scandinavian record company and distributor of new music. Stockholm Records' major signings included acts as varied as Army of Lovers, The Cardigans

The Cardigans

The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...

, E-Type, Stakka Bo (later even more successful as a video director for artists like Madonna, Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams

Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...

, Suede

Suede (band)

Suede are an English alternative rock band from London, formed in 1989. The group's most prominent early line-up featured singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Bernard Butler, bass player Mat Osman and drummer Simon Gilbert. By 1992, Suede were hailed as "The Best New Band in Britain", and attracted...

 and Beyoncé), A-Teens, Vacuum

Vacuum (band)

Vacuum is the name of a Swedish pop band. The members are Mattias Lindblom and Anders Wollbeck. They also work as song writers and producers under the same name. As songwriters and producers Wollbeck/Lindblom have worked with artists such as Tarja Turunen, Garou, Monrose, Keisha Buchanan, f and The...

 and Lisa Miskovsky

Lisa Miskovsky

Lisa Miskovsky is a Swedish musician. Her mother is Finnish and her father is from the Czech Republic.-Biography:...

. Håkansson and Bard sold Stockholm Records to Universal Music in 1998, after which Bard went back to recording and songwriting and soon achieved international success with disco trio Alcazar

Alcazar (band)

Alcazar is a Swedish eurodance group which has established themselves as one of Sweden's most successful music groups with a string of hits since their debut single in 1999. Worldwide, Alcazar sold over 12 million records between 2001 and 2004...

.

Expansion

The Swedish scene soon inspired the neighboring countries and major cities. 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...

 fostered production supremos Star Gate (among the world's most successful songwriters and record producers in the 00s with clients including Beyoncé, Rihanna

Rihanna

Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...

, Jordin Sparks, and their American co-writer and co-producer Ne-Yo

Ne-Yo

Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...

). Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

 and neighboring 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...

 fostered an electronic pure pop scene represented by acts like Aqua

Aqua (band)

Aqua is a Danish dance-pop group, best known for their 1997 breakthrough single "Barbie Girl". The group formed in 1989 and achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The group managed to top the UK Singles Chart with their first three singles. The group released two...

, Whigfield

Whigfield

Sannie Charlotte Carlson , best known as Whigfield and also as Naan, is a Danish singer best known for the song "Saturday Night", a hugely popular single during the summer of 1994.-Biography:...

, Junior Senior

Junior Senior

Junior Senior was a pop musical duo from Denmark. The duo consisted of Jesper "Junior" Mortensen and Jeppe "Senior" Laursen ....

, Basshunter

Basshunter

Jonas Erik Altberg , better known by his stage name Basshunter, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. He is best known for his number one hits "Boten Anna", "Dota", "Now You're Gone" and "All I Ever Wanted". Basshunter has so far released a total of six albums, two of which have...

 and Alphabeat

Alphabeat

Alphabeat are a Danish pop band from Silkeborg, fronted by singers Stine Bramsen and Anders SG and signed to Polydor Records. Their single "Fascination" was a major hit in Denmark during the summer of 2007 and a significant hit in the United Kingdom in 2008...

. Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

 became the home of Scandinavian computer-produced hard and gothic rock with bands like Apocalyptica

Apocalyptica

Apocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...

, The Rasmus

The Rasmus

The Rasmus are a Finnish rock band that formed in 1995 in Helsinki while the band members were still in upper comprehensive school. The original band members were Lauri Ylönen , Eero Heinonen , Pauli Rantasalmi and Janne Heiskanen...

 and Sunrise Avenue

Sunrise Avenue

Sunrise Avenue is a Finnish rock band originally formed in 1992 in Espoo, Finland. In the early days the band was called “Sunrise” and the name was changed to “Sunrise Avenue” in 2001. Sunrise Avenue is known for their catchy melodic and modern songs and energetic live performances. Their style...

, whose importance especially in the German market has been extremely strong since the early 2000s.

Following the Nordik Beat years, Sweden has continued to produce pop with smartness and self-confidence well into the new century. Indie pop acts like The Concretes

The Concretes

The Concretes are a popular Swedish indie pop band from Stockholm, currently composed of eight members.-History:The Concretes began with Victoria Bergsman, Maria Eriksson, and Lisa Milberg. Since their formation in 1995, they have gradually acquired new members, growing into an eight piece band...

, Shout Out Louds

Shout Out Louds

Shout Out Louds are an indie rock band from Stockholm, Sweden.The group has toured with bands such as The Strokes, Kings of Leon, The Magic Numbers, The Rosebuds, The Essex Green, and Johnossi...

, Lykke Li

Lykke Li

Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson , better known by her stage name Lykke Li , is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Her music often blends elements of pop, indie rock and electronic; various instruments can also be found in her songs, including violins, synthesizers, tambourines, trumpets, saxophones and cellos...

, The Tough Alliance

The Tough Alliance

The Tough Alliance, or TTA, was an electronic pop music duo from Gothenburg, Sweden. The duo first came together in 2003 and consists of childhood friends Henning Fürst and Eric Berglund...

, Pacific and others express themselves using traditional instrumentation with melodies and hooks recorded on computers, But perhaps most interesting is the contemporary electro scene in Stockholm which includes both old faces returning in new guises, such as Robyn and Alexander Bard (with his new band Bodies Without Organs

Bodies Without Organs

BWO is a Swedish electro pop group, formed in 2004. Prior to early 2006 they used the name Bodies Without Organs. In Sweden they have enjoyed considerable commercial success throughout their career, so far notching up 15 Top 40 singles, including a Number 1 with Temple of Love, and five Top 10...

) and fresh new names who inspired by the Nordik Beat tradition use computers to catch and communicate the soul of music, such as The Knife

The Knife

The Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by...

, Kleerup

Kleerup

Andreas Kleerup, known professionally by his last name, is a Swedish record producer, drummer, and member of the Swedish group The Meat Boys, from Stockholm, Sweden. His first mainstream collaboration was as the producer of fellow Swedish artist Robyn's #1 UK single, "With Every Heartbeat", also...

, Jenny Wilson

Jenny Wilson (singer/songwriter)

Jenny Wilson is a Swedish singer-songwriter, born on October 20, 1975 in Blekinge, Sweden. She founded the band First Floor Power in 1997 and released two albums, There Is Hope and Nerves, before leaving the band to go solo around 2004. She studied graphic design at Konstfack for one year...

 and September. In this department, it is hard to overrate the influence of a parallel Scandinavian music phenomenon, that of the Icelandic wave emanating from Reykjavik

Reykjavík

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...

, fronted by Björk

Björk

Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...

 and Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...

. Hardly surprising, the Swedish electro acts have also been collaborating extensively with Danish electro acts such as Trentemøller

Trentemøller

Anders Trentemøller is a Danish electronic music producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Copenhagen, Denmark.-History:...

 and Norwegian electro acts such as Röyksopp

Röyksopp

Röyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland....

.