The Most Famous

SINGERS from Sweden

This page contains a list of the greatest Swedish Singers. The pantheon dataset contains 4,381 Singers, 116 of which were born in Sweden. This makes Sweden the birth place of the 7th most number of Singers behind Italy, and Germany.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Swedish Singers of all time. This list of famous Swedish Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Swedish Singers.

1. Agnetha Fältskog (b. 1950)

With an HPI of 70.16, Agnetha Fältskog is the most famous Swedish Singer. Her biography has been translated into 74 different languages on wikipedia.

Agneta Åse Fältskog (born 5 April 1950), known as Agnetha Fältskog (Swedish pronunciation: [aŋˈnêːta ˈfɛ̂ltskuːɡ] ) and Anna Fältskog, is a Swedish singer, songwriter and a member of the pop group ABBA. She first achieved success in Sweden with the release of her 1968 self-titled debut album. She rose to international stardom in the 1970s as a member of ABBA, which is one of the best-selling music acts in history. She is the youngest member of ABBA, and the only one born in the 1950s. After the unofficial break-up of ABBA in December 1982, she renewed success later in the decade as a solo artist with three albums and a leading role in a movie. She became reclusive in the 1990s, avoiding outside publicity and residing on the Stockholm County island of Ekerö. Fältskog stopped recording music for 16 years until she released a new album, My Colouring Book, in 2004. She returned in 2013 with A, her highest UK charting solo album to date. ABBA has since reformed, and Fältskog has resumed her previous role with the group.

2. Jenny Lind (1820 - 1887)

With an HPI of 65.35, Jenny Lind is the 2nd most famous Swedish Singer. Her biography has been translated into 56 different languages.

Johanna Maria Lind (Madame Goldschmidt) (6 October 1820 – 2 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and undertook an extraordinarily popular concert tour of the United States beginning in 1850. She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music from 1840. Lind became famous after her performance in Der Freischütz in Sweden in 1838. Within a few years, she had suffered vocal damage, but the singing teacher Manuel García saved her voice. She was in great demand in opera roles throughout Sweden and northern Europe during the 1840s, and was closely associated with Felix Mendelssohn. After two acclaimed seasons in London, she announced her retirement from opera at the age of 29. In 1850, Lind went to the United States at the invitation of the showman P. T. Barnum. She gave 93 large-scale concerts for him and then continued to tour under her own management. She earned more than $350,000 (equivalent to $12,818,400 in 2023) from these concerts, donating the proceeds to charities, principally the endowment of free schools in Sweden. With her new husband, Otto Goldschmidt, she returned to Europe in 1852, where she had three children and gave occasional concerts over the next three decades, settling in England in 1855. From 1882, for some years, she was a professor of singing at the Royal College of Music in London.

3. Marie Fredriksson (1958 - 2019)

With an HPI of 65.29, Marie Fredriksson is the 3rd most famous Swedish Singer. Her biography has been translated into 47 different languages.

Gun-Marie Fredriksson (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈɡɵnː maˈriː ˈfrêːdrɪkˌsɔn] ; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist, and lead vocalist of pop-rock duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. The duo achieved international success in the late 1980s and early 1990s with their albums Look Sharp! (1988) and Joyride (1991), and had multiple hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four number ones. Fredriksson had a successful career in her native country prior to forming Roxette. She was a member of punk group Strul, a band which created their own music festival in 1979. Strul's dissolution led to the creation of her next project, the short-lived MaMas Barn, after which she began releasing solo work. Her first album, Het vind, was issued in 1984, followed by Den sjunde vågen in 1986 and ... Efter stormen in 1987. Roxette's international breakthrough coincided with a period of inactivity for Fredriksson as a solo artist, punctuated only by the release of the non-album single "Sparvöga" in 1989. Subsequent solo albums included Den ständiga resan (1992) and I en tid som vår (1996). In 2002, after fainting at home, Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. During her rehabilitation, she continued to record music as a solo artist, resulting in The Change in 2004 and Min bäste vän in 2006, as well as the non-album single "Där du andas" in 2008—her first and only solo number one single in Sweden. She and Gessle later reunited to record more albums as Roxette, and the pair embarked on a worldwide concert tour. She also continued to record as a solo artist in her native Sweden, releasing Nu! in 2013. Fredriksson died on 9 December 2019 as a result of health issues stemming from her brain tumour.

4. Birgit Nilsson (1918 - 2005)

With an HPI of 62.00, Birgit Nilsson is the 4th most famous Swedish Singer. Her biography has been translated into 50 different languages.

Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a Swedish dramatic soprano. Although she sang a wide repertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Her voice was noted for its overwhelming force, bountiful reserves of power, and the gleaming brilliance and clarity in the upper register.

5. Basshunter (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 61.54, Basshunter is the 5th most famous Swedish Singer. His biography has been translated into 200 different languages.

Jonas Erik Altberg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈjûːnas ˈêːrɪk ˈâltbærj]; born 22 December 1984), known professionally as Basshunter, is a Swedish singer, record producer, songwriter and DJ. As indicated by his stage name, Basshunter is known for bass-heavy eurodance music. Born and raised in Halmstad he moved to Malmö in 2006. As a young teen, Basshunter sang in a choir his mother ran. He started producing music at the age of 17, and later he started performing in local venues in his early career. In 2006, he self-released "Boten Anna" for free download a few months before he signed with labels Extensive Music and Warner Music Sweden and began commercial releases. His 2007 song "Now You're Gone" featuring Bazzheadz is based on Bazzheadz's "Now You're Gone" which uses the melody of "Boten Anna" with entirely different lyrics. Basshunter has recorded five studio albums: The Bassmachine (2004), LOL (2006), Now You're Gone – The Album (2008), Bass Generation (2009), and Calling Time (2013). In addition to his own music, he has written for El Capon, Mange Makers, and Lana Scolaro. He has taken part in the seventh series of the British reality television show Celebrity Big Brother, episodes of the Swedish game show Fångarna på fortet, and an episode of the British television quiz show Weakest Link. His accolades include a European Border Breakers Award, a Musikförläggarnas pris, a Telia award, and nominations for a BT Digital Music Award, two Grammis, an MTV Europe Music Award, and a Rockbjörnen. According to Svenska Dagbladet figures published in 2009, he has sold more than 3 million records.

6. Zarah Leander (1907 - 1981)

With an HPI of 61.47, Zarah Leander is the 6th most famous Swedish Singer. Her biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Zarah Leander (German pronunciation: [ˈt͡sa.ʁa leː.ˈʔan.dɐ] ; 15 March 1907 – 23 June 1981) was a Swedish singer and actress whose greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned Universum Film AG (UFA). Although no exact record sales numbers exist, she was probably among Europe's best-selling recording artists in the years prior to 1945. Her involvement with UFA caused her films and lyrics to be identified as Nazi propaganda. Though she had taken no public political position and was dubbed an "Enemy of Germany" by Joseph Goebbels, she remained a controversial figure for the rest of her life. As a singer, Leander was known for her confident style and her deep contralto voice, and was also known as a "female baritone".

7. Nicolai Gedda (1925 - 2017)

With an HPI of 59.50, Nicolai Gedda is the 7th most famous Swedish Singer. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Harry Gustaf Nikolai Gädda, better known as Nicolai Gedda (11 July 1925 – 8 January 2017), was a Swedish operatic tenor. Debuting in 1951, Gedda had a long and successful career in opera until the age of 77 in June 2003, when he made his final operatic recording. Skilled at languages, he performed operas in French, Russian, German, Italian, English, Czech and Swedish, as well as one in Latin. In January 1958, he created the part of Anatol in the world premiere of the American opera Vanessa at the Metropolitan Opera. Having made some two hundred recordings, Gedda is one of the most widely recorded opera singers in history. His singing is best known for its beauty of tone, vocal control, and musical perception.

8. Loreen (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 59.03, Loreen is the 8th most famous Swedish Singer. Her biography has been translated into 70 different languages.

Lorine Zeineb Nora Talhaoui (born 16 October 1983), known professionally as Loreen (Swedish: [lɔˈreːn]), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Representing Sweden, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and 2023 with the songs "Euphoria" and "Tattoo" respectively. She is the second performer, after Johnny Logan, to have won the contest twice, and the first woman to do so. Interested in becoming a musician, Loreen took part in the Idol 2004 television competition, finishing fourth. The following year she released her first single, "The Snake", with the band Rob'n'Raz and became a television presenter on TV400. While working as a segment producer and director for several Swedish reality TV shows, she entered Melodifestivalen 2011 with the song "My Heart Is Refusing Me", which became a top 10 hit in Sweden. She had two top 20 hits in Sweden with the singles "Crying Out Your Name" (2012) and her Melodifestivalen 2017 entry "Statements".

9. Jussi Björling (1911 - 1960)

With an HPI of 58.93, Jussi Björling is the 9th most famous Swedish Singer. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Johan Jonatan "Jussi" Björling ( YOO-see BYOR-ling, Swedish: [ˈjɵ̌sːɪ ˈbjœ̂ːɭɪŋ]; 5 February 1911 – 9 September 1960) was a Swedish tenor. One of the leading operatic singers of the 20th century, Björling appeared for many years at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and less frequently at the major European opera houses, including the Royal Opera House in London and La Scala in Milan. He sang the Italian, French and Russian opera repertory with taste. Bjorling was ranked the greatest singer of the 20th century by a poll of music critics in Classic CD magazine (UK) in July 1999.

10. Joey Tempest (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 56.98, Joey Tempest is the 10th most famous Swedish Singer. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson (born 19 August 1963), known professionally as Joey Tempest, is a Swedish musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Europe. He has written most of the band's biggest hit songs, including "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night", "Cherokee" and "Carrie".

People

Pantheon has 125 people classified as Swedish singers born between 1820 and 2002. Of these 125, 104 (83.20%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Swedish singers include Agnetha Fältskog, Basshunter, and Loreen. The most famous deceased Swedish singers include Jenny Lind, Marie Fredriksson, and Birgit Nilsson. As of April 2024, 7 new Swedish singers have been added to Pantheon including Kristina Hautala, Nanne Grönvall, and Velvet.