Biography

Who are ROXETTE

ROXETTE consists of Marie Fredriksson (30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) and Per Gessle (b. 12 January 1959). Marie was the heart and voice of the band, while Per wrote almost all the songs and provided backing vocals and guitar. Together they became one of the most commercially successful duos in music history — second only to ABBA in Swedish sales, with an estimated 75–80 million records sold worldwide.

---

1. Before ROXETTE (up to 1985)

• Marie Fredriksson was born in Össjö. She started out singing in the punk band Strul, later in Mammas Barn, and released her own Swedish-language solo albums from 1984 onward.
• Per Gessle was born in Halmstad and made his name as the singer and songwriter of the hugely popular Swedish band Gyllene Tider ("Golden Times").
• Marie and Per met in a bookshop and had known each other since the mid-1970s, when both rehearsed in the same studio space. Marie sang on Per's solo album Per Gessle and on Scener.
• In the autumn of 1985, label boss Rolf Nygren suggested that one of Per's new songs — one he'd originally planned to keep for himself — should be sung by Marie instead. Per loved the idea, and a duo was born.
• The name ROXETTE was borrowed from a 1970s song by American bluesman Dr. Feelgood, which had once reached number one on the UK singles chart.

Fun fact: Before recording together as a duo, Marie and Per had already "tested" their partnership — she sang on three tracks from Per's debut solo album Per Gessle ("Om Du Har Lust," "Rydd," and "Tända En Sticka Till") and on the duet "Inte Isar" from Scener.

---

2. Birth of the duo and early success (1986–1987)

• Debut single "Neverending Love" (1986) became a summer hit across all of Scandinavia.
• It was followed by the debut album Pearls of Passion and, a year later, the remix album Dance Passion.
• The Scandinavian charts were dominated by singles "Soul Deep" (1987) and "I Call Your Name" (1988).
• Outside Scandinavia, ROXETTE were still virtually unknown at this point.

---

3. Look Sharp! and the accidental American breakthrough (1988–1990)

1988 brought the third album, Look Sharp! (over 8 million copies sold), which became the launchpad for worldwide fame.

How ROXETTE broke America: American high-schooler Dean Cushman brought the album home from an exchange trip to Scandinavia and convinced a local radio station in Minneapolis to play "The Look." Listener demand was so strong that the recording was passed around stations on cassette tape — before any US release deal even existed. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 on 11 February 1989 and hit number one on 8 April 1989.

The DJ had originally introduced it as nothing more than a curious "musical postcard from Sweden" — with no idea it would become a nationwide phenomenon within weeks. Ironically, the European band conquered America first and only then won over Europe; the notoriously conservative UK charts, for a long while, gave the song no more than 7th place.

Other milestones of this era:

• "Dressed for Success" (1989)
• "Listen to Your Heart" — a US number one (November 1989)
• "Dangerous" — number two in the US (spring 1990)
• "It Must Have Been Love" — featured in the film Pretty Woman (Julia Roberts, Richard Gere), a US number one (June 1990); the song had actually been written back in 1987 as a Christmas single and only lightly reworked for the film.

---

4. Joyride — the peak of stardom (1991–1992)

• The album Joyride (April 1991) remains the duo's best-selling record to this day, with over 10 million copies sold.
• The title single "Joyride" topped both the UK and US charts; its music video, featuring a red Porsche, caused controversy in Britain (critics claimed it encouraged car theft).
• It wasn't the only music-video scandal — the UK also debated the fact that Marie is shown sitting on a toilet seat in the "The Look" video.
• A world tour followed — "Join the Joyride Tour" (1991–1992) — 108 shows, roughly 1.5 million fans.
• The same album produced further hits: "Fading Like a Flower," "The Big L.," "Spending My Time," "Church of Your Heart."

Fun fact: There was much speculation about which song from Joyride would become the fifth single. Producer Clarence Öfwerman made a bet with Per: if "Church of Your Heart" ever reached number one on the Billboard chart, he'd shave his head bald. The song never made it that far, so Clarence kept his hair.

Fun fact: On 5 November 1991, Sweden issued a ROXETTE postage stamp with a print run of 5 million. Per dryly joked about how pleasant it was to have the entire nation licking his back.

---

5. Tourism and the first break (1992–1993)

• The fifth album, Tourism (August 1992), was assembled from recordings made live throughout the tour.
• Singles "Here Comes the Weekend," "Queen of Rain," and "Fingertips" followed.
• The band then took a break — Marie released her solo album Den Ständiga Resan (1992) and went on a Swedish tour, while Per worked on material for the next ROXETTE record.

---

6. Crash! Boom! Bang! and the first visit to Prague (1994–1995)

Recording on Capri

The new album Crash! Boom! Bang! (April 1994) was recorded over six weeks on the small Italian island of Capri, in the same studio where INXS had previously recorded. It produced the hits "Sleeping in My Car" and the title ballad "Crash! Boom! Bang!", along with "Fireworks" and "Run to You."

Fun fact: On Capri, Per brought along his wife Åsa, while Marie brought her partner Michael Bolyos and their daughter Josefine. Marie later recalled giving the best vocal performance of her life there — singing a love song at sunset while Micke held their daughter in his arms. Evenings were spent grilling on the terrace, hiking through olive groves, and even holding an unofficial "Capri ROXETTE Tennis Open," which Per boasted about: "Nobody beat me!"

Of the 25 finished songs, fifteen made the final cut. The album was originally going to be named after the song "Fireworks," but the "Crash! Boom! Bang!" track ultimately won out.

The band also changed their image around this time — Marie cut her blond hair short, while Per's grew down to his shoulders.

First visit to Prague

29–30 March 1994 marked Per and Marie's first visit to Prague. They arrived in the evening, checked into the Hotel Palace, and had dinner at the Letenský Zámeček restaurant, where Per confirmed he was definitely not a vegetarian and Marie enjoyed a good beer. The next morning they toured the city, and Per compared it to Paris — praising especially the sunshine, something they didn't get much of back in Sweden.

They filmed a music video at the Kavčí Hory studios and gave an hour-long interview on Radio Frekvence 1, where fans had gathered outside. They took home a gold disc for the strong sales of Tourism. On their way out, they promised they might return that autumn as part of their world tour — and they kept their word.

Autumn 1994: two shows at the Sportovní Hala

Autumn 1994 kicked off the "Crash! Boom! Bang! World Tour 94/95." Demand for the Prague show (26 October) was so overwhelming that tickets sold out a month in advance, prompting organizers to add a second performance the following day — making Prague the only city on the entire tour to host a repeat show.

Fun fact: The first concert was chaotic from the moment the plane landed. A convoy of five cars awaited the band at the airport (vehicles were swapped at the last minute because someone didn't like the blue Ford Transit that had been arranged), the drivers reportedly racked up more than ten traffic violations on the way to the hotel, and the equipment truck from Hamburg arrived late due to weather — meaning the stage was built at the very last minute.

During the show, the crowd batted giant balloons around during "Joyride," Marie sat alone at the piano with lit candles during "It Must Have Been Love" while the whole arena sang along, and she dedicated "Go to Sleep" to her daughter Josefine. On Thursday, the band was presented with a gold disc at the Hotel Palace for selling more than 15,000 copies of the album.

The band traveled with their own chef from Sweden and always had a ping-pong table set up backstage before shows. In a curious footnote, when then-Czech president Václav Havel fell ill, ROXETTE sent him a get-well card before Christmas along with a copy of the "Love Is All" CD single.

The historic Beijing concert

In February 1995, ROXETTE played a historic concert in Beijing — only the third Western act ever to perform there (after Wham! and Bap). The welcome resembled a state visit: a thirty-metre red carpet was laid out at their hotel, Per and Marie visited the Swedish ambassador, and during a trip to the Great Wall they hung a Chinese flag as a symbol of friendship.

Fun fact: Chinese organizers had all the lyrics translated and carefully checked for political and moral acceptability. The band had to promise to swap "making love" for the more neutral "making up" in the lyrics of "Sleeping in My Car" — a promise they didn't keep on stage. The only real incident occurred when fans lit lighters in the audience; the band briefly stopped playing and asked them to put them out. Marie ended up saying goodbye to the crowd in Chinese: "Wo ai ni" — I love you.

---

7. Solo detours and comeback singles (1996–1998)

While ROXETTE slowed down as a duo, both members stayed busy elsewhere:

• Marie released her fifth Swedish-language solo album, I En Tid Som Vår (1996), whose songs also appeared in Colin Nutley's film Sånt Är Livet.
• Per revived Gyllene Tider (a 1996 comeback that won Swedish Grammy awards) and released his first English-language solo album, The World According to Gessle (1997); in April 1997 his promo tour also took him to Ostrava and Prague, where he recorded the TV show "Na Vlastní Nebezpečí."
• ROXETTE released the compilation "Don't Bore Us — Get to the Chorus!" (1995) and the Spanish-language ballads album Baladas En Español (1996).

Fun fact: The music video for Per's single "Kix" was controversial enough in Sweden (smoking, a same-sex kissing couple, violent scenes) that it was censored — yet it was still nominated for video of the year. The award went to someone else, but Per did walk away with the title "Marketing Manager of the Year."

Fun fact — the secret baby: When Per and his wife Åsa had a son, Gabriel, on 5 August 1997, Per tried to keep the birth under wraps for a few days. He failed — the Swedish tabloids tracked his every move to the hospital, and the truth came out within two days. The boy was eventually christened Gabriel Titus Gessle; at the ceremony, Per wore all black while baby Gabriel wore all white.

---

8. Have a Nice Day (1999–2000)

• The ninth studio album, Have a Nice Day (February 1999), delivered the hits "Wish I Could Fly," "Anyone," and "Stars."
• The song "It Will Take a Long, Long Time" appeared in the film Runaway Bride, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.
• The band also played the European festival Party in the Park (July 1999) in front of 100,000 fans.

Fun fact: Baby Gabriel made a brief appearance in the "Wish I Could Fly" video — the director reportedly suggested Per hold a different baby for the scene, to which Per replied, smiling, that it wouldn't work because no other baby would go to him. The album cover also features two children whom many fans assumed were Per's and Marie's — both denied it. Because of the nude baby on the cover, the band had to prepare an alternate version for certain markets, including Dubai.

---

9. Room Service and the sudden turning point (2001–2002)

• Room Service was released in 2001, supported by the duo's first tour in six years and an appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest.
• The single "The Centre of the Heart (Is a Suburb to the Brain)" became a hit — ROXETTE's third Swedish number one.
• On 11 September 2002, Marie Fredriksson collapsed at home and fractured her skull in the fall; a subsequent examination revealed a brain tumor. Doctors reportedly gave her only about a 20% chance of survival.
• The diagnosis brought all band activity to an immediate halt.

---

10. Years of treatment and silence (2002–2008)

• Marie underwent grueling treatment, which she ultimately overcame, though the illness permanently affected her eyesight and mobility.
• During her recovery she kept recording as a solo artist — the albums The Change (2004) and Min Bäste Vän (2006), plus the 2008 single "Där Du Andas," her only solo number one in Sweden.
• Per, meanwhile, pursued solo and group projects (another Gyllene Tider reunion).
• In 2006, ROXETTE briefly recorded two new songs for a hits compilation.

---

11. Back on stage: Charm School and the Neverending World Tour (2009–2016)

• In May 2009, Marie made a surprise appearance at one of Per's Amsterdam shows, singing "The Look" and "It Must Have Been Love" with him — their first joint performance in years.
• A major comeback tour kicked off in autumn 2009 as part of Night of the Proms.
• 2011: eighth studio album Charm School, their first new record in a decade, led by the hit single "She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio)."
• This launched "The Neverending World Tour" (2011–2016), one of the longest tours in the band's history.
• 2012: the album Travelling, combining new recordings with live tour tracks.
• The duo also performed at Swedish royal weddings — Crown Princess Victoria's (2010) and Princess Madeleine's (2013).
• 2016: the tenth and final studio album, Good Karma, released to mark the band's 30th anniversary. The big anniversary tour, however, had to be cut short in February 2016 due to Marie's declining health — doctors advised her to stop touring for good.

---

12. The passing of Marie Fredriksson (2019)

Marie Fredriksson died on 9 December 2019 at the age of 61, from complications related to the tumor she had battled for 17 years. Those who mourned her included Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, who noted how deeply her music was woven into the memories of so many Swedes. A memorial concert took place on 20 January 2020 at the Stora Teatern in Gothenburg, featuring Per Gessle and Eva Dahlgren.

A year after her death, an album of unreleased recordings, Bag of Trix, was issued, along with the posthumous solo song "Sea of Love."

---

13. Legacy and archival releases (2018–2023)

Since 2018, ROXETTE have been gradually releasing expanded anniversary editions of their albums: Look Sharp! (2018), Joyride (2022), and Tourism (2023) — featuring remastered recordings and bonus tracks from the archives.

---

14. A new chapter: Per Gessle, PG Roxette, and Lena Philipsson (2020–2024)

• Since 2021, Per Gessle has released music under the name PG Roxette — the debut album Pop-Up Dynamo! came out in 2022.
• On 2 May 2024, Per Gessle announced that the ROXETTE name would return to the stage: his new co-vocalist would be Swedish star Lena Philipsson (among other things, Sweden's representative at Eurovision 2004). Per stressed that this wasn't a new duo and that Marie remained irreplaceable — this was about continuing and celebrating their shared body of work.
• Longtime collaborators also returned, including guitarist Jonas Isacsson and producer Clarence Öfwerman.

---

15. Roxette In Concert and the 40th anniversary (2025–2026)

• The "Roxette In Concert" tour launched in early 2025 in South Africa and Australia, drawing a combined 75,000+ fans, and continued with European shows (including in Hungary).
• The band played 43 concerts worldwide over the course of 2025.
• 2026 marks the band's 40th anniversary. Celebrations include remastered videos, remixes, and the release of previously unseen archival footage.
• The tour continues into 2026 — following a successful South American and European summer run, a fall leg was announced heading to North America (14 stops across the US and Canada).
• The setlist remains true to the classics: "The Look," "Listen to Your Heart," "It Must Have Been Love," "Joyride," "Queen of Rain," and more.

---

Timeline at a glance