Per Gessle Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Per Gessle
Gessle performing in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Per Håkan Gessle
Born	(1959-01-12) 12 January 1959 (age 66) Halmstad, Sweden
Genres	Pop rock dance
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1976–present
Labels	EMI Sony Fundamental

Per Håkan Gessle (born 12 January 1959) is a famous Swedish singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as one half of the pop-rock duo Roxette. He formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson in 1986.

Roxette became super popular around the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their albums Look Sharp! (1988) and Joyride (1991) were huge hits. They had four songs reach number one in the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. One of their most famous songs was "It Must Have Been Love". This song was even in the movie Pretty Woman.

Before Roxette, Per Gessle was also very successful in Sweden. He was the lead singer for a band called Gyllene Tider. This band released three number-one albums in the early 1980s.

When he wasn't busy with Roxette or Gyllene Tider, Per Gessle made many solo albums. Some were in Swedish, and some were in English. He continued making music even after Marie Fredriksson became ill in 2002. He released albums like Mazarin (2003) and Son of a Plumber (2005).

Per Gessle's Music Journey
Per Gessle's Life Outside Music
Discography
Images for kids
See also

Per Gessle's Music Journey

Starting with Gyllene Tider

Per Gessle helped start the band Gyllene Tider in 1976. They quickly became very popular in Sweden. But after their fourth album, The Heartland Café (1984), didn't sell as well, the band decided to take a break.

In 1982, Per released his first solo album, called Per Gessle. After Gyllene Tider paused, his second solo album, Scener, came out in 1985.

Forming Roxette and Global Success

Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson were friends for a few years. Then, in 1986, they decided to form the duo Roxette. Their first hit song was "Neverending Love", which Per wrote. They quickly recorded their first album, Pearls of Passion.

Roxette went on to have amazing success. They had four songs reach number one in the US. Their albums Look Sharp! and Joyride sold millions of copies around the world. After their big success in the early 1990s, Roxette took a break. Per then released a collection of his demo songs in 1992.

Solo Albums and New Collaborations

In 1996, Gyllene Tider got back together for a tour. After that, Per Gessle recorded his first solo album in English. It was called The World According to Gessle and came out in 1997. This album had three singles: "Do You Wanna Be My Baby?", "Kix", and "I Want You to Know".

Gessle with singer Helena Josefsson during his 2017 En vacker kväll tour of Sweden

After Roxette released two more albums, Marie Fredriksson became ill in 2002. While she was getting better, Per continued his solo work. His album Mazarin (2003) was a big hit in Sweden. This album also started his long-term work with singer Helena Josefsson. Mazarin was number one on the charts and sold very well. The song "Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång)" was his most successful song in Sweden.

Awards and Reunions

Per Gessle won many awards after the success of Mazarin. He won four Grammis awards, which are like the Swedish Grammys. He also won three Rockbjörnen awards.

In 2004, Gessle and Gyllene Tider reunited again to celebrate their 25th anniversary. They released a new album, Finn 5 fel!, and went on a very successful tour in Sweden. They even broke a stadium attendance record!

Per continued to release solo albums. In 2005, he released Son of a Plumber, which was his second English album. It included a song dedicated to his father, who was a plumber. In 2007, he released another Swedish album, En händig man.

Roxette onstage in Amsterdam, May 2009

His seventh solo album, Party Crasher, came out in late 2008. The first song from it, "Silly Really", became his fourth number-one hit. After this, Per started a tour. Marie Fredriksson joined him on stage twice during this tour. This was the first time they performed together in eight years! After this, Roxette started performing live again. They went on big concert tours around the world from 2010 to 2012. In 2013, Gessle reunited with Gyllene Tider for another tour in Sweden.

After Roxette's "Neverending World Tour" ended in 2015, Per made more solo albums. These included En vacker natt (2017), En vacker dag (2017), and Small Town Talk (2018). He recorded these albums in Nashville, USA, using local musicians.

In 2016, he started using a new name, Mono Mind. He released some songs and then a full album, Mind Control, in 2019. In 2022, Per released a new song under the name PG Roxette, called "The Loneliest Girl In The World". This was a preview of a new album he recorded with members of Roxette's live band.

Working with Other Artists

Per Gessle has written songs for many other artists. In 1983, he wrote "Stjärnhimmel" for Elisabeth Andreassen. He also wrote "Kärleken är evig" for Lena Philipsson, which came in second place in a big Swedish music contest in 1986.

In 1990, he wrote "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" for Thomas Anders. Roxette later released their own version of this song. He also worked with Belinda Carlisle in 1996, writing two songs for her album. One of these, "Always Breaking My Heart", became a top 10 hit in the UK.

Per Gessle's Life Outside Music

Per Gessle is the youngest child of Kurt and Elisabeth Gessle. He has an older brother and an older sister.

Per married his long-time girlfriend, Åsa Nordin, in 1993. They have a son named Gabriel Titus, who was born in 1997.

Besides music, Per Gessle also owns Hotel Tylösand in Sweden with Björn Nordstrand. This hotel is famous for its large art collection and Per Gessle's private collection of Ferrari cars.