Per Gessle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Per Gessle
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Gessle performing in 2011
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Per Håkan Gessle |
| Born | 12 January 1959 Halmstad, Sweden |
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| Years active | 1976–present |
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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, which he started with Marie Fredriksson in 1986. Roxette became very successful around the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Their albums Look Sharp! (1988) and Joyride (1991) were huge hits. Roxette had four number-one songs in the US, including "It Must Have Been Love" which was featured in the movie Pretty Woman. Before Roxette, Per Gessle was the lead singer of the band Gyllene Tider in Sweden. That band also had three number-one albums in the early 1980s.
Between his time with Roxette and Gyllene Tider reunions, Gessle released many solo albums. Some were in Swedish, and some were in English. After Marie Fredriksson became ill in 2002, he released Mazarin (2003). This album was very popular and started his work with singer Helena Josefsson. He made more albums like Son of a Plumber (2005) and Party Crasher (2008). In 2016, he started using the name Mono Mind and released an album called Mind Control in 2019. Per Gessle wrote most of the songs for both Roxette and Gyllene Tider.
Contents
Music Career Highlights
Starting with Gyllene Tider
Per Gessle helped start the band Gyllene Tider in 1976. They quickly became very popular in Sweden. However, after their fourth album, The Heartland Café (1984), did not sell as well, the band decided to take a break. Per Gessle released his first solo album, Per Gessle, in 1982. His second solo album, Scener, came out in 1985 after Gyllene Tider paused.
Forming Roxette and International Success
Gessle and Marie Fredriksson were friends for several years before they formed Roxette in 1986. 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, with four songs reaching number one in the U.S. and two reaching number two. Their albums Look Sharp! and Joyride sold millions of copies around the world. After Roxette's big success in the early 1990s, Per released a collection of demo songs in 1992 called På väg, 1982–86. Roxette took a break after their album Crash! Boom! Bang! and its world tour.
Solo Work and Collaborations
In 1996, after Gyllene Tider reunited for a tour, Gessle recorded his first solo album in English. It was called The World According to Gessle and came out in 1997. This album included three singles: "Do You Wanna Be My Baby?", "Kix", and "I Want You to Know". The music videos for these songs were directed by Jonas Åkerlund.
After Roxette released Have a Nice Day (1999) and Room Service (2001), Marie Fredriksson faced a serious illness in 2002. While Marie was recovering, Per continued with his solo music. His album Mazarin (2003) was a big hit in Sweden. This album also marked the start of his long-term work with backing vocalist Helena Josefsson. Mazarin reached the top of the charts and sold incredibly well. The main song from the album, "Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång)" ("Here come all the emotions (at the same time)"), is Per's most successful song in Sweden.
Per Gessle won many awards after the success of Mazarin. He received four Grammis awards (like the Swedish Grammys) for Best Artist, Best Male Pop Performer, Best Composer, and Best Song. He also won three Rockbjörnen awards and a Guldälgen (The Golden Moose) Award for Best Song.
In 2004, Gessle and Gyllene Tider reunited 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 an attendance record at the Ullevi stadium. The band played for almost half a million fans, and they received four awards in Sweden for their achievements.
Continuing Solo Albums and Roxette Reunions
Per Gessle continued making music with his album Son of a Plumber, released in November 2005. This album included a song dedicated to his father, who was a plumber, called "Kurt – The Fastest Plumber in the West". The album was also very popular and sold well in Europe. In June 2007, he released another solo album in Swedish called En händig man, which also sold very well. A book about his 30-year career, "Att vara Per Gessle", was published in October of that year.
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, Gessle started his Party Crasher Tour. Marie Fredriksson joined him on stage twice during this tour, in Amsterdam and Stockholm. This was the first time they had performed together in eight years! After Marie's guest appearance, Roxette started performing live again. They did many concerts in 2009 and then went on huge world tours in 2010, 2011, and 2012, playing over 100 shows around the globe. In 2013, Gessle reunited with Gyllene Tider again for about 20 shows in Sweden.
After Roxette's Neverending World Tour ended in 2015, Per Gessle released more solo albums: En vacker natt (2017), En vacker dag (2017), and Small Town Talk (2018). These albums were recorded in Nashville, USA, and featured talented local musicians.
In 2016, he began using the name Mono Mind, releasing singles and then a full album, Mind Control, in 2019. In June 2022, Gessle released a song called "The Loneliest Girl In The World" under the name PG Roxette. This song was a preview for an album called Pop-up Dynamo, which he recorded with members of Roxette's live band.
Other Musical Projects
Per Gessle has also written songs for other artists. In 1983, he wrote "Stjärnhimmel" for Elisabeth Andreassen. He also wrote "Kärleken är evig" for Lena Philipsson, which came in second place at the Melodifestivalen competition in 1986. This song became a big hit for Lena Philipsson.
In 1990, Gessle wrote "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" for Thomas Anders. Roxette later released their own version of this song. He also worked with Swedish singer Nisse Hellberg in a project called The Lonely Boys. In 1996, he wrote two songs for Belinda Carlisle's album, A Woman and a Man: "Always Breaking My Heart" and "Love Doesn't Live Here". "Always Breaking My Heart" became a top 10 hit in the UK. He also sang a duet with Nick Lowe on the song "Small Town Talk".
Gessle was also involved in creating the Roxette musical Joyride the Musical, which started playing at Malmö Opera in 2024.
About Per Gessle
Per Gessle is the youngest child of Kurt and Elisabeth Gessle. He married his long-time girlfriend Åsa Nordin in 1993. They have a son named Gabriel Titus, who was born in 1997.
Per Gessle also co-owns Hotel Tylösand on the Swedish west coast. This hotel is known for its large collection of art and photos. It also features "The Joyride Car Collection," which is Per Gessle's private collection of Ferrari cars.
Albums by Per Gessle
- Per Gessle (1983)
- Scener (1985)
- The World According to Gessle (1997)
- Mazarin (2003)
- Son of a Plumber (as Son of a Plumber) (2005)
- En händig man (2007)
- Party Crasher (2008)
- En vacker natt (2017)
- En vacker dag (2017)
- Small Town Talk (2018)
- Mind Control (as Mono Mind) (2019)
- Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig (2020)
- Pop-Up Dynamo! (as PG Roxette) (2022)
- Sällskapssjuk (2024)
See also
In Spanish: Per Gessle para niños
