Sponsored Listings:
Berns Club and Restaurant. Näckströmsgatan 8, 111 47 Stockholm, Sweden |
5 amazing Stars or future Stars from Group Ten Music. Stockholm is not only a gorgeous destination, but also a hotbed of EDM and POP Music Hits!
Music is everywhere in Stockholm. There are many excellent clubs like Berns, the Soap Bar, Södra Teatern, Sturecompagniet, and many others. Even at the BBQ joint Nyfiken Gul in the Eriksdalslunden Park I heard some good DJing on a Saturday afternoon!
One of the many reasons why I wanted to visit Stockholm for many years is my interest in music creators, the global music business, music and technology, and Scandinavia’s success in 21st Century pop music (including EDM). If you read about the music business you may have read about Max Martin, the most successful pop producer/writer today. While he now lives in Los Angeles for logistical reasons, he’s originally from Sweden and started his producer career there (before that he was in a band as well). Martin is responsible for many of the biggest pop hits of the last 20 years, from Baby One More Time (Britney Spears) to I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor Swift) to Can’t Feel My Face (The Weeknd) and countless more.
Max Martin is not the only successful Swede in music. ABBA of course may be the most famous Swedish musical act ever, but what’s happened in the last 20 years or so is that behind the scenes, Swedish songwriters, composers, programmers, DJs and producers, like Avicii and Shellback, together with other Scandinavian musicians like Kygo have transformed pop music as we know it today. Martin’s influence is inescapable and broad based in pop, but other talented pros like the writers, artists and producers at Ten Music Group in Stockholm are not only creating part of today’s young people’s soundtracks, but also developing global stars. If you haven’t heard of Zara Larsson, an 18 year old with a powerful Rihanna-like voice, you will. Ms. Larsson is posed to become a global superstar. She’s already a top global Spotify artist (24th in the world, last time I checked) and some of her hits have already hit the terrestrial airwaves in North America (Lush Life, Never Forget You). Her singing talent is undeniable and she has the looks that make Greta Garbo look plain in comparison.
But Zara is not the only amazing talent at Ten Music Group. I had the good fortune to meet with Edouard Cregut, Ten’s Digital Manager and Wille Hagelin, Ten’s Digital Marketing Coordinator, 2 very well spoken and knowledgeable guys. We talked about Ten’s artists and how they work. Not unlike other pop music labels, they will organize week long writing camps to come up with songs like Lush Life that go on to become global hits. Lush Life, by the way, is approaching 450 million streams on Spotify alone!
Icona Pop is another Ten Music Group artist that achieved international success, although before Spotify and Apple Music and Tidal were as big as they are today. Icona Pop’s biggest hit to-date, I Love it (feat. Charli XCX) was a major charting hit around the world between 2012 and 2014.
Elliphant. I hadn’t heard of this artist. I discovered her when I was prepping to meet Edouard. She’s amazing. While not as famous outside of Sweden as the 2 other artists mentioned above, I wouldn’t be surprised if she comes up with a global mainstream hit in the near future. Edouard mentioned that she’s awesome live and that she’s tours constantly. I hope to catch her show in the future.
Hanna and Andrea. Hanna Larsson (yes, Zara’s sister) and Andrea Kallström are a young pop duo who recently released their first single called “Always on my Mind.” The single has racked over a million streams on Spotify in a couple of months. I will not be surprised if these two also go on to become global stars.
And not just Pop/EDM
I was somewhat surprised to learn that Ten Music Group is also working with pop/country duo, Strandels. They are a sister and brother duo who sing pop songs with country flavors. Their first single will be released soon. I had the opportunity to listen to it while visiting Ten’s studios in Stockholm. The song was beautiful and the production stellar. I did not feel it was right for the American country music market, but on the other hand I felt that it was the kind of song many in Nashville are trying to create in order to reach a wider global audience on the streaming services. I look forward to following their career.
A Wall of Talent at Ten Music Group in Stockholm |
Check out this page to learn more about Ten Music Group’s artists
Source: canadianandworldtourism.com