Andreas Johnson

Born: Jon Erik Andreas Johnson, 22 March 1970, Lü

This Stockholm-based singer-songwriter enjoyed an international hit single in 1999 with the anthemic "Glorious".

Johnson's parents were both jazz musicians and his childhood was an itinerant one until the family decided to settle in the Stockholm suburb of Huddinge. As a teenager Johnson played in various punk bands and started to develop his own songwriting skills. His hectic social life resulted in a near fatal fall, however, and he was forced to spend several months recuperating.

He relocated to Berlin and then New York where he formed Planet Waves with several other Stockholm émigrés. The band returned to Sweden and released a solitary album, Brutal Awakenings, before splitting up on unfriendly terms. Johnson relocated to the Swedish countryside for a year to write his 1997 solo debut, the largely acoustic Cottonfish Tales. The album received pleasant reviews but failed to establish Johnson as a commercial force, and shortly afterwards he changed label to Warner Brothers Records. His sophomore album Liebling marked an artistic volte-face, with the Phil Spector-inspired production job incorporating strings, horns, and anthemic rock choruses to back Johnson's Bono-style vocals. The gamble paid off as "Glorious" was given saturation coverage by classic rock radio stations around Europe.

Discography:

Albums:
2001 Liebling
2002 Deadly Happy
2006 Mr. Johnson Your Room Is on Fire
2007 Collector