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As the youngest of five siblings, Gun-Marie Fredriksson was born on May 30 1958 in Ossjo, Skane. She grew up in a musical family, took piano lessons early and at 17 was exempted to begin at the Music School in Svalov (where the age limit normally was 18).

After her musical education she moved to Halmstad, trying to live off her music. Her exceptional singing voice was soon noticed, and as the front figure in groups like Strul and MaMa’s Barn she was quickly recognised as one of the most promising talents in town. But despite acclaimed concerts and record releases, neither Strul nor MaMa’s Barn managed to make a lasting impression outside their hometown.

In the rehearsal room she met the singer of Gyllene Tider, a local group that had made it nationally. His name was Per Gessle and he too liked what he heard. They soon became friends and Per invited Marie to sing on Gyllene Tider’s demos and records.

Marie’s reputation grew and in 1984 she finally broke through with her debut solo album ”Het vind”, featuring the hit single ”Annu doftar karlek”. The album quickly established Marie as a new major artist, and the 1986 follow-up, ”Den sjunde vagen”, further strengthened her position as one of the most talented Swedish singers around. The combination of her expressive voice and heartfelt Swedish lyrics was a vital part of her success. When she was offered the chance to record a dance pop single in English with Per Gessle, she was reluctant at first. But the chance to do something with Per – and the possibility to reach an audience outside Sweden – was too tempting to resist. They called themselves Roxette – and the rest definitely is pop history.

Roxette’s first single ”Neverending Love” was a major summer hit in 1986, and the debut album ”Pearls Of Passion” made Roxette ”big in Sweden” – to begin with. Having embarked on their first tour in the summer of 1987, Roxette proved to be a stunning live attraction as well. Marie Fredriksson’s energetic stage performance was especially impressing. While performing songs like ”Soul Deep” and ”Goodbye To You”, she gave the Swedish audience a taste of what the world would experience a couple of years later.

She celebrated the early Roxette success by releasing her third solo album, ”Efter stormen”, in the autumn of 1987. It became her biggest so far. In 1988, Marie performed the acclaimed Swedish singer/songwriter Cornelis Vreeswijk’s beautiful song ”Somliga gar med trasiga skor” with the rock group Eldkvarn on a tribute album. The same year Roxette released their second album, ”Look Sharp!”, which rocketed the group into superstardom. In the beginning of 1989, Marie got yet another Swedish hit with the beautiful theme song to the ”Sparvoga” TV series. At the same time, Roxette’s blockbuster hit single ”The Look” rushed the Billboard singles chart. In March 1989 it made the #1 spot, and just weeks later the song was topping charts all over the world.

The next years would rapidly transform Roxette from local heroes to one of the most successful and radio-played pop bands in the world. Songs like ”Dressed For Success”, ”Dangerous”, ”Listen To Your Heart”, ”It Must Have Been Love”, ”Fading Like A Flower”, and ”Joyride” gave them four US #1 records in 1989-91 – and numerous other hits worldwide. But in 1990, the Swedish fans again had the chance to enjoy a Swedish song by Marie. Many considered her unforgettable rendition of ”Sa skimrande var aldrig havet” the definite take on Swedish “national poet” Evert Taube’s classic ballad.

Roxette’s world tour ”Join The Joyride” 1991-92 gave Marie the opportunity to show hundreds of thousands Roxette fans what a natural performer she is. But the constant touring and travelling was wearing her down. Marie loved the moment on stage, but felt alone and unhappy with life in airports and hotels. During a break in the tour she recorded her fourth solo album, “Den standiga resan” in the winter of 1991/1992. The album was her reflection on the first years of Roxettemania, and featured the hit single “Sa lange det lyser mittemot”.

Marie’s Swedish solo career would always remain important to her, despite – or maybe because of – the phenomenal success of Roxette. As the audience grew from continent to continent, she cherished the opportunities to express herself in her own language.

In 1991 she met her future husband, the musician Mikael Bolyos. Their daughter Josefin was born in the spring of 1993, but this didn’t slow down Roxette. After recording their fifth album, ”Crash! Boom! Bang!”, the band took off on the second Roxette world tour in 1994 and 1995. This time the band played in Europe, South Africa, Australia, Asia and South America. The tour was yet another success for the Roxette, who became the second pop group ever to play China (Wham! did it first, in 1985).

Roxette now took a break – if you don’t count the 1995 greatest hits collection ”Don’t Bore Us - Get To The Chorus” and the 1996 Spanish sung compilation of hit ballads, ”Baladas en Espanol” – which gave Marie some time to pick up on her Swedish solo work again. She recorded three songs for a Colin Nutley movie soundtrack – ”Tro”, ”I en tid som var” and ”Hometown”. The two Swedish songs ended up on her fifth solo album, ”I en tid som var”, in the autumn of 1996. Roxette spent the best part of 1998 recording their “comeback” album ”Have A Nice Day”, which in 1999 resulted in the European singles hits ”Wish I Could Fly”, ”Stars” and ”Salvation”.

In 2000 Marie released a retrospective CD – “Antligen” – and followed it with a summer tour of Sweden. The album was the year’s bestseller, and her show at Sjohistoriska museet in Stockholm was later released on dvd. Roxette’s 2001 album ”Room Service” was a new million selling album and singles like ”The Centre Of The Heart”, ”Milk And Toast And Honey” and ”Real Sugar” buzzed around the European charts. The album was followed by a successful European tour, and a new tour was planned for the autumn of 2002.

But instead tragedy would strike Marie when she in September of 2002 was diagnosed with brain tumour. After a successful operation she miraculously managed to recover, and as a part of her healing process she started work on a new solo album in 2003. For the first time Marie now chose to write English lyrics for her solo material. She called the album “The Change”. It was released in 2004, and reflected the painful time Marie and her family had gone through. Recording the album was also a way to beat the illness - she and her husband Mikael made much of the album in their “Studio Vinden” at home.

The album cover featured some of Marie’s expressive coal drawings, which for the first time revealed this artistic side for the public. She had been painting and drawing for years, but it wasn’t until 2005 that she finally decided it was time to share some of her work. The exhibition displayed 24 deeply personal coal drawings. She called it “After The Change”.

In 2006 Marie Fredriksson released the album ”Min Bäste Vän” where she made her own versions of her favourite songs and in 2007 the collection “Tid För Tystnad- Marie Fredrikssons ballader” was released. It included the new song “Ett bord I solen” which was also the title of Maries second art exhibition in the spring of 2008 at Galleri So in Stockholm. In 2008 Marie sang the theme song ”Där du Andas”  in the Swedish motion picture “Arn – Riket vid vägens slut”.

For more than two decades Marie Fredriksson has managed to balance two careers like no other female Swedish artist. She is a world famous star in a group that has sold 45 million albums and 25 million singles, she has toured the world twice - and she has managed to create and sustain her own unique identity as a solo artist. Now Marie Fredriksson adds a new element to her artistry, proving that she’s once again ready to explore new paths.