Roxette

Few Swedish pop acts have travelled as far as Roxette, a duo whose partnership began almost by suggestion. Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle were already established in their homeland when EMI's chief, Rolf Nygren, urged them to record a song in English. Gessle had written the Swedish original of their first single, "Neverending Love", and the release became a hit at home. Their pop rock rests on Fredriksson's voice and Gessle's songwriting.

The breakthrough came with Look Sharp! in 1988, which produced two US Billboard Hot 100 number ones, "The Look" and "Listen to Your Heart". "It Must Have Been Love", taken from the soundtrack to Pretty Woman, also reached number one in the US. Joyride followed in 1991, selling 11 million copies and giving the band a further US number one with its title track, while the Join the Joyride! Tour drew more than 1.5 million people. After Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2002, the group paused, reforming in 2009 for an extensive world tour. Fredriksson died in December 2019, and Roxette continued as a live act from 2024 with Lena Philipsson as vocalist.