Stefan Sundström

Few Swedish songwriters wear the troubadour label as openly as Stefan Sundström, and his work reads as a running conversation with his country's writers and songmakers. Across his songs he returns to a cast of figures that includes Evert Taube, Carl Michael Bellman, Dan Andersson, Alice Tegnér, Astrid Lindgren, Ulf Dageby and Cornelis Vreeswijk. Those references give his music a sense of inheritance, placing him within a tradition rather than outside it, and they make a useful guide for listeners curious about Swedish song.

Sundström left school early and began in small bands. He played in Trots, Läppstars and Apache, and Apache later went on to become Weeping Willows. Few dates are given for these years, so the outline stays brief. What is clear is his domestic life: he is married to Karin Renberg, they have two daughters, and Renberg also plays guitar in his band, so the family connection extends onto the stage.