Tomas Ledin

Swedish singer, songwriter, and musician Tomas Ledin was born on February 25, 1952 in Rätan, Sweden. He records mostly in Swedish but also releases English-language albums. Ledin’s recording career started in 1972 with the release of his debut single “Då ska jag spela”, which was a regional hit. Further singles, including “Blå, blå känslor” (1973) and “Knivhuggarrock” (1975), did not fare as well. In 1975, his single “Kom tillbaka” – taken from the album Knivhuggarrock - began to garner him more attention. Proudly coming from the hippie generation, he also began appearing in a Swedish stage production of Godspell. His fifth album, Tomas Ledin, was released in 1977 and was the first of his full-length releases to chart in the Swedish Top 10. ABBA’s Benny Anderson offered Ledin a chance to record for his band’s Polar Music company, which resulted in the 1980 album Lookin’ for a Good Time, which rose to Number 14 on the Swedish Albums chart. Ledin spent 1979-1980 touring with ABBA as a backing vocalist. In 1980, Ledin won the Swedish Melodifestivalen, leading to him representing his country with the song “Just nu!” in the Eurovision Song Contest. His 1982 single “Sommaren är kort” reached Number 7 on the Swedish chart and has endured as one of his most popular songs. He recorded “Never Again”, a duet with ABBA’s Agnetha Fältskog – taken from his 1982 album The Human Touch – which climbed to Number 2 on the Swedish Singles chart. Ledin wrote “Take Good Care of Your Children”, which was featured on Fältskog’s 1983 album Wrap Your Arms Around Me. He also composed “I Got Something” for Anni-Frid Lyngstad’s 1982 album Something’s Going On. By 1984, frustrated by his lack of success outside of Sweden, he put his solo career on hold and began a career as a producer. He returned to writing and recording and released the Down on the Pleasure Avenue album in 1988. Two years later, his solo career took off again with his Number 1 album Tillfäligheternas spel (1990). The success of the album spawned a resurgence of interest into his back catalog, reminding the public of his immense contributions to Swedish pop. Since then, nearly every studio album has risen to the Number 1 or Number 2 position on the Swedish Albums chart. In 2020, his 1982 hit “Sommaren är kort” became a surprise hit 38 years after its original release.

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