For the third year in a row, Sweden is one of the favourites to take home the trophy at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.
Considering it's a nation of fewer than 10 million inhabitants, the Scandinavian country punches well above its weight when it comes to this international sing-song, going home with the top prize an impressive five times (second only to Ireland), including 1974, when those platform-heeled wonders Abba triumphed in Brighton and went on to conquer the world.
So what is it about this polite nation that means it all comes together beautifully once a year, every year? With the help of Expedia Sweden, we've compiled this list of eight key elements that *coughs the UK might do well to emulate...
8 Reasons Sweden Owns Eurovision
MUNICIPAL MUSIC SCHOOLS(01 of08)
Swedish children are raised on tunes, with municipal music schools popular since the 1970s, with access to instruments and lessons giving youngsters to try all sorts until landing on their favourite.Music reporter Anders Nunstedt explains, "During these decades success from artists like ABBA gave young Swedish musicians confidence that, even though Sweden is a small country, we can still make a big impact on the international music scene."Europe drummer Ian Haugland, who did two years at kommunala musikskolan says, "Apart from the drums I can also play a little guitar and keyboards, but not enough to scare the rats out of the cellar!"
SINGING IN CHOIRS(02 of08)
According to Sveriges Körförbund (the Swedish choir union), roughly 600,000 Swedes sing in choirs, and the union represents about 500 choirs. While these numbers may not seem staggering at first glance, they actually make Sweden the country with the highest number of choirs per capita in the entire world. Sweden’s strong choral tradition comes from a deep-seated culture of singing folk songs, especially around Midsummer and major festivities like Christmas.
THE SWEDISH GOVERNMENT LOVES ROCK MUSIC TOO(03 of08)
Since 1997, the Swedish government has awarded its Music Export Prize in recognition of international musical achievements by Swedes. Past honourees have included Swedish House Mafia, Robyn, members of ABBA, The Hives, The Cardigans, Max Martin, and Roxette."Our well-developed social system makes it possible for people to create music even though they do not have a lot of income," says music industry researcher Daniel Johansson. This is often expressed as ‘socialbidraget som ligger bakom det svenska musikundret’ (‘the social welfare behind the Swedish music miracle’), highlighting the Swedish government’s support of musicians and artists through the Swedish Arts Council - allocating roughly SEK 1 billion (EUR 116 million) in the form of grants to performing arts every year.
SWEDES BEHIND THE SCENES(04 of08)
Swedish songwriters lie behind many chart-topping pop songs today. Max Martin has penned catchy pop tunes for Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Pink, Usher, Backstreet Boys, and ‘N Sync. Shellback topped Billboard’s 2012 chart as the #1 producer and has written for Maroon 5. And there is RedOne, who has written for Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, Pitbull, and One Direction. "A lot of talent was attracted to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm where they recorded their smash hits alongside Swedish songwriters’, adds Nunstedt. ‘International acts like Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys came to Cheiron and left Sweden with Billboard top hits in their hand luggage."Though Cheiron Studios closed its doors in 1998 due to Denniz Pop’s untimely death, its producers such as Max Martin have gone on to elevate Swedish songwriting globally.Sweden also boasts music video directors such as Johan Renck, who has directed music videos for Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, and Sweden’s own Robyn, as well as director Jonas Åkerlund, who keeps pushing boundaries with edgy music videos for Madonna, Lady Gaga, Moby, Christina Aguilera, Pink, and U2.
INDEPENDENCE IS VALUED(05 of08)
Many Swedish artists take full control of their creative process – from songwriting to owning their own labels and marketing themselves independently – and pop rock sensation Robyn is just one example. She founded Konichiwa Records in 2005 to cover all aspects of her music career such as media management, recording contracts, and her creative process."I reached a point where it was no fun anymore," Robyn says regarding a previous record company relationship. "I wanted to alter my situation and create a bubble of my own where I could decide the parameters myself." This keeps their style and sounds organically unique without the pressures of third party management companies.
TECHNOLOGY(06 of08)
Many Swedish artists also control how their music is consumed and disseminated digitally. Audio platform SoundCloud allows artists to upload, record, promote and share their original sounds. Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li actively uses SoundCloud to spread her music and share it with SoundCloud’s 20+ million member-strong communities of fans, followers, and fellow artists.Internationally acclaimed Swedish DJ Tim Bergling, more widely known as Avicii, organised the X You project which was touted as the world’s largest music collaboration – bringing together 4,199 people from 140 countries who contributed 12,951 melodies, basslines, beats, rhythms, breaks and effects – all made possible by technology.Sweden-based Spotify is the modern day digital equivalent of ‘word of mouth’ music recommendations. Started in 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, Spotify allows users to freely listen to, stream, and share millions of music tracks to their computers and smartphones. Many artists, both international and Swedish, maintain Spotify profiles – Avicii is one of them.
EUROVISION(07 of08)
Sweden’s annual Melodifestivalen is the most watched TV program in Sweden, with roughly 4 million viewers out of almost 10 million residents unleashing their inner music critic while voting. More importantly, the winner of Melodifestivalen goes on to represent Sweden in the annual Eurovision Song Contest – the world’s most watched non-sporting event.Sweden has won Eurovision five times, making it the second most winning country after Ireland which has won seven times.Winning Eurovision in 1974 with their chart topping ‘Waterloo’, it certainly has come full circle for ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus who, alongside Avicii, were tasked with composing the official anthem for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest held in Malmö, Sweden.
THE ABBA EFFECT(08 of08)
It’s nearly impossible not to include the influence of ABBA in a list like this one. Chart-topping Swedish musical acts and songwriters keep passing the proverbial hit-making baton to each other as they move through the decades."We have a strong tradition of folk music in Sweden but I also think great artists serve as inspiration to other artists to make it," says Ian Haugland. "Let´s say The Spotnicks in the 60s inspired ABBA in the 70s which inspired Roxette in the 80s and so on."After ABBA, who ruled the 70s and early 80s to become the second most successful group ever behind the Beatles, came Roxette, Neneh Cherry, and Europe who rocked the 80s and early 90s.The 90s also brought with it Ace of Base and Neneh’s brother Eagle Eye Cherry alongside bands like The Cardigans who would later pass the baton into the early 2000s to the likes of indie rockers The Hives, Peter Bjorn & John, and Jens Lekman. Today, artists Robyn, Lykke Li, and Miss Li now dominate pop charts in their respective genres.
19 Reasons We Love Eurovision
(01 of19)
Zdob si Zdub - Moldovan entry, Eurovision 2011 (credit:PA)
(02 of19)
Lordi - Finnish entry, Eurovision 2006 (credit:PA)
(03 of19)
Kejsi Tola - Albanian entry, Eurovision 2009 (credit:PA)
(04 of19)
Jedward - Irish entry, Eurovision 2011 (credit:PA)
(05 of19)
Verka Serduchka - Ukrainian entry, Eurovision 2007 (credit:PA)
(06 of19)
Opening ceremony for second semi-final, Eurovision 2008 (credit:PA)
(07 of19)
Scooch - UK entry, Eurovision 2007 (credit:PA)
(08 of19)
Sirusho - Armenian entry, Eurovision 2008 (credit:PA)
(09 of19)
Pirates of the Sea - Latvian entry, Eurovision 2008 (credit:PA)
(10 of19)
Sebastien Tellier - French entry, Eurovision 2008 (credit:PA)
(11 of19)
Inga and Anush - Armenian entry, Eurovision 2009 (credit:PA)
(12 of19)
Malena Ernman - Swedish entry, Eurovision 2009 (credit:PA)
(13 of19)
Svetlana Loboda - Ukranian entry, Eurovision 2009 (credit:PA)
(14 of19)
Dima Bilan (winner or Eurovision 2008) performs at Eurovision 2009 final (credit:PA)
(15 of19)
Dita Von Teese with Oscar Loya of Alex Swings Oscar Sings - German entry, 2009 (credit:PA)
(16 of19)
Yueksek Sadakat - Turkish entry, Eurovision 2011 (credit:PA)
(17 of19)
Alexey Vorobyob - Russian entry, Eurovision 2011 (credit:PA)
(18 of19)
Nina - Serbian entry, Eurovision 2011 (credit:PA)
(19 of19)
Jan Delay - German entry, Eurovision 2011 (credit:PA)