Sweden

Sweden combines a strong tradition of music education, an early embrace of English-language songwriting, and a professional production culture built up since the ABBA era. Stockholm studios and writers, including the Cheiron and Max Martin school, have crafted hits for artists around the world. The result is a country of about ten million people that consistently ranks among the largest music exporters on earth.

The Gothenburg sound is a style of melodic death metal that developed in the Swedish city of Gothenburg in the 1990s. Bands like In Flames, At the Gates, and Dark Tranquillity paired the aggression of death metal with soaring, harmonised guitar melodies. The style went on to influence a generation of metal and metalcore bands across Europe and North America.

ABBA remain the most globally recognised Swedish act, followed by pop exports like Roxette, Ace of Base, Robyn, and Zara Larsson. In dance music, Avicii and Swedish House Mafia reached huge international audiences, while metal bands such as Opeth, In Flames, and Ghost built devoted followings. Earlier figures like the troubadour Evert Taube and jazz pianist Jan Johansson are national institutions at home.

A visa is a form of Swedish literary song in which the lyrics carry as much weight as the melody, often performed by a solo singer with light accompaniment. The tradition was shaped in the twentieth century by troubadours such as Evert Taube and Cornelis Vreeswijk. Visor are still widely sung at midsummer celebrations, in schools, and at family gatherings.

Avicii, born Tim Bergling, was one of the most successful DJs and producers in the world before stepping back from touring in 2016 to protect his health. He died in 2018 at the age of 28. His death prompted a wide conversation about mental health and the pressures faced by young artists in the music industry.