Showing posts with label Universal Music Sweden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Universal Music Sweden. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Irresistible Veronica Maggio delivers two new infectious songs for us to linger over and become addicted to, just when we needed her talent and moxie the most - 'Sergels Torg' and 'Dallas'; Veronica and Stockholm NEVER disappoint!; Jag älskar Sergels Torg!; @veronicamaggio, #stockholm, #sweden, #sergelstorg


UniversalMusicSweden YouTube Channel video:Veronica Maggio - Sergels Torg (Lyric Video). Uploaded August 21, 2013. http://youtu.be/kSdqLlyqZX8

In Veronica's own words from this recent Sveriges Radio interview, it's "a love song about having struggled in vain." 
'Nuff said!
We knew it wouldn't be the same as her last album, 'Satan i Gatan' -and it's not.

 Sveriges Radio
"Du har hittat mitt mest utmärkande mönster" 
torsdag 12 september kl 12:25 Nyheter P4 Radio Stockholm
http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=103&artikel=562199

Acoustic?
Sure, we've got that covered :)! :)!
Veronica Maggio LIVE on Radio1 Norway - Sergels Torg (acoustic) Uploaded September 11, 2013. http://youtu.be/Siol4nbT6pw

 Some comments about the new songs at SVT's music blog: 
http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2013/08/20/lyssna-veronica-maggio-sergels-torg/

Sergels Torg, released less than a month ago is already at #12 on the Swedish singles chart, Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish music chart, http://www.sverigetopplistan.se/
EriicTheKing YouTube Channel video: Veronica Maggio - Dallas. Uploaded September 5, 2013. http://youtu.be/Zqzl_udVSkM
Still trying to figure out completely what I think of this song.

COPENHAGEN BETA YouTube Channel video: Veronica Maggio - Dallas (Talk)  
(In Swedish, with Danish subtitles) Uploaded August 27, 2013. 

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Long story, sort-of-short: In late May, right before the Memorial Day holiday weekend here in the U.S., and just over four months after I got back from my trip to Stockholm, despite having a Google Alert for her, I hadn't seen anything in ages regarding super-talented Swedish singer Veronica Maggio, whom I've written about a few times here, complete with her crazy-infectious tunes.

 So, I decided I'd spend a little time one weekend at the usual online haunts trying to find out what's the latest with Veronica -whom Google often refers to (unintentionally funny to me) at some websites where its instant translation immediately pops up without you asking it to, as "The Veronicas"- I penned an email to a friend in Sweden with real 'connections' to the Swedish music industry, basically asking ¿Qué Pasa? 
What's going on with her? Was she sick or seriously ill or have some family crisis?

I asked because all of her various personal Social Media sites as well as the Swedish media sites that could usually be counted upon to note any movement or scintilla of news or activity about her seemed unusually quiet. 
Too quiet.

 In the case of her Social Media, it was as if nobody was even bothering to keep them properly maintained, like a lot of dead blogs I could name.
That made me only more curious and even a little bit worried about this curious low-profile for one of Sweden's most talented and popular performers.

 If you didn't know from my previous posts, Veronica is a three-time Swedish Grammy winner, and was Sweden's most-played radio artist in 2012, with three of the nine most-played songs according to STIM, the Swedish royalty collecting society that is sort of like the Swedish cousin to ASCAP in the United States.

 I certainly heard more of Veronica on the radio than any other Swedish artist when I was in Stockholm in mid-January and walking around with my earbuds underneath my Dolphins cap, checking my ears every so often to make sure they weren't getting too cold, since it was never over 20 °F the whole time I was there, and usually in the single digits.

 But I heard her even before I left Arlanda Airport and caught my very comfortable ride via the Flygbussarna airport bus into the city, 40-something miles south on the E4 roadway that had its road lights on full blast at Noon because it was still snowing, though relatively light in comparison with just a few days before.

 These very reasonably-priced buses are frequent, frequent and frequent, to and from the airport to Stockholm, even late at night as I discovered on my way back late Friday night on my last night in the city, which was spent walking around from the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan up to the skating rink at Kungsträdgården, over to Nordiska Kompaniet for an hour and then down to the bus station at Central Station to get an early start on being ready for my Saturday morning flight, which is why I crashed at the airport. 

 *Warning: Arlanda's International Terminals have ZERO carpeting, so while you can use your down jacket as a pillow under your head, the rest of your body is in big trouble with the hard floors. 
Also, there's NO real comfortable seats like you can find at BWI or O'Hare, just lots of blocky and hard plastic-like couches that seemed less inviting than a splintered wooden bus bench, quite frankly, which is why once I got onboard my return SAS flight, tired and sore, I tilted back and slept until we got near Iceland.
ACENDigital YouTube Channel video: Flygbussarna (Swedish Airport Coaches), "50 cars or 1 bus". Uploaded April 29, 2009. http://youtu.be/k5o6oFQwLKA
http://vimeo.com/4410746

Veronica's degree of popularity was proven rather conclusively in this article last winter in Aftonbladet, under the category of Mest spelat i radio 2012: 3 of the 9 most popular songs! #3 was Välkommen in, #8 was Satan i Gatan, and #9 was Jag kommar.
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/article15929544.ab

In considering why Veronica might be keeping a low profile, even while recording new material, I also thought about what I knew and had learned over several months about the tragic death last year of her 58-year old friend, the acclaimed producer and sound engineer, Tom Hofwander, and how that might've affected her plans. 
He perished as a result of accidentally falling out of their tour bus in Copenhagen late at night, after they'd finished touring in Denmark in mid-August, and were on their way home to Sweden for their last four dates.
From all public accounts, it seems that while everyone else on the bus was fast asleep, he may've accidentally come into contact with a door release button -located at knee-height- in the back, since a back door opened and...
Really, what can you say?

Aftonbladet
Veronica Maggios ljudtekniker hedrades av svenska artisteliten. Nu slår polisen fast: Dödsfallet var en olycka
By Martin Gustafsson
2012-09-19
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/article15464866.ab

A week later, a photo-filled article on the heartfelt performance by Veronica and several artist friends honoring him thru their grief: 
Här hyllas Tom Hofwander
2012-09-25 
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/article15509685.ab

But the few articles I could find about her often made no reference to that very upsetting incident, either, so what could it be? 
In retrospect, of course, I shouldn't have bothered wondering, because whatever it was, now Veronica has released two new singles from her fourth album, the follow-up to Satan i Gatan
and already, fans and critics are raving about them, especially Sergels Torg. 







But Sergels Torg is not only a great song, but also a great place that is very important to all of the people of Stockholm, and what an amazing place it is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergels_torg
Below, some more of my January 2013 photos at Sergels Torg, Stockholm, Sweden. All original photos below by South Beach Hoosier.  © 2013 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved.






Only one of my favorite places in all of Sweden and anywhere, and somewhere where I literally spent HOURS standing and walking around it and the adjoining areas in January's cold, marveling at it all.

 I went inside for an hour or so and gave myself the self-guided tour, and saw the awesome and impressive Kulturhuset arts, retail and civic complex and saw the public library, the theatres, the cozy and chic and alternately swank restaurants, all of which is organized and planned in a stylish way that would cause anyone from South Florida, who is used to the sort of mediocre design and half-assed results we see all around us, to have their jaw drop.

 Plus the very impressive Stockholm on the Move exhibit! 
http://www.fargfabriken.se/en/stockholm-on-the-move
2016 Update: That site was replaced by http://www.fargfabriken.se/en/







That featured a room with a scale-model display of the entire city of Stockholm and environs and what it might look like in the future, which made me thinks of the diorama located at Gettysburg.
That's when all those hours of walking around for days I did really came in handy, since I feel like I now know Stockholm much better than I do Fort Lauderdale right now, which is both odd and comforting. As I've said before, I felt very much at home there.

 Sergels Torg is the sort of public space writ large of the sort where, when you are there for the first time, at least me with MY particular personality, and living in an area of the U.S. like I do in South Florida with none of the energy and synergy it has, unlike when I was in D.C., made me wish that my friends and family could be there so they could be wowed by it, too.
Here's some perspective:
http://en.kulturhuset.stockholm.se/About-Kulturhuset/
Oskar Sigvardsson YouTube Channel video: Robyn - Show Me Love (LIVE, Sergels Torg, Stockholm, 2010) Uploaded March 11, 2010. http://youtu.be/T3IdGD9SLwk


Bounce Sweden YouTube Channel video: [OFFICIAL] Michael Jackson Dance Tribute - STOCKHOLM. Uploaded July 9, 2009. http://youtu.be/lVJVRywgmYM
At Sergels Torg and Stureplan.


Martin Larsson YouTube Channel video: Stockholm in motion. Uploaded January 8, 2013. http://youtu.be/oV_NEayqfvs
This is a terrific video of Stockholm, and not just because I was at all of the popular locations shown here -but two- within one week of this being video uploaded. The only difference was that there was a LOT MORE ice and snow on the ground when I was there! The photo shown here in the vid is of the fountain at Sergels Torg (Sergel's Square in English), festooned with light-covered Christmas trees and reindeers, with the SEB building in the background, looking slightly northwest from the Kulturhuset, also one of my favorite places! I took a lot of photos right around there because there's so much energy there that it's positively infectious. Sergels Torg comes at 1:38.

Some older songs of Veronica's that we love -and frequently sing and hum to ourselves- and have featured before here on the blog:

BBL.se youTube Channel video: Veronica Maggio - Jag kommer (LIVE on SVT's 'Allsång på Skansen' in Stockholm). Uploaded July 16, 2011. http://youtu.be/3LuMvh8nr00

SwedishStereo2 YouTube Channel video: Veronica Maggio - Välkommen in (LIVE on SVT's 'Allsång på Skansen' in Stockholm). Uploaded July 12, 2011.
http://youtu.be/vLP8TLj9cIs 



 allnicktaken YouTube Channel video Veronica Maggio - Snälla Bli Min (with Benny Andersson on piano) on SVT's "Moraeus med mera," aired September 18, 2011. http://youtu.be/sWOHGCKPRfU 


UniversalMusicSweden YouTube Channel video: Veronica Maggio - Mitt Hjärta Blöder. Uploaded February 15, 2012. http://youtu.be/kJafqgvwKMs
UniversalMusicSweden YouTube Channel video: Veronica Maggio - Måndagsbarn. Uploaded March 3, 2008. http://youtu.be/NtJxy0zc7nU


re @veronicamaggio  
Veronica doesn't actually use Twitter herself, but lots of people do in talking about her. 
See what they're saying at: 
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23veronicamaggio&src=typd&f=realtime

 http://www.veronicamaggio.se/

https://www.facebook.com/veronicamaggioofficial
Some of the videos on her official Facebook page will not play for readers in the U.S. since they have not yet been officially released yet by the Universal Music Group, which is why I have them above for you to listen to, notably, Dallas.


https://www.facebook.com/UniversalMusicSweden


https://twitter.com/UniversalSE

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/veronica-maggio

http://www.veronicamaggio.se/kontakt/


For those of you with an interest in her Social Media scores...
http://cn.starcount.com/profile/4f43efe618065b361a000081/veronica-maggio

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Friday, July 26, 2013

Trending at HBB with Sexy Swedish élan: Edda Magnason channels iconic Swedish jazz singer Monica Zetterlund for her upcoming biopic "Monica Z"; Edda Magnason - Sakta vi gå genom stan (Official Video); Opens nationally in Sweden on September 13th, but premiering at 'Way Out West' film festival in Göteborg from August 8-10; #monicaz, @PeterBirro


UniversalMusicSweden YouTube Channel video: Edda Magnason - Sakta vi gå genom stan (Official Video). Uploaded July 13, 2013. http://youtu.be/Ni5a6Q8D16I

 Monica Zetterlund was an exceptional artist with a unique place in Swedish life and pop culture, and this film shows how she went from an unknown to icon, yet even while living a fabulous life on stage, she led a turbulent private life away from the spotlight.

Central among many other co-stars of the film is the City of Stockholm itself, given that the name of the film is a direct reference to an an iconic Swedish song sung by and made famous by Zetterlund that's a variation of the 1930's hit, Walkin' My Baby Back Home.
With new Swedish lyrics by Beppe Wolgers, this old song became Slowly we walk through town -Sakta vi gå genom stan.  

 It's a song that every reasonably well-educated person in Sweden and environs knows and recognizes instantly, regardless of their age or political ideology or musical tastes.
It's that big. 

 Monica Zetterlund recording of Sakta vi gå genom stan, with lyrics at:
http://www.stockholmskallan.se/Soksida/Post/?nid=24283

 Given such a name, this film doesn't pretend that it is not steadfastly in love with a certain place and je ne sais quoi attitude at a certain time in history, and that place and time was Stockholm in the early and mid-Sixties.

 It's a film that like Woody Allen's best movies about New York City, is not not afraid to romanticize its beloved Stockholm, always one of the most beautiful cities in the world, then as now, which anyone who goes there sees and feels.
Even when like me, it's in the middle of January

 It's part of why SO MANY PEOPLE who live there genuinely LOVE being part of it, and in a way that would surprise people living elsewhere, could NOT imagine ever wanting to live somewhere else, even New York, London or Paris.
They'd visit there on holiday, of course, but Stockholm is for them, and they have no intention of leaving.

 In this film playing Monica Zetterlund, I can clearly see that singer/actress Edda Magnason can cause that involuntary "Julie Christie swoon" that comes over me sometimes that I've spoken about at various times and places, including this blog. 
I can tell you without reservation that is NOT a feeling to be trifled with.



And yes, before you ask or write me about it, I DO see that resemblance to American actress Alicia Silverstone, back before she went completely off-track and Hollywood wild child, 
Don't pretend you don't see it, either. (See more at bottom.)

ABSvenskFilmindustri YouTube Channel video: Monica Z - official trailer (In Swedish)
Monica Zetterlund stars as Swedish singing/acting icon Edda Magnason; directed by Per Fly, written by Peter Birro. Uploaded May 15, 2013. http://youtu.be/H7qb41FaTXw

Monica Zetterlund died on May 12th, 2005 at the age of 67, as the result of injuries sustained in a fire in her Stockholm apartment. Confined to a wheelchair the last few years of her life by a severe case of scoliosis, she called the Fire Dept. to report the fire and urge them to hurry because the fire was rapidly spreading, but the first firemen arriving on the scene found her already dead, her wheelchair still next to her bed. So sad...

The film officially premieres in Sweden on September 13th. but it will be shown as part of the featured films at the 'Way Out West' film festival in Göteborg from August 8-10th.
In Swedish: http://www.wayoutwest.se/
In English: http://www.wayoutwest.se/en/








Official film website: http://www.sf.se/filmer/Monica-Z/

 Edda's official website: http://www.eddamagnason.com/











viasatsverige youTube Channel: Edda Magnason intervju Hans Wiklund. Uploaded May 20, 2013. http://youtu.be/7VLEyB94DEg
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ABC-TV video: Jimmy Kimmel's YouTube Challenge - I Silverstoned My Kid. Uploaded April 3, 2012. http://youtu.be/G4qAVY5RSR8

There was a certain moment in time in the 1990's where, with nothing more than a little black dress or something suitably chic and simple, Alicia Silverstone could, sometimes, stop a crowd cold with just a look.
And people would freeze.

 Yes, though it's hard for some of you to believe it, a moment really did exist in our pop culture zeitgeist when it seemed that almost nothing could stop Alicia Silverstone from becoming one of the most popular and highly-paid actresses in the world, other than self-sabotage.

 Silverstone didn't get that last big film contract of hers for nothing, because she really DID have genuine charisma, good looks and talent to spare, and was generally considered easy to work with on set, NOT a young diva.

 But then for reasons known largely to her, she made some bad decisions, seemed to stop caring quite so much or trying so hard -and audiences suddenly felt let down by her.
It's not called Show Business for nothing.
It's a business, not a place for hobbyists or people indulging whims or people going thru a "phase."

 Whether Alicia Silverstone will ever decide to take advantage of her talent and natural likeability in the future again and have a Second Act in Hollywood is a decision known only to her.
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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

My mood after a miserable Election Night that saw conscientious friends in Hallandale Beach lose elections, is made tolerable after listening to Veronica Maggio croon a bit, instead of my watching depressing election coverage on TV; My Heart is Bleeding; Måndagsbarn; Snälla Bli Min


Veronica Maggio - Måndagsbarn. Uploaded by UniversalMusicSweden on March 3, 2008. http://youtu.be/NtJxy0zc7nU

Veronica Maggio - Mitt Hjärta Blöder. Uploaded by UniversalMusicSweden on February 15, 2012. http://youtu.be/kJafqgvwKMs
allnicktaken video: Snälla Bli Min. (LIVE på Moraeus med mera, 2011 )
Uploaded on September 18, 2011. http://youtu.be/sWOHGCKPRfU

 If Veronica is performing in Sweden in January while I'm there on a combination business and personal trip, I will do everything I can to see her. 
And then some!

 -----
http://www.veronicamaggio.se/
https://www.facebook.com/veronicamaggioofficial

 https://www.facebook.com/UniversalMusicSweden
https://twitter.com/UniversalSE

 http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/veronica-maggio
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Saturday, July 16, 2011

A talented & worthy American takes Scandinavia by storm: up-close with Chris Medina - One Day In Stockholm (What Are Words)



UniversalMusicSweden video: Chris Medina - One Day In Stockholm (What Are Words). Chris appears on Rix FM in Stockholm. Yes, they DO have 'Morning Zoo' radio formats in Sweden. http://youtu.be/eNjSIKIBE1U

Link

---------

Chris Medina VEVO video: What Are Words

http://youtu.be/nQY4dIxY1H4Link

I received the behind-the-scenes Chris Medina video at the top of this post within about ten minutes of it being posted to YouTube by Universal Music Sweden last month, and thus was one of the first persons to see it.
That's the kind of video I want to see more of!

As most of you know by now, I'm NOT an American Idol viewer.
The only time I've actually watched it for even a minute without immediately changing the channel from Fox-TV, was when it intentionally bled over past nine o'clock into the time slot for HOUSE. That's it.

I want to see genuine musical talent, not contrived histrionics or teen divas and attitudes and ponderous programs larded with no-talents. Which is why so many foreign TV music programs are MUCH more to my liking, however friendly they try to be to the "talent."
They're much more cut-throat and don't indulge contestants as much because of their back-story or haircut or on-air melodrama like American version does or did.

You don't need to be Quincy Jones to see that Chris Medina CLEARLY has a unique voice and talent, just like Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson, so why does the American version of Idol persist with all the crummy shows for weeks, while shows like ET and Access Hollywood relentlessly hype the no-talents as interesting curiosities, when they're not? Advertising dollars.
Sometimes, less is more.
Just saying.

Link


ABC News Good Morning America: Robin Roberts with Chris Medina.




NRK-TV video: Chris Medina LIVE on VG Lista Topp 20, Rådhusplassen, (City Hall) Oslo, Norway. June 2011
http://youtu.be/ap6oY2cN11E
The complete version of this performance as aired by NRK is here:
http://www.vgtv.no/#!id=41778
See interview at http://www.vgtv.no/#!id=41779

His daytime performance in Bergen is here: http://www.vgtv.no/#!id=42240

As of today, Chris Medina is #1 on the official Swedish singles chart, http://allcharts.org/music/sweden/singles.htm and #3 on the Norwegian chart: http://lista.vg.no/

Not bad for a 27-year old guy that you never heard of eight months ago!

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http://www.rixfm.com/

Listen LIVE here: http://webradio.rixfm.com/webbradio/webbradio-rixfm.php
Just remember, Stockholm is six hours ahead of us in the U.S. Eastern time-slot!

http://www.youtube.com/OfficialChrisMedina

http://www.facebook.com/OfficialChrisMedina

http://www.youtube.com/user/UniversalMusicSweden
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