Susanne Walström/imagebank.sweden.se

Writing the musikblogg is my absolute favorite time of the month. I value the chance for us to connect and flex our language skills using music as a platform. Svensktoppen is the longest-running Swedish radio chart list from Sveriges radio and a great way to catch a glimpse of Swedish artists just nu (right now)! This week, I’ll introduce you to Svensktoppen and call-out some of the Swedes who dominated the charts in 2020.

Den svenska musiksmaken / Swedish Music Taste

Svensktoppen started in 1962 to capture the best of den svenska musiksmaken (Swedish music taste). Until recently, the song list was compiled weekly based on the number of plays a song received from Swedish radio stations all over the country. Now, Sveriges radio also counts the number of streams that songs receive from the P4:s spellista (channel P4’s playlist). P4 is Sveriges radio‘s most popular radio channel; also host to the enormously popular crossword meets trivia game, Melodikrysset.

Newkid and Benjamin Ingrosso topped last week’s chart with covers they recorded for the hit show Så mycket bättre. A couple months back I wrote an article highlighting the last season of Så mycket bättre, where popular artists across genres cover each other’s songs. I ADORE this show! I mean, who doesn’t love a good cover song? 🤩 Newkid’s rendition of “Du måste finnas” was originally performed by Helen Sjöholm in the musical “Kristina från Duvemåla.” If you are interested in the Swedish immigration story to the U.S. this musical is a MUST-see. Based on the novels by Vilhelm Moberg of course. It was my favorite cover from the season so I’ve included it for you to enjoy below 👇🏾

På topp! At the top!

Svensktoppen created a listed of the top 15 songs from 2020. They also awarded some best-ofs to folks who dominated the charts in 2020. Let’s start with those:

Årets Låt (Song of the Year): Svag (Weak) – Victor Leksell
Årets Artist (Artist of the Year): Miss Li
Komplicerad  → Complicated
Lev Nu Dö Sen →  Live Now Die Later
Starkare → Stronger

Året Kompositörer (Composers of the Year): Linda Karlsson (Miss Li), Sonny Gustafsson
Årets Nykomling (Newcomer of the Year): Victor Leksell

Svensktoppen’s Miss Li is a singer / songwriter, who’s released eight studio albums, penning songs in both Swedish and English. She’s taken a stand on climate change, and vowed not to fly on her last Swedish tour. Her entire crew traveled with a equipment for her stadium shows in busses and trains from city to city. Sweden may not be a gigantic country, but it’s bigger than Denmark 😉, so that’s quite an achievement! 

Breakthrough artist Viktor Leksell was awarded “Newcomer of the Year” when his song “Svag” totally  dominated the charts. Viktor made his debut in the Swedish music scene as a contestant of Swedish Idol in 2017. Yes, THE Idol the singing competition show. The 23-year-old received a stack of awards in 2020, even earning a Swedish grammy for “Breakthrough Artist.”

Årets Svensktoppsmelodier 2020 / Top Swedish Melodies of the Year:

1. Svag – Victor Leksell                                  
2. En säng av rosor – Darin                            
3. Komplicerad – Miss Li                                 
4. Det kommer bli bra – Laleh                        
5. Lev Nu Dö Sen –  Miss Li                             
6. Goliath – Smith & Thell                                
7. Säg mig – Carola & Zara                             
8. Someone – Jübel                                         
9. Fingers crossed – Agnes                          
10. Bulletproof – Dotter                                   
11. Nån av oss – Miriam Bryant                         
12. Some Say – Nea                                         
13. Year of the young – Smith                            
14. Move – The Mamas                                     
15. Brave – Hanna Ferm                                  

If the pop hits of today aren’t your thing, you can check out Svensktoppen’s archive on Spotify. Stream the songs of yesteryear with playlists organized by decades, starting with the 1960’s. Beyond music, Sveriges radio has a wide variety of programs to stream. Listen to news stories in simplified Swedish with Klartext or get up close and personal with notable Swedes on a more intimate level as they host a session of Sommarprat. 

What’s you favorite program to stream? Are you a music lover or a pod cast addict?🤷🏼 Share in the comments below!