In the 1950s early rock and roll, as well as country music and German schlager also infused the market, influencing Swedish musicians to build upon these styles, gradually moving them away from jazz, which was turning more toward the avant garde.
The jazz orchestra dancing in Scandinavia was interrupted by the counterculture of the 1960s, whose influences of left-wing politics and LSD were altering the shape of popular music around the world.
In 1967 the first psychedelic and progressive rock groups emerged in Stockholm's Filips club, including Hansson & Karlsson, the Baby Grandmothers, and Mecki Mark Men.
Mecki Mark Men even spent three months in the U.S. where they played in big rock music festivals with Sly and the Family Stone, Jethro Tull, Pentangle, Mountain, Grand Funk Railroad, Paul Butterfield, and The Byrds.
Progg bands would go on to support efforts against war and nuclear power,[5] or protest competitive events like Eurovision, stating, "Music cannot be a contest.
"[6][7] Due to the sheer popularity that the Beatles received in Sweden, they inspired countless other bands to form and write original compositions.
The term "dansband" was coined around 1970, when Swedish popular music developed a signature style with brightly characterized lyrics and catchy melodies.
The following decade became the golden era of dansband music, with groups like Thorleifs, Flamingokvintetten, Ingmar Nordströms, Wizex and Matz Bladhs rising to popularity in Sweden.
The combo (fronted by iconic actor/singer Bjorn Skifs) also covered "Half Breed", "Never My Love", and "A Song For You"; as made famous by Cher, The Association, and The Carpenters, respectively.
[11] Shortly after the release of their seventh album Super Trouper (1980), Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA decided to end their marriage, just as Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog had done two years prior.
[14] Released in November 2021, Voyage topped the album charts in numerous countries, including Australia, Germany and the UK.
In 1986, Europe, a hard rock band from Upplands Väsby, hit number one in 25 countries (including the UK) with the song "The Final Countdown".
Cheiron Studios, spearheaded by Denniz Pop and his protégé Max Martin, helped Ace of Base become an international success, and then went on to creating some of the biggest hits of Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and Westlife, to name just a few.
Other prominent producers who were part of Cheiron include Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Kristian Lundin, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson and Andreas Carlsson.
Today Ace of Base's four studio albums have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, making them the third-most successful Swedish band of all time after ABBA and Roxette.
Several other Cheiron-propelled Swedish music artists reached international success in the 1990s, such as Dr. Alban, eurodance rappers E-Type and Leila K, and not least Robyn who had her US breakthrough in 1997 with the hit songs "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love".
Other notable Swedish acts who had international hits during this decade are Army of Lovers, Yaki-Da, Stakka Bo, Rednex, Eagle Eye Cherry, Emilia, Teddybears and Meja.
Max Martin continued creating hit songs for stars like Britney Spears, Céline Dion and Pink, and he also helped bring forward new talented producers such as Shellback.
Another producer who rose to fame during the 2000s is Swedish/Moroccan RedOne, who had huge success worldwide working alongside Lady Gaga, and later other American stars.
In 2004, Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz topped the UK charts for five weeks with "Call on Me",[28] while its 2007 follow up "Proper Education" was a #2 success.
Agnes, the winner of Sweden's Idol 2005, succeeded in Europe and especially the UK market in 2009/2010 with the single "Release Me", which entered the charts at number three and sold over 300,000 copies.
In 2011 the Swedish indie-artist Lykke Li released her second album Wounded Rhymes, and continued her success from her earlier Youth Novels with singles like "Get Some" and "I Follow Rivers", which topped the charts in Belgium and Romania.
Beginning in the 2000s, Veronica Maggio released several high-selling Swedish-language pop albums and continues to tour widely through Scandinavia.
In 2013, Swedish duo Icona Pop reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one on the UK Singles Chart with their song "I Love It".
In 1992 Denniz Pop produced the second album by Dr. Alban, One Love which includes the worldwide hits "It's My Life" and "Sing Hallelujah".
His cover of "Heartbeats", originally by his fellow Swedes The Knife, was a hit on the UK singles chart where it peaked at number nine in 2003.
Indie band The Concretes first appeared in the UK Singles Chart in 2004 with "You Can't Hurry Love" (#55) and "Seem Fine" (#52).
Lead singer Victoria Bergsman left the group in 2006 and, with Peter, Bjorn and John, recorded the single "Young Folks" the same year.
Other notable artists include refused, Air France, bob hund, ceo, Dungen, Eskobar, Fever Ray, First Aid Kit, The Hives, Jens Lekman, The Knife, Komeda, Life on Earth, Little Dragon, Lykke Li, The Radio Dept., Shout Out Louds, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, The Sounds, The Tough Alliance, The Field, and Avner.
[59] This is a list of songs which reached the top 200 on the UK singles chart or the Billboard Hot 100, as well as other notable global hits.