Listen to My Heart

Marie Fredriksson

Description

Extensive promotional, social media, and advertising campaigns planned for 2022 and 2023. Interviews with co-author Helena von Zweigbergk, podcasts, signings, and heavy promotion through Roxette's social media outlets.

• Marie’s group Roxette was second only to ABBA in terms of all-time music successes from Sweden. In the ‘80s and ‘90s Roxette had four #1 US hits (“Listen to Your Heart,” “It Must Have Been Love” – the Pretty Woman theme, “The Look,” “Joyride”) and two more singles that reached #2 (“Dangerous,” “Fading Like a Flower”). In comparison, ABBA had one US hit and one additional top 5 single. 

• Internationally Roxette was a global phenomenon, with many more hits than in the US market. Their final tour played to over 3 million fans, and throughout their career Roxette moved 75 million albums.

• While the US market will certainly have an audience for this title, Roxette was quite popular in other English-speaking countries, such as Canada, UK, and Australia. 

• The book might sell particularly well in countries where Roxette played to large arenas and stadiums, and where English is a second language. This includes but is not limited to Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Norway, Spain, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, Austrian, Sweden, Poland, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa.

• Marie Fredriksson passed away in late 2019. Just prior she wrote this memoir and released it in her native Swedish language, always intending to also release it in English (i.e., since Roxette primarily sang in English). Unfortunately she was not able to release them in time, and therefore this is the first English-language release.

• This edition contains a new foreword by popular Swedish music video director Jonas Akerlund, who Marie gave his first break in 1992. Subsequently he worked with Roxette nearly 20 more times, as well as with artists including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, U2, and Metallica. He has won three Grammys to date, two with Madonna and one with Paul McCartney.

• This edition also contains a new afterword from co-author Helena von Zweigbergk, plus additional family photography.

• While the book will sell well with Roxette fans, her core story is quite inspirational and should reach beyond her fans. In 2002 following a brain tumor diagnosis, she was initially given a few months to live. Despite the diagnosis Marie powered forward, living 17 more years during which she recorded six more albums and played over 200 concerts, while maintaining a marriage with two young children. Marie is quite raw and forthcoming in describing how challenging her situation was, while also reflecting on how one can try to see the positives of such a situation.

FOREWORD

For thirty years I have spent time in rooms with creative, inspiring people—people with voice and vision, beauty and heart. But I have never met someone quite like Marie.

Marie Fredriksson was one of the most full-fledged artists I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. She radiated creativity in her thoughts, ideas, execution, and her very presence in the room. Her artistry flowed (and continues to flow) straight from her heart and into yours, as anyone fortunate enough to have seen her perform can attest.

I am one of those fortunate people. My friendship with Marie started in the earliest days of my career. She trusted me to help realize her 1992 solo LP The Constant Journey into a visual album. Then, and in every project since, I have admired Marie’s courage. The courage to allow the open, honest, vulnerable person within to shine through her art.

Marie was my first true break in the industry, and I’ll always be grateful for that—not only because of the projects that followed, but because of the integrity, focus, and creative generosity that she taught me. A generosity she carried throughout the entire time I knew her, in every project we ever embarked on together. She was always inspiring, always great fun to be with.

Creative work was a way of life for Marie. No matter what obstacle, adversity, or strange surprise life threw at her, Marie never stopped giving us the gift of her expression—her voice, her words, and her beautiful paintings. This book is but one testament to the boundless creativity she exuded throughout her life.

If I could say one thing to her, I would tell her: The world is a less interesting and creative place without you, my dear friend. Our lives are less fun, less full of possibility without you. You gave us an unending well of beauty and memories that I will always treasure. Your voice stays with us, forever.

Marie Fredriksson was liquid gold. She was the light in our lives. She gifted us with moments we will never forget. I am so proud to have known and worked with her. A true artist in every aspect, with a damn good singing voice.

Jonas Åkerlund
(Music Video Director / Roxette, Madonna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, U2, Metallica)

Sujets

• Musique
• Histoire de la musique
• 1984
• Music
• Multiple signal classification
• Genres
• Styles
• Pop Vocal
• Personal Memoirs

Informations

• Publié par: 1984 Publishing
• Date de parution: 25 juillet 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781948221252
• Langue: English

Extrait

LISTEN TO MY HEART
Copyright © 2023 by Marie Fredriksson and Helena von Zweigbergk
Original Swedish version first published by Piratfӧrlaget, Sweden, in 2015. Published by agreement with the Kontext Agency.
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without prior written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of nonfiction. The events and experiences detailed herein have been faithfully rendered as remembered by the authors and interviewees, to the best of their ability.
EDITOR: Amy Bee
TRANSLATIONS: Anna Berglund
COVER PHOTO: Mattias Edwall
COVER DESIGN: Midnight Marauder
LAYOUT: Arkadii Pankevich
Additional photo credits appear in the back of the book.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CONTROL NUMBER: 2022946041
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022946041
ISBNs: 9781948221245 (hardbound), 9781948221238 (limited edition hardbound w/CD), 9781948221252 (ebook)
1984 Publishing logo is © and TM of 1984 Publishing, LLC

1984 PUBLISHING
Cleveland, Ohio / USA
1984Publishing.com
[e-mail]


Contents
FOREWORD
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
EPILOGUE I
EPILOGUE II
AFTERWORD
ILLUSTRATIONS
DISCOGRAPHY
MARIE’S PLAYLIST
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS


FOREWORD
For thirty years I have spent time in rooms with creative, inspiring people — people with voice and vision, beauty and heart. But I have never met someone quite like Marie.
Marie Fredriksson was one of the most full-fledged artists I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. She radiated creativity in her thoughts, ideas, execution, and her very presence in the room. Her artistry flowed (and continues to flow) straight from her heart and into yours, as anyone fortunate enough to have seen her perform can attest.
I am one of those fortunate people. My friendship with Marie started in the earliest days of my career. She trusted me to help realize her 1992 solo LP The Constant Journey into a visual album. Then, and in every project since, I have admired Marie’s courage. The courage to allow the open, honest, vulnerable person within to shine through her art.
Marie was my first true break in the industry, and I’ll always be grateful for that — not only because of the projects that followed, but because of the integrity, focus, and creative generosity that she taught me. A generosity she carried throughout the entire time I knew her, in every project we ever embarked on together. She was always inspiring, always great fun to be with.
Creative work was a way of life for Marie. No matter what obstacle, adversity, or strange surprise life threw at her, Marie never stopped giving us the gift of her expression — her voice, her words, and her beautiful paintings. This book is but one testament to the boundless creativity she exuded throughout her life.
If I could say one thing to her, I would tell her: The world is a less interesting and creative place without you, my dear friend. Our lives are less fun, less full of possibility without you. You gave us an unending well of beauty and memories that I will always treasure. Your voice stays with us, forever.
Marie Fredriksson was liquid gold. She was the light in our lives. She gifted us with moments we will never forget. I am so proud to have known and worked with her. A true artist in every aspect, with a damn good singing voice.
Jonas Åkerlund
JonasAkerlund.com
Fall 2022

Jonas Åkerlund and Marie Fredriksson on the music video set of Roxette’s “Wish I Could Fly,” 1998.



PROLOGUE
There is an almost mythical quality to the expression in Marie Fredriksson’s eyes.
I noticed it in the fall of 2013 when we first met to discuss this book. She radiated enigmatic wisdom, like she’d lived a life not easily articulated, her time on earth filled with extraordinary experiences that transcended words. Her eyes spoke of long journeys of the heart and mind, through the realms of darkness and light, and a fierce, hard-earned knowledge gained from traveling the world.
When Marie locked eyes with me, I immediately realized the serious nature behind her request. The act of telling her story, putting it together, finding meaning within it, and sharing it with others would be an accomplishment. One of the effects of her brain tumor had been memory loss, yet glimpses of her past were returning to her piece by piece, and more than ever, it felt like it was time to reconstruct her own story.
“I want people to know,” she said with great determination. “I want people to know what it’s like to go through what I’ve been through.”
We were at the family villa in Djursholm. Here Marie lived with her husband Micke [Bolyos], their two children Josefin and Oscar, and the cat, Sessan. We sat on a cream-colored sofa within the beautiful house. White roses bloomed in a crystal vase. Several antiques decorated the living space, including a large, shiny black piano. An eye-catching painting by Einar Jolin held sway over the room. Like many of the other villas in the area, the Bolyos’ villa exemplified the beauty, taste, and status afforded to those who had the finances to fulfill such ambitions.
Of course, I wanted to help Marie share her story.
During the time we spent together, from the autumn of 2013 to the summer of 2015, much happened in Marie’s life.
Life had been busy and stressful, even though she tried to maintain a sense of peace. She went on her first solo tour since the cancer diagnosis in the fall of 2002. She released the album Now! ( Nu! ) together with Micke. She recorded some new songs with Roxette, and the band embarked on a world tour starting in Russia before moving on to Australia and Europe.
Spend any amount of time with Marie, and it’s clear she’s a fighter with an iron will. She may occasionally need assistance to move from one room to another, yet also travels the world performing nightly in audience-filled arenas.
“What else am I supposed to do,” she says, “just lie down and die? I decided early on that I wouldn’t do that. To never give up like that.”
And then she adds, “And there sure as hell is nothing wrong with my voice!”
During the last two years, we’ve been meeting in Marie’s home. She lives close to the coastal inlet of Stora Värtan in Djursholm —Stockholm’s most exclusive suburb, with villas worth several million hidden behind fortified walls and fences. The house is her home and fortress. Some leg pain from radiation treatment has been flaring up, so Marie never goes anywhere alone and barely even visits her garden without company. She’s afraid she might fall, so she needs someone to hold on to.
We sit at the family’s kitchen table most of the time, drinking coffee and eating pastries. Sometimes when I’m waiting outside of the gate to be let in, I’ll notice one of her fans has placed a bouquet in the door handle.
“Oh, the fans,” Marie says as I enter with the flowers and accompanying letters. “The fans are so amazing.”
Marie’s fans are persistent and loving. When Marie had solo concerts during the winter of 2014, travelers came from worldwide to attend shows throughout Sweden. Fans flew in from Argentina, Denmark, Holland, and Germany for a chance to see and hear Marie.
We relax by the kitchen table, allowing space for long-buried words and memories to slowly make their way back up to the surface.
“Oh, my memory,” she often says when the conversation comes to a halt.
It’s often names that she gets stuck on, or places. But sometimes she’s quick, like when I mentioned what an iconic singer and performer she was, and she quickly retorted back, “Is!”
Or when I said how solid her family had been through all the hardship, she answered with the speed of light, “We are a solid family.”
And another time, when Marie shared painful memories from an intense period of her illness, and I said, “I understand,” she immediately replied, “No, you don’t. It’s impossible without having been there.”
It is perhaps difficult to fully comprehend the nightmare of living with a brain tumor, but Marie describes it in a way that imparts a harrowing idea of what it’s like.
Marie often talks about herself as a “typical Gemini.” For those who know astrology, like her older sister Ulla-Britt, she is a “Double-Twin,” a person with strong contrasts in her mind. And the description is strikingly accurate. On the one hand, Marie is a wise, collected, and calm person. And on the other hand, a volatile personality where emotions emerge as suddenly as the weather changes, lightness and darkness.
Marie willingly attests to the darkness. She tells me, “You cannot fathom how dreadful it is. Such grief. Such an immense sadness.” Tears roll down her cheeks, and they’re wiped away with a quick stroke of her hand. “But it’s getting better. It’s getting better all the time. And you have to laugh, too. You must never forget that — to laugh. That’s so important.”
Marie is quite particular about this being her book, her story. The aim has never been to write a biography where every fact of Marie’s life is included and placed in chronological order. This is more a book of emotional memories. What is included is everything that mattered and was essential for Marie to discuss. As she conveyed, “It should be honest. I just want to say it as it is. No fuss. Just as straightforward as possible.”
I’ve spoken to several people close to Marie, and there seems to be a consensus b