Albin Lee Meldau

Albin Lee Meldau draws inspiration from Sam Cooke and Van Morrison as a Swedish singer and songwriter whose throaty vocal approach stems from classic soul traditions. The Bloodshot EP marked his major-label entrance in 2017, after which his debut full-length About You advanced to number two on Sweden’s album chart in 2018. Across the following five years, amid a series of concise releases that included the Merry Little Christmas EP reaching the Top 20 in 2019, he delivered the wistful single “When You’re Here” in 2023 as the lead track from his second album.

Raised in Gothenburg, Meldau grew up with a mother, Annika Blennerhed, who worked as a professional folk-rock and jazz singer, and an English father, Max Meldau, who recorded and issued new wave material in the early ’80s. From childhood he embraced music through trumpet lessons and choir participation, formed a cover band at age 12, and later assembled the retro-soul outfit Magnolia as a young adult.

He launched his recording career in his mid-twenties with the 2015 single “Lou Lou.” Its demo secured a collaboration with Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John, who produced the Lovers EP released by Astralwerks in 2016. The Bloodshot EP arrived the next year and earned him a Best Newcomer nomination at the 2017 Grammis. Growing recognition opened doors to songwriters such as Jimmy Napes (Sam Smith, Jessie Ware) and producers Bastian Langebæk (Jack Garratt, Jessie Ware) and Jamie Scott (One Direction, Alex & Sierra) for his first album. About You appeared on Astralwerks in 2018 and reached number two on the Swedish album chart.

Meldau stayed active on domestic charts with further EPs, among them 2019’s Merry Little Christmas at number 12, the two-part På Svenska that combined for a Top 40 placement in 2020, and the Swedish-language Epistlar at number 29 in 2021. Singles fared similarly: “Josefin” from Epistlar climbed to number 15, the 2022 tribute “Mamma” improved one position higher, and the acoustic duet “Gör Dig Glad” with Swedish singer GRANT (Alma Caroline Cederlöf) peaked at 35 that year. In 2023 he signaled a return to the album format by issuing the June single “When You’re Here” from his sophomore effort.