Biography
Pop singer and model Jessica Folcker ranked among Sweden’s leading international recording artists by the close of the 1990s. Her initial recordings were shaped at Cheiron Studios, the same facility behind major successes by Robyn, Britney Spears, and the Backstreet Boys. Subsequent projects saw her revisit Swedish-language material before shifting toward a tougher electro-pop direction.
Born Jessica Elisabeth Angelique Folcker in Täby, Stockholm, in 1975 to a Swedish mother and a Senegalese father, she began her studio work as a backing vocalist alongside Ace of Base and Dr. Alban. Her distinctive appearance also led to her selection as Stockholm’s representative in the 1994 Miss Sweden pageant. In 1998 she issued her first album, Jessica, whose songs were chiefly crafted by Max Martin and her then-boyfriend Denniz Pop. The record performed strongly at home, as both “Tell Me What You Like” and “How Will I Know (Who You Are)” reached the Swedish Top Ten. It found further audiences across Europe and especially throughout Asia, where a six-week promotional trek took her to Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand and earned gold and platinum certifications in multiple territories. During this period her releases carried only the single name “Jessica.”
Folcker returned in 2000 with a second album titled Dino as a tribute to Denniz Pop, who had died of cancer in August 1998 just as her profile was rising. For its worldwide edition the spelling of her surname was simplified to “Folker” so radio announcers would pronounce it correctly. Although “To Be Able to Love” became a Top Ten U.S. club success, overall sales proved modest and Sony BMG International ended the relationship. Momentum returned in 2002 when she appeared on “Crack It (Something Going On)” by Swedish dance act Bomfunk MC’s, a track that climbed to the Top Five in countries across Europe.
Folcker stayed out of the spotlight as a solo act until 2005, when she surfaced on a fresh imprint with the Swedish-language album På Svenska. To support it she entered Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s national contest that selects the country’s Eurovision entrant, offering the entry “Om Natten,” which placed outside the grand-final qualification spots and left the album commercially underwhelming. She tried again the following year with the English-language song “When Love’s Coming Back Again,” yet once more failed to reach the final and no new album materialized. In 2007 an independent label issued her fourth album, Skin Close, introducing a more seasoned electro-pop aesthetic.
Born Jessica Elisabeth Angelique Folcker in Täby, Stockholm, in 1975 to a Swedish mother and a Senegalese father, she began her studio work as a backing vocalist alongside Ace of Base and Dr. Alban. Her distinctive appearance also led to her selection as Stockholm’s representative in the 1994 Miss Sweden pageant. In 1998 she issued her first album, Jessica, whose songs were chiefly crafted by Max Martin and her then-boyfriend Denniz Pop. The record performed strongly at home, as both “Tell Me What You Like” and “How Will I Know (Who You Are)” reached the Swedish Top Ten. It found further audiences across Europe and especially throughout Asia, where a six-week promotional trek took her to Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand and earned gold and platinum certifications in multiple territories. During this period her releases carried only the single name “Jessica.”
Folcker returned in 2000 with a second album titled Dino as a tribute to Denniz Pop, who had died of cancer in August 1998 just as her profile was rising. For its worldwide edition the spelling of her surname was simplified to “Folker” so radio announcers would pronounce it correctly. Although “To Be Able to Love” became a Top Ten U.S. club success, overall sales proved modest and Sony BMG International ended the relationship. Momentum returned in 2002 when she appeared on “Crack It (Something Going On)” by Swedish dance act Bomfunk MC’s, a track that climbed to the Top Five in countries across Europe.
Folcker stayed out of the spotlight as a solo act until 2005, when she surfaced on a fresh imprint with the Swedish-language album På Svenska. To support it she entered Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s national contest that selects the country’s Eurovision entrant, offering the entry “Om Natten,” which placed outside the grand-final qualification spots and left the album commercially underwhelming. She tried again the following year with the English-language song “When Love’s Coming Back Again,” yet once more failed to reach the final and no new album materialized. In 2007 an independent label issued her fourth album, Skin Close, introducing a more seasoned electro-pop aesthetic.
Singles
