Jonathan Johansson

Delivering Swedish lyrics through a dreamy vocal approach that frequently layers his own falsetto, Jonathan Johansson carries the regional accent of Scania at Sweden’s southern extremity. His richly textured and tuneful pop nevertheless carries enough immediate appeal to cross linguistic boundaries without difficulty. Working professionally as a social worker, the Malmö native who later settled in Stockholm launched his recording career in 2005 with the album OK, Ge Mig Timmarna (“OK, Give Me Hours”). Issued under the project name Jonathan Och Hjältar (“Jonathan and Heroes”), the effort featured Emil Svanängen of Loney Dear among its musicians. The guitar-centered indie pop drew favorable comparisons to Håkan Hellström yet remained largely overlooked. After several years spent refining his approach through varied lineups and recording methods, Johansson arrived at a satisfying sound in the Uppsala basement studio of drummer and producer Johan Eckeborn. These sessions gave prominent placement to an aging Yamaha DX7 synthesizer. The resulting music strongly recalled early-’80s synth pop and New Romantic styles, a connection highlighted by a Swedish-language version of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” yet remained only moderately electronic and carried a spacious, gently anthemic quality reminiscent of U2 and the Arcade Fire. In 2008 he joined the roster of Hybris Records, home to kindred artists such as Juvelen, Montt Mardié, and Vapnet, and released the single “En Hand I Himelen” (“A Hand in the Heavens”) under his given name. The full-length album En Hand I Himelen appeared in early 2009.