Sofia Karlsson

Sweden's Sofia Karlsson stands apart from most folksingers by achieving blockbuster record sales. Her breakthrough release Svarta Ballader (Black Ballads) moved an extraordinary 60,000 copies, an enormous figure in her native country, and earned her Sweden's counterpart to a Grammy. The achievement proved all the more striking because the material consisted of her interpretations of poems by Swedish poet Dan Andersson, hardly the sort of source expected to attract broad commercial interest. Karlsson had long displayed an independent streak, however. Born in Stockholm in 1975, she first absorbed music from her grandparents—her grandfather on accordion and her grandmother on pump organ—while her mother frequently sang on car trips. Those early experiences naturally led her toward an eclectic array of inspirations ranging from Dolly Parton to Lena Willemark. After completing studies in the folk music department at Stockholm's Royal College of Music, she secured a coveted role as vocalist for Groupa, one of Sweden's most enduring and inventive folk ensembles. She remained with the group for four years before issuing her solo debut, Folk Songs, in 2002. Svarta Ballader arrived three years afterward and cemented her stature as a leading artist; she then spent the following two years on tour before unveiling her third album, Visor från Vinden (Songs from the Loft), which explored the canon of classic Swedish songs. Onstage, alongside vocals delivered with her tight ensemble featuring guitarist Roger Tallroth, Karlsson performs on wooden flute and bouzouki.