Veronica Maggio

Veronica Maggio, a soul-pop performer from Sweden, launched her debut album Vatten & Bröd in 2006 to critical praise and achieved her initial global success two years afterward via the track "Måndagsbarn." Born March 15, 1981, in Uppsala, Sweden, she carries Swedish-Italian roots and resides in Stockholm. Her entry into commercial music came in 2006 through the single "Dumpa Mig," which climbed into the Top 20, followed by the Top Ten entry "Nöjd?" Universal Music put out her first full album, Vatten & Bröd (2006), shortly after these successes, and it peaked in the Top 20 on Swedish album rankings. The record featured pulsating beats with a hip-hop flavor and contained those two successful tracks, with nearly all production, lyrics, and composition handled by Stefan Gräslund. Reviewers positioned her as Sweden's counterpart to Amy Winehouse amid the wave of similar soul-pop acts gaining traction across Western Europe and North America, leading to her Newcomer of the Year win at the Swedish Grammy Awards in 2007. On her follow-up effort Och Vinnaren Är... (2008), she partnered with Kihlen—real name Oskar Linnros and formerly of the rap outfit Snook—to craft most of the material, heightening the retro 1960s soul influences in her sound. The opening single "Måndagsbarn," a stomping Motown-style number, broke through internationally with Top Ten placements in both Norway and Denmark. Additional charting tracks "Stopp" and "17 Är" helped propel the album into the Top Ten on the albums listing, where it also earned strong reviews.