Facts: Roxette
Original members: Marie Fredriksson (1958–2019) and Per Gessle.
Great success: Roxette sold over 80 million albums and had, among other things, four American Billboard singles.
Film music: “It must have been love” got a big place in “Pretty woman” (1990).
PG Roxette: Per Gessle together with Roxette’s classic live band – Jonas Isacsson, Clarence Öfwerman, Magnus Börjeson, Christoffer Lundquist, Helena Josefsson and Dea Norberg.
It actually boils down to two questions, says Per Gessle through the zoom window. It is possible to turn and twist how and when or in what way and if the interest is out there.
– But if you back the band to box one, the question is: should I quit Roxette or should I continue?
For his part, he has landed in a decision that feels right. With Marie Fredriksson’s blessing, Per Gessle continues to play Roxette’s songs and also releases new material.
The first single “The loneliest girl in the world” will be released on Friday along with a new video. The song is the first taster from the upcoming album “Pop-up dynamo!”, Which follows in September.
Big challenge
The idea was to write poppy uptempo songs, with a 1980s-90s feel, which turned out to be a big challenge.
– It’s very difficult to write three chord songs at my age. When you have worked with music for several decades, you become too sophisticated in your writing. You know all the tricks and have found your style, says Per Gessle and continues:
– But when the chorus to “The loneliest girl in the world” was born, I felt “shit, this is a good chorus”. I was so happy when I wrote it.
Per Gessle emphasizes that the decision to start Roxette again was not something that “came about yesterday”.
– I have tried to do it in a way that feels relevant. That’s why it’s felt important not to hire Belinda Carlisle or Annie Lennox or someone to replace Marie. It should be different but still the same and it is a puzzle to get.
“30 years of my life”
TT: But why not just continue under the “Per Gessle” flag?
– Because in the long run I want to tour and play my old Roxette songs. If I tour like Per Gessle, then I play my Per Gessle songs, says Per Gessle and continues:
– It is still almost 30 years of my life that I have given to Roxette and the songs are my little babies. This is a Roxette project but to mark that it is not the old Roxette I have added PG.
And the craving for more Roxette seems to be there. Per Gessle points out that Roxette still means a lot to lots of people, which can be seen not least in the flow statistics.
– It would be stupid to turn your back on it. In my industry, you have to activate music all the time. You have to have people working against Netflix and Hollywood. Look at Kate Bush who got an America number one now with her song after “Stranger things”. You have to be active and the one who can be most active when it comes to Roxette is me.
“The world’s biggest band”
TT: But why does it feel so important?
– It’s my whole life. It started with the Golden Age and then Roxette. And Roxette was one of the world’s biggest bands for a couple of years. Everything I do today is based on Roxette’s success. Not continuing would feel like giving up and it would be such a defeat for me personally not to be able to complete my journey.
Hopefully there will be a tour as well.
– We are looking at getting a European tour together but it is tricky to find premises, I hope to know more about it soon.
Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson in Roxette. Archive photo from 2001.