The dad gang Dad Harmony became Skellefteå’s biggest export

The dad gang Dad Harmony became Skellefteas biggest export
“Nick Carter commented on our posts”

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  • Dad Harmony, an acapella group of five dads from Skellefteå, became famous after a video of them singing in a jacuzzi went viral and they now have 2.4 million followers on Instagram.
  • The group recently toured in Germany where they were recognized and asked for autographs.
  • Despite their success, the members continue to balance their day jobs and family life with music through careful planning and scheduling.
  • ⓘ The summary is made with the support of AI tools from OpenAI and quality assured by Aftonbladet. Read our AI policy here.

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    It started in a hot tub. Now the Tiktok phenomenon Dad Harmony is signed to Universal and has just returned from a tour in Germany.

    – It is quite often that I think “Is this really happening?”, says Peter Vidmark, 34.

    For Aftonbladet, Skellefteå’s stars show where the magic is made.

    “Dad Harmony” about the hometown Skellefteå

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    During the day they have regular jobs. Property technician, salesperson, recruiter and civilian employee with the police.

    But in the evenings and weekends, the five fathers are busy.

    Then they become the a capella group Dad Harmony, which in the last two years has taken the internet by storm. With vocals and their own children as props, they now have 2.4 million followers on Instagram.

    – We have always sung together when we met. When we did it in a jacuzzi at Peter’s bachelor party and filmed it, it went viral, says Tomas Vidmark, 36.

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    full screenWhere the local newspaper Norran used to have its printing house, the group Dad Harmony now has its rehearsal space. Photo: Lotte Fernvall

    That story is well known and has been told before. Since then, Dad Harmony has recorded records, appeared on TV shows and gained fans all over the world.

    – It was really big for me when Brian May, the guitarist in Queen, posted a post and wrote “wow I found these dudes from Sweden who sing. It reminds me of when Freddie Mercury and I used to hang out,” says Sebastian Åkesson, 34.

    – Yes, or for me, who is a Backstreet Boys fan, it was even bigger when Nick Carter commented on our posts, says Tomas Vidmark.

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    full screen The toddler dads have built a small recording studio themselves to avoid going to Stockholm. “We have had to improvise a bit and learn along the way. For example, that the sound is better if you don’t have sharp corners,” says Peter Vidmark. Photo: Lotte Fernvall

    “In Germany, people dared to ask”

    When Aftonbladet meets Dad Harmony at home in the rehearsal room in Skellefteå, they have just returned from a tour in Germany. There they were recognized by the fans.

    – I saw that there were people sneaking up on us when we were going to buy hamburgers. It felt a little sick. But then they tapped us on the back and asked for autographs and selfies, says Peter Vidmark, 34.

    – In Sweden it’s more jante, you feel the looks the most. Especially here in Skellefteå. It is mostly when you are out at the Skellefteå festival at one in the morning that many people come up and want to take a card, says Tomas Vidmark.

    – Not me though, nobody recognizes me. The rest of you tell such stories all the time, but no one has ever asked me for an autograph, says Adam Stenlund, 34.

    “A lot of scheduling”

    They are probably Skellefteå’s biggest artists at the moment.

    Arbetarbladet has described them as probably the city’s biggest music export since the 90s indie band Wannadies.

    How does it feel?

    – Powerful! You don’t really grasp that. It is often after a concert or trip that I think: “Did this really happen?”, says Peter Vidmark.

    But how do you juggle everything with children and work and tours?

    – There is a lot of planning and scheduling, says Sebastian Åkesson.

    – It still took a while to get into it. In the beginning, it was a little more like it will be. But then you noticed quite quickly that we are five people with five families. This won’t work, adds Peter Vidmark.

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    full screen Penny is sleeping while dad Sebastian Åkesson and the others in Dad Harmony are scratching. Photo: Lotte Fernvall

    Over time it became a fixed schedule. Rope when the children went to bed.

    – We have also become more efficient. Uses the travel time to plan when and what we will post, for example. We take the opportunity to record when the children are with us as well. They usually like it, become calm and harmonious, continues Sebastian Åkesson.

    “Then we would have resigned”

    Penny sits in a baby seat on the floor. She is barely a month old and Sebastian’s third child. She sleeps through the whole rope and the interview.

    The fact that Dad Harmony is older than an ordinary boy band with ordinary lives on the side is one of the keys to success, they believe.

    – You have a more realistic view. If we were 20, we would probably have resigned and lived in Stockholm by now. Then we would have been very stressed about getting a job and then we would have done bad things just so that money would come in. Now we are more that we do things when it feels right and fun. There is a little silver lining to life, says Tomas Vidmark.

    What does Skellefteå mean to your music?

    – I guess that means… everything. So from the beginning. This is where we grew up and got to know each other, says Adam Stenlund.

    – This is also where we did the gig that means the most to me – the one at Sara Kulturhus last year. It was totally sold out. It means a lot to feel that love at home, says Tomas Vidmark.

    Adam likes punk and hard rock. Tomas likes Backstreet boys. How do you agree on which songs to sing?

    – There are five of us, luckily. It is democracy that counts. We can have discussions, for example, whether we should really dare to sing R Kelly’s and Michael Jackson’s songs. We were followed by a lot of Americans after singing “fucking” in a song, says Tomas Vidmark.

    – Then I think we benefit from the fact that there are five of us, still relatively different people, with different backgrounds and areas of focus. We all have things we are better at and less good at. That mix has also meant that we help each other both through good and bad. We are very open and honest with each other, says Peter Vidmark.

    FACT Document Skellefteå

    arrow In 2017, it became clear that Northvolt would build a battery factory in Skellefteå. Northvolt’s area is now 150 hectares – like 300 football pitches or like three Gamla Stan.

    arrow Northvolt’s establishment meant that the municipality greatly increased its investment and purchasing budget and that many other companies came to the municipality.

    arrow The population of Skellefteå has increased from approximately 72,800 in 2017 to 78,647 inhabitants on 30 September 2024.

    arrow Labor immigrants have arrived and young people have stayed. Housing prices and wages have skyrocketed.

    arrow But last autumn, Northvolt notified a thousand people, one of the subsidiaries went bankrupt. What happens to Skellefteå now?

    arrowAftonbladet’s Mariela Quintana Melin and Lotte Fernvall take you to a city in transformation.

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