Tomas Ledin

Tomas Ledin
Tomas Ledin during his 2006 summer tour
Background information
Born	(1952-02-25) 25 February 1952 Östersund, Sweden
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instruments	Guitar

Tomas Ledin at a rehearsal for the Eurovision Song Contest 1980

Tomas Folke Jonas Ledin (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈtʰʊmas ˈfɔl.ˈkɛ ˈjuː.ˈnas lɛˈdiːn], born 25 February 1952 in Rätan, Sweden) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He grew up in the town of Sandviken, Sweden.

Tomas Ledin started his career in 1972 when his first single, "Då ska jag spela", was a big hit. Other successful songs followed: "Blå, blå känslor" (1973), (covered by Björn Skifs), "Knivhuggarrock" (1975), "Festen har börjat" (1976), and "I natt är jag din" (1977). At the beginning of the 70s, Ledin was influenced by hippie fashion and demonstrated against the Vietnam war. He also took part in a Swedish stage production of the musical Godspell in 1975 and performed in 140 concerts in the Swedish folkparks in 1977.

In 1979, ABBA member Benny Andersson offered him a chance to record for the group's company Polar Music. The singer joined ABBA on their 1979-1980 tour as a backing vocalist, but also got the opportunity to sing his own composition "Not Bad at All" during the show. Tomas Ledin also appeared on the ABBA Live DVD and on the Super Trouper Video.

Tomas Ledin in 1980

He won the Swedish Melodifestivalen in 1980 and represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest that year with "Just nu!". The song was a big hit in Scandinavia, and also in Greece and Portugal since Ledin recorded an English version, "Right Now!".

In 1982, he released the duet "Never Again" with Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA fame; the song reached number one in Chile (in its Spanish version "Ya nunca más") and was popular across Europe. Ledin also composed "Take Good Care of Your Children", which Fältskog released in 1983 on her album Wrap Your Arms Around Me. Another composition by the singer, "I Got Something", was released by Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA on her album Something's Going On.

In the 80s, Ledin was very successful in Scandinavia but his career abroad failed to reach the same level. He nevertheless toured Germany and the Netherlands on a small scale in 1982, and the following year, he played in front of 60,000 people at the Olympic stadium in Berlin, in a show with other international acts. He decided to put an end to his career in 1984 and started to act as a producer for Record Station, his wife's record company. He discovered other singers and successfully produced artists such as Pugh Rogefeldt and Magnus Uggla. In 1985, he organized a concert for ANC featuring several Swedish artists.

Three years later, Tomas Ledin started to compose again and wrote songs in English. The album Down on the Pleasure Avenue was released but was not successful. Ledin was very disappointed but started to compose again, in Swedish this time. He started to enjoy success again in 1990 when he released a compilation and a new album, Tillfälligheternas spel, and has been one of the best selling artists in Sweden since then.

In 2000, 260,000 copies of his compilation album Festen har börjat (samlingsalbum) were sold in Sweden, which meant he was awarded three platinum records there. The same year he was also awarded a gold record in Finland for the first time. In 2002, he went on the biggest tour ever planned in Scandinavia and performed in 27 shows in Sweden and 8 shows in the rest of Scandinavia. More than 250,000 people saw this show in Northern Europe. He has been married since 1983 to record company president Marie Ledin, daughter of Stig Anderson. They have two sons, John and Theo.

Discography

Main article: Tomas Ledin discography

Studioalbums

• 1972 - Restless Mind
• 1973 - Hjärtats rytm
• 1975 - Knivhuggarrock
• 1976 - Natten är ung
• 1977 - Tomas Ledin
• 1978 - Fasten Seatbelts
• 1979 - Ut på stan
• 1980 - Looking for a Good Time
• 1982 - Gränslös
• 1982 - The Human Touch
• 1983 - Captured
• 1988 - Down on the Pleasure Avenue
• 1990 - Tillfälligheternas spel
• 1993 - Du kan lita på mig
• 1996 - T
• 1997 - Sånger att älska till
• 2000 - Djävulen & ängeln
• 2002 - Hela vägen
• 2003 - I sommarnattens ljus
• 2004 - Med vidöppna fönster
• 2006 - Plektrum
• 2009 - 500 dagar om året
• 2012 - Restless Mind (Bonus Version) (2012 Re-release)
• 2013 - Höga kusten

Livealbum

• 1978 – Tagen på bar gärning
• 1985 – En galen kväll
• 2003 – I sommarnattens ljus
• 2006 – Ledin Live 2006

Compilation albums

• 1977 – 71–73
• 1980 – Korten på bordet
• 1990 – Ett samlingsalbum
• 1997 – Sånger att älska till
• 2000 – Vuodet 1972–2000
• 2001 – Festen har börjat
• 2012 – 40/40

EP

• 2011 – Tolkningarna

Singles

• 1972 – Då ska jag spela
• 1972 – Lay Me Your Body Down
• 1977 – Minns du Hollywood
• 1979 – Det ligger i luften
• 1979 – Vi ska gömma oss i varandra
• 1979 – Not Bad at All
• 1980 – Just nu!
• 1980 – Open Up!
• 1981 – Sensuella Isabella
• 1982 – Kärleken är som en studsande boll
• 1982 – Sommaren är kort
• 1982 – Never Again
• 1983 – What Are You Doing Tonight?
• 1983 – Det finns inget finare än kärleken
• 1984 – Don't Touch That Dial
• 1984 – Everybody Wants to Hear It
• 1985 – Svenska flickor
• 1988 – Who's That Lucky Guy
• 1988 – The Only One
• 1988 – Crazy About You
• 1990 – En samlingsmix
• 1990 – En del av mitt hjärta
• 1990 – Hon gör allt för att göra mig lycklig
• 1990 – Här kommer den nya tiden
• 1991 – Snart tystnar musiken
• 1991 – En dag på stranden
• 1993 – Släpp hästarna fria
• 1993 – Du kan lita på mig
• 1993 – En vind av längtan
• 1993 – Nyckeln till dej
• 1996 – Lika hopplöst förälskad
• 1996 – Varje steg för oss närmare varann
• 2000 – Hopp (om en ljusare värld)
• 2002 – En lång väg tillsammans
• 2002 – Helt galen i dig
• 2003 – En man som älskar
• 2004 – Vem kunde ana
• 2006 – Gilla läget
• 2006 – Vi är på gång – VM 2006
• 2009 – Håll ut
• 2009 – 500 dagar om året
• 2012 – Too Many Days
• 2012 – As One

Övrigt

• 2003 - Ledin: Just då! (DVD)

External links

• Tomas Ledin official website (in Swedish)
• fan site in English

Preceded by Ted Gärdestad with "Satellit"

Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980

Succeeded by Björn Skifs with "Fångad i en dröm"