The Cardigans

The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden, in 1992. The band's principal lineup consisted of guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and vocalist Nina Persson. Since the band's return to live performances in 2012, Oskar Humlebo has performed on guitar in place of Svensson. The Cardigans released their debut album, "Emmerdale", in 1994, establishing a following in Sweden and achieving success in Japan. Their second album, "Life", released in 1995, expanded their international profile. The band's popularity increased following the release of "Lovefool", a single from "First Band on the Moon" (1996), which was included on the soundtrack to the 1996 film "Romeo + Juliet". Their subsequent album "Gran Turismo" (1998) included the singles "Erase/Rewind" and "My Favourite Game". Following a hiatus, the band returned with "Long Gone Before Daylight" in 2003, an album incorporating elements of country music. Their sixth studio album, "Super Extra Gravity", was released in 2005. After touring in 2006, the band entered another extended hiatus before resuming live performances in 2012. They have sold more than 15 million albums worldwide. Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson, both of whom had previously played heavy metal music, formed the Cardigans on 31 October 1992 in Jönköping with drummer Bengt Lagerberg, guitarist Mattias Alfheim and vocalist Nina Persson. The members lived together in an apartment while developing the band and recorded a demo tape on which Persson sang lead vocals on only one song. A&R representative Ola Hermanson heard the demo and signed the group to his Trampolene imprint. During the recording of the band's debut album in 1993, Alfheim left the group and was replaced by Lagerberg's friend Lars-Olof Johansson. The Cardigans released "Emmerdale" in Sweden and Japan in 1994, with an international reissue following in 1997. The album included "Rise & Shine", which became a radio hit in Sweden and was voted the best song of 1994 in a poll conducted by Slitz magazine. The band spent the remainder of 1994 touring Europe and recording "Life", which was released internationally in 1995. The album sold more than one million copies and achieved platinum certification in Japan. In 1996, the US edition of "Life" was released by Minty Fresh and largely comprised tracks drawn from both "Emmerdale" and "Life". Following the success of "Life", the Cardigans signed with Mercury Records and released "First Band on the Moon" worldwide in 1996. Its single "Lovefool" became an international hit, particularly in the United States and Japan. The album achieved platinum certification in Japan within three weeks and gold status in the United States. "Lovefool" was also associated with the 1996 film "Romeo + Juliet", whose soundtrack and promotional material featured the song, and it was subsequently included in the soundtrack of the 1999 film "Cruel Intentions". In 1997, the Cardigans appeared as themselves in an episode of the television series "Beverly Hills, 90210", performing "Lovefool" and "Been It" at a college graduation party. "Carnival" was included in the soundtrack of the 1997 film "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery". The band was also invited to submit a theme song for the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies", but declined the opportunity. Persson later described the decision as one of her biggest mistakes. The Cardigans released "Gran Turismo" in 1998. The album was followed by an extended hiatus during which the members pursued individual projects. The band also released "The Other Side of the Moon", a compilation of rare B-sides, as a Japan-only release in 1998. The music video for "My Favourite Game" was edited by MTV because of its depiction of reckless driving. The song subsequently became an international hit and was included in the opening sequence of the PlayStation game "Gran Turismo 2". "Deuce" appeared on "The X-Files: The Album", while "Erase/Rewind" was featured in the soundtracks of the 1999 films "Never Been Kissed" and "The Thirteenth Floor". The Cardigans' song "Junk of the Hearts", from "Gran Turismo", was referenced in the title of German author Thorsten Nagelschmidt's 2018 book "Der Abfall der Herzen". In 1999, the Cardigans recorded a cover of Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House" as a duet with Tom Jones for his album "Reload". The Cardigans returned to recording in 2002 and released "Long Gone Before Daylight" in 2003. The album consisted primarily of songs written by Persson and Svensson and became one of the best-selling albums in Sweden that year. It was released in Japan on 19 March 2003, in Europe on 24 March 2003, in Canada on 22 April 2003 and in the United States on 25 May 2004. "Long Gone Before Daylight" represented a change in musical direction, incorporating greater influences from American country music and adopting a darker and quieter sound than the band's earlier pop-oriented material. The album was produced by Per Sunding after the group's regular producer, Tore Johansson, withdrew from the project, citing concerns that he could not provide the country-influenced sound the band wanted. Critical response to the album was mixed. Some reviewers regarded the change in direction as evidence of the band's musical development, while others preferred the group's earlier pop sound. The album's first single, "For What It's Worth", was released on 17 February 2003, followed by "You're the Storm" on 2 June and "Live and Learn" on 3 December. In summer 2004, the Cardigans toured with Liz Phair, Katy Rose and Charlotte Martin as part of the Chicks With Attitude tour. The band's "iTunes Originals" release appeared through iTunes on 28 April 2005. Their sixth studio album, "Super Extra Gravity", was released on 19 October 2005 and received generally favourable reviews. It reached number one on the Swedish album chart and was certified gold in Sweden. After completing promotional activities in autumn 2006, the band entered another extended hiatus while the members pursued other projects. In 2012, the Cardigans accepted an offer from the Hultsfred Festival to perform "Gran Turismo" in its entirety. Persson said that the opportunity provided a way for the band to return to performing after their period away from music. Svensson chose not to participate, although he agreed to the band performing without him. The group recruited singer and songwriter Oskar Humlebo as his replacement and arranged additional performances. The Cardigans returned to the stage with concerts in Lund and Copenhagen before appearing at the Hultsfred Festival. They subsequently performed in Poland, Finland, Russia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan. A scheduled concert in Israel was cancelled by the promoter. Most of the performances featured "Gran Turismo" in its entirety followed by songs from the band's other albums. With Humlebo continuing to perform in place of Svensson, the band resumed touring in late 2013 with concerts in Japan, China and Russia, followed by further performances in 2015 in South Korea, Europe and Latin America. While promoting her 2014 solo album "Animal Heart", Persson said that the positive response to the band's live performances had made further recording a possibility, although no plans had been established. The Cardigans' only scheduled concert in 2016 took place at Qstock in Oulu, Finland, on 29 July. In 2017, the band performed in Stockholm and Turku and appeared at the Yammatovo 3 festival in Croatia. In June 2018, the Cardigans announced a four-date UK tour in December to mark the 20th anniversary of "Gran Turismo", with the album performed in its entirety. During interviews promoting the tour, Persson said that she did not expect the band to record another album but intended to continue performing occasional tours and shows as long as the members remained interested. In May 2023, Persson confirmed that Svensson would not return to the band and that the Cardigans therefore did not intend to record another album. The possibility of making new music without Svensson had also been rejected. The band has continued to perform occasional live shows. On 6 September 2024, the Cardigans released "The Rest of the Best", a two-volume compilation of B-sides. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Lovefool
The Cardigans

Been it (1997)
Nina Persson/Peter Svensson