Swedish Female Singers

Swedish-American actress and singer Ann-Margret was initially described as a female version of Elvis Presley due to her vibrant contralto voice. The winner of five Golden Globe Awards, Ann-Margret had a major impact as an actress throughout the 1960s. Her affair with Elvis Presley was depicted in the 2005 miniseries Elvis in which she is portrayed by Rose McGowan.

Zara Larsson is a Swedish singer-songwriter who achieved national fame at the age of 10 when she won the 2008 season of the popular reality TV series, Talang. She then released her debut studio album and is currently one of the most decorated Swedish singer-songwriters of her generation.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad is a Norwegian-Swedish environmentalist, singer, and songwriter. She is credited with co-founding the popular Swedish pop band ABBA and popularizing the band by serving as its lead singer. In 2010, Anni-Frid Lyngstad was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2014, she received the Eskilstuna Music Prize for her contribution as an "icon."

As one half of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette (with Per Gessle), singer and songwriter Marie Fredriksson enjoyed international fame in the 1980s-1990s with albums like Look Sharp! and Joyride. Their single It Must Have Been Love was featured in the movie Pretty Woman. Earlier, in Sweden ,she had also enjoyed success as a solo artist releasing numerous albums.

Robyn is a Swedish singer, record producer, songwriter, and DJ. Her debut album Robyn Is Here helped launch Karl Martin Sandberg's career in pop music. She has also been recognized as an influence by artistes like Taylor Swift, Lorde, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Christine and the Queens. Robyn has won many awards like AMFT Awards, GAFFA Awards, and Grammis Awards.

Born Shahrzad Fooladi, to Iranian parents in Sweden, Snoh Aalegra had started writing songs by age 9 and signed with Sony at age 13. She changed her name after moving to the US and soared to fame with her chartbusting tracks such as I Want You Around and Find Someone Like You.

Swedish indie-pop singer Lykke Li was born into a musical family, her father being a member of the band Dag Vag. Known for her award-winning tracks such as I Follow Rivers and Sadness Is a Blessing, she is also an advocate of transcendental meditation. She has a son with musician Jeff Bhasker.

Neneh Cherry is a Swedish rapper, singer, songwriter, occasional DJ, and broadcaster. After starting her musical career in the early 1980s in London, Cherry went on to become one of the most decorated Swedish musicians of her generation. Over the years, Neneh Cherry has received many prestigious awards such as Brit Awards, MTV Europe Music Award, and NME Award.

Polish-Swedish actress, singer, and model, Izabella Scorupco, played Bond girl Natalya Simonova in the James Bond film GoldenEye, for which she gained international fame. She began her career as a model in the late 1980s and appeared on the cover of Vogue. She then started acting as well. A music lover, she also had a brief singing career.

Birgit Nilsson was a Swedish dramatic soprano remembered for her association with composers like Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner. One of the most celebrated Swedish singers of all time, Nilsson won many awards, such as the 1966 Sonning Award. In 1982, she won the Swedish-American of the Year Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the Gramophone's Hall of Fame.

Malena Ernman is a Swedish opera singer who represented her country at the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Moscow, Russia. Apart from operas and operettas, she also performs jazz, cabaret, and chansons. Also an environmental activist, Malena Ernman was adjudged Environmental Hero of the Year by an organization called WWF-Sweden in 2017.

Aino Jawo is a Swedish singer best known as one half of the popular electropop duo, Icona Pop. Jawo formed the duo in 2009 alongside Caroline Hjelt and has since released many singles and EPs. Over the years, the duo has won many prestigious awards like Grammis Awards, SESAC Pop Awards, and Scandipop Awards.  

Caroline Hjelt is a Swedish singer best known as one half of the popular electropop duo, Icona Pop. She formed the duo with Aino Jawo in 2009 and has since released several singles and EPs. The duo has also won many prestigious awards like Scandipop Awards, SESAC Pop Awards, and Grammis Awards.

A founding member of the the pop band Ace is Base, Linn Berggren as a child wanted to sing, but did not want to become a singer. Yet, she went on to become the principal lead vocalist for the majority of their singles and was generally the focus in the video. She quit her stellar career suddenly in 2007 to lead a quiet life.

Nina Persson soared to fame as the lead vocalist of the globally renowned Swedish band The Cardigans. Known for chartbusters such as Lovefool and Erase and Rewind, she interestingly aspired to be an artist instead of a musician in her younger days. She is also a cervical cancer survivor.

Victoria Silvstedt is a Swedish model, singer, actress, and television personality. She achieved national prominence in 1993 when she was selected to represent Sweden in the Miss World pageant in South Africa. She then worked for popular fashion houses like Chanel and Christian Dior before being featured on international magazines like Playboy, Glamour, and Maxim.

Swedish singer, songwriter, and record producer Loreen soared to fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. Born Lorine Zeineb Nora Talhaoui, the Moroccan-origin singer created chartbusting tracks such as Crying Out Your Name and My Heart Is Refusing Me. Politically and socially conscious, she was also a Swedish Committee for Afghanistan ambassador.

Molly Sandén is one of Sweden's biggest pop singers. She has released five studio albums so far and had also represented Sweden in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006.

Linda Ulvaeus is a Swedish singer and actress. The daughter of popular singers Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, Linda started her career as a singer before going on to establish herself as a prominent actress. She has played important roles in films like Meningen med alltihopa and Quick.

Raised in a musical family, Anette Olzon began singing with her mother’s band early in her childhood before launching her own career at the age of seventeen.  Best known as the former lead vocalist of Finnish band, Nightwish, she continues to make music, concurrently working as a full time nurse during the weekdays.

Elliphant is a Swedish rapper, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for her second studio album Living Life Golden, which peaked at number 76 and 50 on the ARIA Charts and Sverigetopplistan respectively. A popular figure, Elliphant often gets featured on songs released by other popular artistes like Loreen and Tove Lo.

Jennifer Åkerman is a Swedish model, singer-songwriter, and blogger. The youngest sister of Malin Åkerman, Jennifer followed in the footsteps of her sister and became a model. She also pursued a musical career and has contributed to the success of bands like Bella Tech and Bloke & Bird. In 2013, Jennifer showcased her dancing skills by participating in Let's Dance.

Swedish singer Tove Styrke first gained fame with the show Swedish Idol 2009. The renowned electropop singer was born to a musician father and a ballet instructor mother and was naturally inclined toward music. Best known for chartbusting tracks such as Say My Name, she often experiments with themes of fantasy and desire.

Swedish model, makeup artist, and photographer Ulla Agneta Andersson, or Ulla Jones, is best known as the former wife of music legend Quincy Jones. She met Quincy at a party at age 19. Known for movies such as Luftburen, she has also written a memoir and released an album.

A Swedish singer and songwriter, Léon shot to international fame with her first single, Tired of Talking. Her musical works comprise three studio albums and five EPs. She has also collaborated with English DJ, record producer and songwriter for a non-album single Hear Me Say. Belonging to a musical family, she began her career in teens with a hip-hop group.

Swedish singer and songwriter Helena Marianne Josefsson is the main vocalist of the band Sandy Mouche and also works as a solo artist. Her solo albums include Dynamo and Beauty Love Anything. She is also a backing vocalist for various bands (The Ark) and artists (Per Gessle and Arash Labaf) and has toured with them to perform live in concerts.

Laleh is an Iranian-Swedish singer, record producer, songwriter, pianist, guitarist, record company manager, and actress. She achieved popularity in 2005 when she released her eponymous debut album which became the highest selling album in Sweden in 2005. This multi-talented artiste has also won a number of awards including Grammis Awards and P3 Guld Awards.

Marie Serneholt is a Swedish model, singer, and TV personality. She is best known for her association with the now-defunct pop band A-Teens. Apart from recording songs, Marie Serneholt has also appeared on popular TV shows such as X Factor and Let's Dance.

Seinabo Sey is a Swedish singer who achieved popularity in 2013 when she released her international hit song Younger. She then released her debut studio album Pretend in 2015 which peaked at number four on the Swedish national record chart, Sverigetopplistan. Her second studio album I'm a Dream peaked at number six on Sverigetopplistan.

One of Sweden’s most popular and beloved pop singer, Lill-Babs’s successful career spanned over six decades and included her hit songs Är du kär i mej ännu Klas-Göran? and Leva Livet. The artist, who was inducted into Swedish Music Hall of Fame in 2017, was also a television presenter and an actress.

Helena, or Elena, Paparizou is one of Greece’s finest singers. The Swedish-born musician started her career as part of the folk/Eurodance duo Antique. She soared to fame after winning Eurovision 2005, singing My Number One, becoming the first Greek to win the contest ever. She is now one of Greece’s most powerful celebrities.

Petra Marklund is a Swedish singer-songwriter best known for her hit single Cry for You which peaked at number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart. The song is part of her third studio album In Orbit, which earned her a Grammi Award. Petra Marklund is also known for her hit single Mikrofonkåt, which was certified 8x Platinum in Sweden.      

Sara Lumholdt is a Swedish pop singer and pole dancer. She achieved popularity when she became part of the famous pop music group A-Teens. After the band dissolved in 2004, Lumholdt pursued a solo career before focusing on pole dancing. Sara Lumholdt is credited with co-founding a pole dance studio called FLOW where she works as a pole dancing instructor. 

Titiyo is a Swedish singer-songwriter best known for her studio albums This Is Titiyo and Come Along, both of which peaked at number one on the Swedish national record chart, Sverigetopplistan. She also won a Grammi Award for the song Come Along. Titiyo has three other Grammis under her belt. 

Monica Zetterlund was a Swedish actress and jazz singer. She is best remembered for representing her country at the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Once Upon a Time in Stockholm. Monica Zetterlund achieved international recognition in 1964 when she released her collaborative album, Waltz for Debby.

Sofia Karlberg is a Swedish singer-songwriter best known for creating covers of popular songs for her self-titled YouTube channel, which has millions of subscribers. Karlberg achieved popularity when her cover of Beyoncé's Crazy in Love went viral. In 2016, Sofia Karlberg signed a deal with Universal Music and released an original EP called Spotless Mind.

Two-time Grammy Award-winning Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter is known for her performances in German lieder and for voicing young male characters. The daughter of Swedish diplomat Göran von Otter, she grew up in Germany and was later trained in London’s Guildhall. One of her iconic roles was that of Mélisande.