When Roxette talks to foreign journalists, they are not modest. And rightly so. The collaboration between Per and Marie started as a fun hobby and became one of Sweden’s biggest musical exports.

“We’d like to think that our music is taken more seriously than ABBA’s”, says Per Gessle. “We’ve never entered a Eurovision Song Contest or worn satin boots and onesies.”

Marie is happy that Roxette is being compared to ABBA because she thinks they have given Sweden good publicity.

“But I think we’re getting bigger. We’ve already become a postage stamp in Sweden, a stamp that will also be sold internationally.”

After releasing three albums and lots of singles, going on long tours and doing thousands of interviews, it seems that our Swedish stars will be taking it a bit easier for a while. The fact that the next album won’t be released until spring 1994 has nothing to do with Marie becoming a mum. And she firmly rejects the idea that she would quit Roxette to take maternity leave:

“Why would I quit? Per and I are so privileged that we can control and decide on our careers.”