Shoulders Marie Fredriksson’s role next to Per Gessle

Five years ago, Marie Fredriksson died – now Per Gessle brings Roxette back to life

Lena Philipsson will stand by his side.

“I almost fell off my chair, but I immediately started thinking about what the fans would think about it,” she told Aftonbladet.

The other week the news hit like a bombshell in Sweden; Per Gessle, 65, is reviving Roxette with Lena Philipsson, 58, at the microphone.

The tour starts in Cape Town, South Africa, on 25 February, and Aftonbladet is the only newspaper to have met both an excited Per Gessle and a somewhat surprised Lena Philipsson.

“It was when we did the duet ‘Sällskapssjuk’ for my new album that I thought ‘Lena is not so bad’,” says Per Gessle and smiles.

Got a brain tumour

Pop icon Gessle has long wondered what to do with Roxette’s impressive song catalogue. Classics such as “Fading Like A Flower”, “The Look”, “It Must Have Been Love” and “Joyride” had to be shelved when Per Gessle’s friend and bandmate Marie Fredriksson died in 2019 as a result of the brain tumour she was diagnosed with in 2002.

“In recent years, I’ve been thinking about whether I should do anything at all with Roxette. I have thought about how to manage the legacy and Roxette’s song catalogue in the best way live. There were two ways, not to do it at all or to try to find a way that fits as well as possible. It wasn’t an easy decision,” says Gessle and continues:

“When I was working with Lena, I felt that she is very good as a front person, she has a lot of experience and comes from the same era as me – and is a fantastic singer. We also have a history together, I co-wrote her breakthrough song ‘Kärleken är evig’.”

“I plucked up the courage to ask her and thought she might fall off her chair, and she almost did.”

“Only way to solve it”

Taking on Marie Fredriksson’s mantle is obviously not easy, but Gessle emphasises that it is about managing Roxette’s music.

“The only way for Lena to solve it is to do it her way.”

Lena Philipsson sits on the sofa next to Per Gessle and looks both at Per and down at the floor.

“When I was asked to do ‘Sällskapssjuk’ I said yes, of course, and Per wondered if I would sing it in Stockholm or if I would come down to Halmstad. I went down to be in Per’s hoods. A few days later there was a message where Per wrote that he wanted to meet and that he would ask a crazy question.

What were you thinking?

“I felt that ‘Yes, it worked’. But I thought maybe it could be another song together or a tour, but I didn’t expect this,” she says and continues:

“I was falling off my chair, but I immediately started thinking about what the fans are going to think about it and what it might be like. I’m good at identifying the problems, but of course I feel incredibly honoured.”

Will it sound like what you’re used to?

“I feel like I’m an invited guest here, I’ll let Per decide. I’m not going to interfere too much in the artistic side. But my feeling is that I want to sing the Roxette songs as they should be.”

Per chimes in:

“But in your own way.”

“Yes, I have my voice, but I don’t feel that I should do my thing and shit on everything, but I want it to feel like the original feeling, she says.”

Has a favourite song

Lena Philipsson says there is one Roxette song she is particularly looking forward to singing – a favourite:

“There are so many good songs, but I have to say ‘Dressed for Success’, it’s so much Roxette for me and it’s really Marie’s song.”

Lena Philipsson emphasises that she is not afraid of being compared to Marie Fredriksson.

“No, I would never have said yes. The comparison will of course be made anyway. But I have to dare to take it, otherwise I would have had to say no. I’m keen to do a good job and want Roxette fans to feel satisfied.”

The tour will take place in South Africa and Australia, but if everything turns out well, it can be as big as you like, according to Gessle.

“I see what we’re doing now as a pilot project. We feel how it feels and if it turns out as I think and hope, there are no limits to what we can do.”