The Royal Wedding
The Story Behind The Royal Wedding Song
When You Tell The World You’re Mine
It all got started with a telephone call from Mr. Daniel Westling at the end of 2008. Mr. Westling explained that he and Swedish Crown Princess Victoria liked my work very much and wondered if I would be interested in composing a song exclusively for the upcoming Royal Wedding. Stunned for a second, I thanked him for being asked and said, “It would be a great honor, and of course I want to write this song!”.
Immediately I began working on the lyrics and the music, which ultimately would take me more than a year to perfect. Right from the beginning it was clear that this was certainly a once in a lifetime song and that it had to reflect this very special couple’s love for each other. Getting it right meant that finding the absolute appropriate lyrics was of greatest significance and it felt more important than in any song I had ever written before.
Choosing the two singers to record and perform the duet during the wedding ceremony was easy for me. Swedish artists Björn Skifs and Agnes would be absolutely perfect together. I contacted them, played the song and explained this unique event. Of course both said yes. In August 2009, I remember it was on the 18th, I decided to call my friend John and on that evening we put the finishing touches to the music of the song. Only the audio mixing remained before I could play it for the first time to the bride and groom to be. I finished this work in mid-October and on October 21st Crown Princess Victoria and Mr. Westling came to my studio and listened to the demo – and not a single word was replaced. What an amazing feeling this was.
Two months later I had produced the song and on Christmas Day, “When You Tell the World You’re Mine” was completed.
In April 2010 I was invited to the Royal Palace. The wedding was only eight weeks away, and despite very busy schedules Crown Princess Victoria and Mr Westling had made time for me. Together we listened to their song. It was now ready for the first performance at the wedding ceremony.
The Royal Wedding took place on Saturday June 19th, 2010 in the Church of St. Nicholas, the Stockholm Cathedral. H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria and H.R.H. Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, were wed in front of more than 1,200 attending wedding guests, including myself and my wife, as well as millions of TV spectators around the world. Accompanied by The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and a chamber choir, Björn Skifs and Agnes performed “When You Tell the World You’re Mine”. It was a truly emotional moment for me. For getting this chance to play a small part of the Royal Wedding I will be forever grateful and very proud.
From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank:
H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria and H.R.H. Prince Daniel
– The artists Björn Skifs and Agnes
– Musical Director Gustaf Sjökvist
– Co-writer on the music John Lundvik
– Per Ekdal for the orchestral arrangements
– Bernard Löhr for the mixing
– Everyone at Roxy Recordings
