”I mean, it’s a job, you can actually go to school now and become a songwriter. It was unheard of back in the day.”
(Jörgen in the episode ”Stockholm Syndrome”)
Clip #1:
Clip #2: Here Jörgen, together with Per Magnusson and Jacob Schulze (all three ex-Cheirons), discuss this 15-year old girl from Kentwood, Louisiana, USA: Britney Spears. “When we got to work with her, we realized how professional she was, how hard she worked, I mean, she stood in that little singing room day in and day out…“ Watch this clip on Instagram >>>
Also appearing in the episode are Benny Andersson (ABBA), Ludwig Göransson, Ulf Ekberg (Ace of Base), Brian Littrell (The Backstreet Boys)and more.
Now, watch the full 44 minutes “Stockholm Syndrome” episode on Netflix>>>
On Tuesday, the Juno Awards, this year celebrating its 50th anniversary, presented the list of nominees. Céline Dion is nominated in three categories, including two for her album ”Courage”.
Céline’s three nominations:
Three facts on Céline’s two-time nominated ”Courage”:
The first single taken from the album was ”Flying On My Own”, released on June 28, 2019. It is co-written by Jörgen.
On November 15, Céline released “Courage”, her first English-language studio album in six years, along with two more songs co-written by Jörgen: ”Say Yes” and ”Nobody’s Watching”
Including Jörgen’s three songs, the album on November 25 went straight to No 1 on Billboard 200, making it Céline’s first record in 17 years reaching the top position
Flying On My Own
Say Yes
Nobody’s Watching
The Juno Awards ceremony will be broadcast on CBC on Sunday, June 6.
Premiered on BBC Four in February, 2019, this documentary explains how ”the sound of Swedish pop is in fact the sound of modern pop”, including interviews with Jörgen and more.
”I think we went to a café the first day, we were starting to talk about music and dreams and whatever…”
(Jörgen on meeting a 16-year-old Britney Spears in March 1998 at a coffee shop close to Cheiron Studios, founded six years earlier by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa.)
On June 26, Will Ferrell’s comedy film ”Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” premiered on Netflix. Today the Recording Company presented its GRAMMY Award nominations…
Nominated in the category ”Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media” (in other words ”Best Movie Soundtrack”), one of the 16 songs on the film’s music album is ”In the Mirror” performed by Demi Lovato, written and co-produced by Jörgen.
The 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony from the Staples Center in Los Angeles will be broadcast on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, March 14, 2021.
This is Jörgen’s second GRAMMY nomination In December 2012, Kelly Clarksons’s ”Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”, co-written by Jörgen, was nominated for ”Song of the Year”. Kelly and her album, also titled ”Stronger”, were up for three more awards, on that 2013 February night of the ceremonyeventually winning ”Best Pop Vocal Album”.
The comedy film ”Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”, starring Will ”Lars Erickssong” Ferrell, premiers today on Netflix. Also appearing in the movie is ”Katiana”, perhaps more known as Demi Lovato, performing the song ”In the Mirror” written by Jörgen.
Will Ferrell first watched Eurovision Song Contest on Swedish TV back in 1999 and never lost interest. But it was not until 2018 that he decided to co-write a screenplay and co-produce a comedy film on the world’s biggest and longest-running annual live music event, first aired in 1956. The film was originally planned to be released on Netflix in May to coincide with the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands, however the Covid-19 pandemic pushed it back … until today.
The cast also includes
Rachel McAdams as Sigrit Ericksdottir Pierce Brosnan as Erick Erickssong Dan Stevens as Alexander Lemtov
and Demi Lovato as Katiana
The song Katiana performs is ”In the Mirror”, written by Jörgen, together with Anton ”Hybrid” Mårtensson also its producer.
The film’s executive music producer Savan Kotecha in Variety on Jörgen’s song
”We were trying to write that song and we called Jörgen Elofsson, who wrote for Britney Spears (“Sometimes”) and “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger” for Kelly Clarkson. I said, “There’s one character you could be perfect for.” He sent in a demo for “In the Mirror” and it was just the perfect blend because it matched her voice. It was what she needed to sing as that character. She’s so good in the movie.” The full Variety interview >>
All songs listed with comments by director David Dobkin in Vulture
”Lyrically, it’s really this funny song [”In the Mirror”] about a girl who’s so self-centered and doesn’t even know it. It’s a wink at being a pop star,” says Dobkin. “And at the same time, when you listen to it, it’s so beautiful. When we were on stage shooting it, Demi was like, ‘I love this song. I think I want to perform it when I go on tour again.’” The full article and song list in Vulture >>
On June 19, 2010, the wedding of H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria and H.R.H. Prince Daniel was held in the Church of St. Nicholas, the Stockholm Cathedral. More than eighteen months earlier, I had received a telephone call from Mr. Daniel Westling …
… and now, here I was, invited to the ceremony. When arriving at the church all guests found the Wedding Program on the seats and I remember thinking ”great, as if I’m not nervous enough, it’s the final musical performance before the newlyweds will walk down the aisle”. Sure, having written the song I knew what to expect and, of course, I already had played it to the bride and groom to be, whom loved it. But this was different – now the piece was going to be performed live in front of 1,200 wedding guests and millions of TV spectators around the world.
The incredibly beautiful and heartwarming ceremony was coming to a close – it was now time for ”When You Tell the World You’re Mine”. And while listening to the artists Björn Skifs and Agnes singing, accompanied by The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and a chamber choir, conducted by maestro Gustaf Sjökvist, it brought tears to my eyes. And not only mine but also my wife’s and many other guests’ (which I managed to observe). It was truly an emotional 4 minutes and 7 seconds. ”Proud” was one word that came to mind. ”Honoured” was another. And I will certainly forever be.
Happy Wedding Anniversary Wishes
H.R.H. Victoria and H.R.H. Prince Daniel
Your colours blend together
Britney Spears released her record-breaking debut album
”…Baby One More Time”, including two songs written/co-written by Jörgen, on January 12, 1999.
On May 16, 2000, celebrating twenty years today, her sophomore album ”Oops!… I Did It Again” came out breaking new ground. With equally two songs by Jörgen, it set the record for the highest debut-week album sales ever by a female. It was not broken until 15 years later.
Recorded at the Parc Studios in Orlando, Florida, the album’s two songs written/co-written by Jörgen are:
What U See is What U Get Written by Jörgen, Per Magnusson, David Kreuger and Rami
Here from Wembley Stadium, London, in October 2000
Girl in the Mirror
Written solely by Jörgen
Facts on Britney’s first two albums
Released in 1999, her debut album ”…Baby One More Time” went straight to No 1 on Billboard 200 with 120,500 sold copies in its first week. It has to date sold more than 25 million copies.
Britney’s second album ”Oops!… I Did It Again” in 2000 also debuted at Billboard No 1. By now a worldwide superstar, her 1,3 million in first week sales exceeded her debut 10 times. It went on selling more than 20 million copies worldwide generating Jörgen and all other songwriters their second Diamond Award.
Read the story behind Britney’s debut album ”…Baby One More Time”, celebrating its 20th anniversary on January 12, 2019 >>
Listen to what Jörgen has to say about writing music in 2020, why a great deal of pop music origins from Sweden, how he ended up at Cheiron, ”Maggie”, the story behind The Royal Wedding Song ”When You Tell the World You’re Mine” and much more in this open-hearted 63 minute Pitch List podcast with Nashville based fellow-songwriter Chris Lindsey out today.
On November 15, Céline Dion released ”Courage” – her first English-language studio album in six years. Including three songs co-written by Jörgen, it on Sunday debuted on Billboard 200, making it her first album in 17 years reaching the top position. Back then, in 2002, Jörgen also contributed with a song …
Let’s begin with the three songs co-written by Jörgen on ”Courage”:
Flying On My Own (the album’s first single)
Say Yes
Nobody’s Watching
(At the Palms’ Recording Studio in Las Vegas.)
Now, let’s go back 17 years … On March 26, 2002, Céline released her seventh English-language album ”A New Day Has Come”. It went to No. 1 on Billboard 200 two weeks later. Included on the record was this song ”The Greatest Reward” co-written by Jörgen.
In addition to above, in February 2006 Jörgen had yet another Billboard 200 No. 1 with Céline Dion. Il Divohad two months earlier released their second album ”Ancora”. One of the songs ”I Believe in You (Je Crois En Toi)”, co-written by Jörgen, was a duet between the classical crossover vocal group and … Céline Dion:
Six years have passed since Céline Dion released her previous English-language studio album. Today ”Courage”, including three songs co-written by Jörgen, hit all platforms.
On April 3, Céline announced her first English-language studio album, “Courage”, since 2013 was set for release in November and that an upcoming worldwide tour would start in September.
That same day, this video came out on YouTube in which the car radio is switched on playing a 45 seconds snippet of the album’s first single “Flying On My Own”.
On June 8, the final night of Céline’s record-breaking 1,141 shows at Caesar’s Palace, she surprised the audience by performing the song.
Written by Jörgen, Liz Rodrigues and Anton ”Hybrid” Mårtensson, the studio version of the song was released on June 28.
Included on today’s ”Courage” album release are two more songs co-written by Jörgen:
Say Yes Written by Jörgen and Liz Rodrigues, produced by Jörgen
Nobody’s Watching Written by Jörgen and Liz Rodrigues, produced by Jörgen and Hybrid
All three songs were recorded at the Palms’ Recording Studio in Las Vegas and produced at Jörgen’s ”The Penthouse” studio outside Stockholm.
Jörgen, Anton (kneeling), Céline and the crew at the Palms’ Recording Studio in Las Vegas. (Photo: Denise Truscello)
