I was born June 4:th 1959 in West Covina, California, USA. My parents and I moved to Sweden when I was just five months old, and they divorced before I can remember. Thus I was raised by my grandparents in Malmö - where my mother, who was in her early 20´s, left me and my younger sister Bettina to go study in Copenhagen, Denmark. There, in the livingroom stood an old German "taffel" (a kind of piano). I sought myself to it when I was about five. I immediately started to compose. I never stopped!!  
 
I was eleven, my mother had re-married in Stockholm, bought a big house and I even had a new little baby sister.  Me and Bettina moved again to reunite with her and her new man. A distant relative lend me a piano I had for many years. I wrote silly pompous ballads and I am sure the rest of my family glanced towards the ceiling from time to time, with a funny look on their faces, trying to endure the piano going on for hours and hours upstairs in my room!


 
At fifteen, I won the grand finale of a contest called "Månadens Artist" (artist of the month). It took place in an old theater in Stockholm called "Jarlateatern", and most of my school mates where there (probably why I won,..the audience did the voting!!). Records companies were interested, but not interested enough to sign, for I only had one good song they thought! O well...
 

One year later, I coincidently ran into an acquaintance (Martin Rössell) who had bought a “string machine” in England. He needed someone to play in his band, and so me and my close friend and guitarist Reima Hassell joined, whereas Martin left short after. We were moving rapidly from pop into a more progressive area musically, and cut one single under the name of Avenue with me as key writer, lead singer and keyboardist. Eventually I got fed up with the band situation, so I quit to lunch a solo career. I even tried to write and sing in Italian, and DID achieve to get a record deal and cut one single. Some songs were also recorded in Swedish. But, I was pulled back into the band situation again.

ONE BY ONE. A really good group, with tons of ambition. We lasted a couple of years, but never really make it big. Partially because of me as key writer having a full time day job, a lover, and even a horse. Everything just took too much time.
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My lover tragically got killed that same year. We´d been together for almost six years, so I was left in an emotional vacuum - lost - disillusioned and what not. I put musical creativity on the shelf for some years. My best  friend literally saved me - thank gawd, and dragged me out of my misery with his everlasting happy go lucky personality. I was back behind the mixingboard, and with a little rust and some scars added to my voice, I slowly developed into what I have become, and I thank destiny for it.
In 1996 I was in a music shop buying some gear for my studio or whatever, when the most wonderful alto voice was heard through some speakers. – “Who is THAT?!!”, I asked totally overwhelmed. – “That’s Jade.Ell, a friend of mine”, the guy replied. I refused leaving without her phone number, and after a couple of weeks she was behind the microphone, singing in my studio. We’ve been good friends ever since. Jade also introduced me to her friend Jeanette Olsson – a very soulful soprano, now working with “Destiny’s Child” in Florida. Again I was hooked, and am now very proud having worked with them both on my last two albums, especially “The Life of a Houswife”.
Musically, I don´t think I could ever be a trend-follower, maybe a trendsetter (!).For making/producing music is to me extremely time consuming. Thus, if I would choose to make a "trendy" album, it would sound old long before it came out! A written and recorded song must sound as fresh and appealing like it did two or five years ago. That´s when you know you have a timeless recording. This has become one of my goals and perhaps now even my trademark.
So having lived in the three biggest cities in Sweden;  Malmo, Gothenburg and Stockholm, I feel like I am moving slowly towards giving up the urban life. Having had the opportunity of keeping my own cottage in West Cork, Ireland (1996-1998), I just know I will be off again soon, to collect new strength and inspiration for another album.
In May 2007 I finally left Stockholm after 31 years. I bought a house! This is it!! You can see the studio window on top of the balcony. It is situated only 30 minutes south of the centre of Stockholm (by car of course), so I’d say it’s a bargain in many ways.




Pic above was taken a month prior to moving in. Below, the lake Uttran has frozen over big time this year, I'm walking on the ice for the very first time!
 
 
 
   
   
biography