Among the confirmations of Botanical Nights that have caught the public’s attention is Roxette in a new line-up that includes singer Lena Philipsson, as well as original member Per Gessle. Roxette, in this way, will return to the stage more than five years after the death, in 2019, of its founding singer, Marie Fredriksson. With this formation, Roxette will perform on June 27 in Madrid within the program of the concert series hosted by the Royal Alfonso XIII Botanical Garden of the Complutense University.
In an interview with RoxBlog published last May, Lena Philipsson humbly declared that she will do “everything possible to do justice to Marie.”
Known internationally for having represented Sweden at Eurovision in 2004, with the song ‘It Hurts’, which in Sweden is released in Lena’s mother tongue, titled ‘Det gör ont’, Lena Philipsson is a superstar. of pop in the Scandinavian country that debuted even before Roxette, in 1984, with the single ‘Boy’. In 1986, Philipsson’s debut album, ‘Kärleken är evig’, and Roxette’s, ‘Pearls of Passion’, were published within months of each other.
During the 80s and 90s, Philipsson achieved commercial success with singles and albums alike, highlighting the singles ‘Kärleken är evig’ and ‘Dansa i neon’ (1987), which he presented at Melodifestivalen although without managing to reach Eurovision. Notable albums from her early career included the best-selling ‘My Name’ (1989) and the James Bond-inspired conceptual ‘A Woman’s Gotta Do What a Woman’s Gotta Do’ (1991).
In 2001, Philipsson returned to the stage after a period of absence and in 2004 she scored a new professional milestone when she represented Sweden at Eurovision with ‘It Hurts’, placing 5th in the edition held in Istanbul (tied with Cyprus). Her performance is much talked about in Sweden because of the fuschia dress that Philipsson wears on stage. The electroswing ‘Maria Magdalene’ (2020) is one of his recent hits.
Philipsson is one of those artists who emerged during the 80s who have maintained a career throughout the decades, like Madonna, Depeche Mode or Kylie Minogue. Although without achieving the international impact of any of these artists, or of Roxette, Philipsson will always be more than just the new singer of Roxette. His previous career attests to this.
