HALMSTAD (UPDATED) - The Daily Roxette has received a short statement from Per Gessle regarding Expressen’s article today: “It is not, and has never been, an option to replace Marie in what’s been called a ’new Roxette’. She is – of course – irreplaceable!!! I still hope, and believe, that there are great things in Roxette’s future.”

  Per continues to tell TDR that Helena’s involvement in his new solo album has been on the same level as with “Mazarin”.



Here’s the official press statement:

  On account of Expressen’s strange article today, I will hereby give you some information regarding my current musical project.

  I’ve been hyperactive in Christoffer Lundquist’s studio in Skåne off and on since December 2004 and recorded a whole bunch of songs both in Swedish and in English. Some make you dance, some make you smile, some are instrumentals while others have some lyrics in French. It’s very exciting and we have a very good time – eating and drinking well.


  The musicians I’ve been using are essentially the same as on ’Mazarin’; i.e., Clarence Öfwerman, Christoffer Lundqvist, Jens Jansson and Helena Josefsson. The album is recorded in stereo and is thought to be finished sometime this fall.


Not ever has it been my intention to try to create a ’new Roxette’, and Helena Josefsson is thus NOT IN THE CARDS as my “duo partner”. I still hope, and believe that Roxette will continue sometime in the future and I’m also of that opinion that Marie Fredriksson is IRREPLACEABLE!


  As soon as I get closer to a finish of the above mentioned project, I promise to reveal both song titles, sleeve ideas and how we tuned our guitars. Until then, all the best from



Per Gessle in Jolly Halmstad

August 2, 2005

Swedish tabloid Expressen writes today about how 27 year old Helena Josefsson will replace Marie Fredriksson in a new international music project planned by Per Gessle. Nothing of the above has been confirmed, however Helena says to Expressen “Yes, we’ve been in the studio recording some material, but I don’t want to talk about it at the moment.” Also Per’s manager, Marie Dimberg, claims that things are moving but that no direction is set yet.

  According to Expressen’s “deeply involved” source the supposed album will be released this winter or next spring, and a tour is almost certain to follow.

  Helena Josefsson sings normally in the band Sandy Mouche, but is known to the greater mass as the backup singer on Per’s successful album “Mazarin” and tour.

Helene2000 contributed to this article.

• Expressen’s article (In Swedish)
• Sandy Mouche

The Dancing DJs remix of “Fading like a Flower” is a new entry in the UK at #18 this week. The hype has been building for months, and many people were expecting a much higher entry. Unlike the American chart, singles are much less likely to climb after their initial entry, so it seems likely that this will be the single’s peak position. The song has been doing well on the UK video channel “The Box” for several weeks, with a new video featuring dancers with the original Roxette video in the background.

  However, as well as a distinct lack of promotion and radio airplay, the main problem that the release faced is that the UK’s largest single retailer, Woolworths, decided not to stock the single, which has seriously hampered its potential success.

• Virgin.net
• All Around the World (Record Label)

NEW YORK - On its 9th week on the Billboard Hot 100, “Listen To Your Heart” by D.H.T. climbs a couple of places to #12 from last week’s #14. On the Dance Radio Airplay chart it falls to #2, while it stays at #5 on the Top 40 Mainstream.

  D.H.T.’s brand new album, also named “Listen To Your Heart”, zooms straight into #2 on the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart.

  A quick analysis of the chart by The Daily Roxette seems to indicate that the song has enough momentum (taking into consideration the songs in higher positions that are dropping down) to break into the Top 10 next week.

• Billboard’s Hot 100
• Electronic Albums chart

NEW YORK - One of this summer’s fastest-rising pop tunes is titled “Listen to Your Heart.” But the message the single offers music-biz execs is to listen to the guy who works in your mailroom.

  That’s how Cory Robbins, president of Robbins Entertainment, came across Belgian duo D.H.T.’s cover of “Heart”, a power-ballad hit for the Swedish duo Roxette back in 1989. D.H.T., which features 20-year-old singer Edmée Daenen alongside MC/DJ/writer/producer Flor “Da Rick” Theeuwes, has soared to the upper reaches of commercial radio formats with a dance mix and an “unplugged” ballad rendition of the song.

  The single is presently at #1 on the Dance Radio Airplay chart, #5 on the Billboard Radio Monitor mainstream top 40 chart this week, #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #17 on Nielsen BDS’ national airplay list and is expected to climb even more.

  Like everyone who works for Robbins, mailman Matt D’Arduini was invited to the Monday night meeting of label executives. In early 2004, he brought D.H.T.’s “Heart” and played it. Weeks later, Robbins offered Theeuwes and Daenen a deal.

• USA Today
• Billboard Top 40 Mainstream

Read more…

HALMSTAD - Per Gessle has issued this statement to The Daily Roxette due to the recent reports of Per and Micke ’Syd’ being in dispute. Here’s his message, unedited:

The story so far:

I was born in 1959. Gyllene Tider (in the most famous line-up) was formed in 1979. The group was disbanded, with smiling faces, in 1985. Since then I’ve had my heart beating around the clock for Roxette or pounding gently for my solo career.

On very few occasions we have re-united Gyllene Tider. Two of those occasions were Återtåget in 1996 and GT25 (the tour) / Finn5Fel! (the album) last year. After the latter’s amazing success everything has returned back to “normal”, i.e. Roxette and my solo stuff.

There are currently no plans for further GT-projects. The main reason being the unbelievable success from last year which is hard, if not impossible, to follow up.

I have sent my wedding-congrats to Micke & Helena and I sincerely hope they’ll get a happy and prosperous life together.

Moneywise I never make any official comments regarding deals and contracts. However, the figures and internal splits that have been suggested in the media are laughable and nowhere near the truth.

Yeehaa!

P., sunny Halmstad July 22 - 2005

Micke ’Syd’ has denied the reports as well, but said that “sometimes in life relationships just don’t work” without going into details.

STOCKHOLM (UPDATED) - Yesterday both Swedish tabloids Aftonbladet and Expressen had huge articles about Per not attending Micke Syd’s wedding. Both papers claimed that Per and Micke are in dispute - or even enemies of a higher level. Why writing such articles about Micke’s wedding is beyond The Daily Roxette. The fact that Micke ’Syd’ and Helena got married didn’t get much attention in the Swedish tabloids.

  According to TDR’s sources the rumors aren’t true. Basically what has happened is that since the only Gyllene Tider member Per invited to his wedding ceremony in 1993 was MP Persson, it was sort of natural that the other members don’t invite Per back.

  It may be true that Micke and Per aren’t the best of friends, but they are not fighting. “We are on good speaking terms, sometimes in life relationships just don’t work,” says Micke in an interview with Aftonbladet today. Micke also says that Per saying “I wish Micke and what’s-her-name-again the best of luck” was a normal Per-comment - a joke.

  Micke says to Aftonbladet and Expressen that he doesn’t want to contribute to the mudslinging, but it’s not about Per’s money or fame. At the same time Expressen claims that their article was “spot on” according to Micke.

  In the mid-eighties, there actually was controversy between Per and a Gyllene Tider member. Back then, Per and Anders Herrlin fell out of touch due to Anders breaking up Gyllene Tider. That is also a thing of the past.

  Update: Per has issued TDR a statement with his views on the incident.

• Aftonbladet’s story (In Swedish)
• Expressen’s article (In Swedish)

NEW YORK - On its eighth week on the U.S. Billboard “Hot 100” singles chart, D.H.T.’s “Listen To Your Heart” climbs again after a week staying at the same position (#19) to the #14 spot. It is still expected to climb even more due to the golden bullet. Just four spots away from the Top 10.

  The single also stays at #1 for the fourth week in a row on the Dance Radio Airplay chart.

  D.H.T. are spending a considerable amount of time in the United States, doing promotion for the song and album. They appeared yesterday on “Live with Regis and Kelly,” a popular nationally-syndicated morning television talk show that originates here in New York.

• Billboard’s Hot 100

HAVERDAL - Finally Micke ’Syd’ Andersson, Gyllene Tider’s avid drummer boy, got his fair Helena! They were supposed to marry on an archipelago cliff fairly close to their summer house in Haverdal (just north of Halmstad), but due to bad weather the ceremony was moved inside to the church where they got married yesterday.

  Micke proposed to Helena, in front of 27,000 people at the final concert of the tour at Örjans vall in Halmstad last summer, where she said yes, obviously.

  Special wedding guests included, among others, Anders Herrlin, Göran Fritzon, MP Persson, Christer Sandelin and the Halmstad-based band Back On Stage, where MP Persson normally mans the drums. However, as Micke didn’t want their guests to work during their wedding party he played the drums himself… He even performed Gyllene Tider’s old song “Min tjej och jag.” Per Gessle did not attend the wedding.

• Picture from Expressen (In Swedish)
• Aftonbladet’s story (In Swedish)

The highly anticipated Gyllene Tider documentary DVD made during the summer tour 2004 will once again be delayed, for reasons unknown. It was originally scheduled for release spring 2005, but the release was postponed. Per Gessle confirms in a message to The Daily Roxette that the DVD will be released next summer, at the earliest.

  The 45-minute-long documentary, titled “Gyllene Tider lite från insidan” (“Gyllene Tider, a little from the inside”), was shown twice on Swedish TV4 in January and February. The version on the DVD is supposedly longer and the DVD is promised to be full with lots of extras, like “all Gyllene Tider performances on SVT, ever,” plus the “Teaser Japanese” video.