Mikael revealed in an interview with TDR last year that he was planning to release his first album in April, on his birthday, and it looks like his dream is now about to come true. The first single, "When the Lord Is About to Come," will be released on April 6. The album will be released mid May, "I'm so happy I managed to finish my album on time!" Mikael tells The Daily Roxette.

The song is a duet with Mats Ronander, whom you might know as ex-guitarist of ABBA and support act to Per Gessle's Mazarin tour 2003 or playing the harmonica on some of Marie Fredriksson's albums. Mats is a blues guy and the ex-hubby of Sanne Salomonsen.

More information about the album will come soon.

STOCKHOLM - Per will be a guest in TV4's talk show "Förkväll" tomorrow night at 17:45 CET. He's there to talk about the impending tour, and to "spread summer feelings." Per himself doesn't know what will happen: "Anything can happen when girls are involved…"

Several months after its release in Australia, A Collection of Roxette Hits! has entered the Australian ARIA Album charts at number 93. This is the first time a Roxette album has entered the Top 100 in Australia since Have A Nice Day in 1999.

The Aria website had the following to say about the album.

A COLLECTION OF ROXETTE HITS: THEIR 20 GREATEST SONGS! - Roxette No.93
Arguably one of Sweden’s most popular musical exports, Roxette made their mark on the international pop circuit during the late '80s and early '90s. Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson formed the pop double act phenomenon that was Roxette and brandished a whimsical blend of pop, rock, and dance to fans around the world that couldn’t seem to get enough of this dynamic duo. Mullets and shoulder pads aside, Roxette were the quintessential musical partnership of their time thanks to a string of successful releases including, Look Sharp! (#2 Sept. & Oct. ’89), Joyride (#2 Apr. ’91) and Crash! Boom! Bang! (#3 May ’94). Aptly titled, A Collection of Roxette Hits!, the band’s latest compilation offering celebrates twenty years in the music biz.
Other successful Swedish pop exports include Abba and Ace of Base.

LJUSDAL - The Daily Roxette is talking with Per Gessle in the mix, down in Skåne:

- A handyman, that's not really what people think when they hear the name Per Gessle, is it?
"Ha ha, no I suck at most things like that and people know this, that's why we chose that title. There's a song called that too."

- Speaking of that, you've been recording new Son of a Plumber material simultanously with this, how has that worked out?
"Nooo, I just said that to fool people. We've only recorded Swedish material… 21 songs. Some are even over three minutes!" he says with an obvious humorous grin present in his voice. The fact is that we are mixing as we speak," Per says as the sound of a keyboard blares in the background.

- Ha ha, OK, funny as ever… What has been your inspiration this time?
"Well, I'm an old man, so it's the same inspiration, same influences as ever." Read: We're getting soft pop á la Gessle. "But there are a few rocky Gyllene Tider-power pop numbers as well!"

- So, you're still in the mix?
"Yes, and we've also recorded material live in the studio, because it's so much fun to sing and play at the same time. But I'm really a bit nervous. What if the album isn't good? Some of the material we haven't heard since September… then it might not be done in time? But they wanted it in the press release so they could sell tickets," says Per.

- I'm sure you'll do fine. So this Plumber story, it's dead at the moment?
"Naah, no, yes, at the moment. EMI Blue Note was releasing the album in the US, but as EMI is down-sizing now I've just received a thanks but no thanks. Too bad, as my contact at Blue Note just loved the album. I'm still shopping around though, as the album is quite timeless it doesn't matter if it's not released in 2007.

- A handyman on tour?
"That's right, it's been four years, isn't it time again?"
- Absolutely!
"Yes, my feeling exactly, it's so much fun to play, we have a damn hunger [for that] now, after four years… and MP is with us this time. He was on the album but we remixed him off of it! Although some Gyllene Tider songs can't be played without good old MP. And Christoffer," Per divulges, "can't play 'Det hjärta som brinner' so… This Gyllene Tider thing is hard, you can't play for example 'När vi två blir en' without a bouncing Göran Fritzon behind the Farfisa, can you?"

No you really can't, but Per and I quickly agree that "(Hon vill ha) Puls" sounds quite decent with Clarence behind the keys.

- Back to the tour, what will you play for us?
"You know, we don't really know yet. We've been considering playing some Plumber live, because it would sound great. On the other hand, it's hard to mix languages because you may lose the focal point. Besides that we have tons of material to choose from."

Per says that the Swedish media will probably call this tour a flop as he'll never get the numbers that GT got in 2004.

- Who cares about that?
He agrees reluctantly, and says "well, you know media…"

Per tells us that as usual there will be a single before the album release, but as he hasn't even mixed the album yet, he doesn't even know what it'll be. "I may not even be in on the decision making," he says. Nor is the sleeve even started. The new press photos, taken by Henry Diltz in Los Angeles, were taken only for the tour and possibly posters, but won't be used for the album. "It'll be Anton (Corbijn) or Jonas (Åkerlund) if I can get them," he explains. "They're both shooting movies right now. Jonas was going to do the L.A. shoot but couldn't get away from Canada, where he's filming."

- As you've been recording since September, will Marie be on the album?
"No, not this time."

"See you soon!" says Per as our conversation comes to an end and he returns to the mixing board. Read more…

STOCKHOLM - Like the handy man Per Gessle is, he has put together a new album in Swedish with the title "En händig man" - ("A Handyman"). If everything goes as planned, the album will be released on June 12.

"As I did with 'Mazarin' and 'Son Of A Plumber', I have recorded the album at Christoffer Lundquist's in Skåne and, of course, Christoffer together with Clarence Öfwerman are my closest collaborators this time as well. Through the years we have found a feeling and a way of working which is very special and it felt natural continuing this creative trip together," says a happy Gessle.

And after a two-summer break, there will be a "En händig man på turné" tour this coming summer.

"It's great to tour in our beautiful summer-Sweden. It's [been] four years since the 'Mazarin' tour and it feels very inspiring to go on tour again. Musically it will be a fireworks display of everything possible, new songs, of course, but also many of my Gyllene Tider songs which I know people want to listen to," Per says.

In 2003 Per released his first solo album in Swedish in 18 years, "Mazarin", which was a great success with almost 400,000 sold albums. "Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång)" was the Song of the Year and the hastily organized summer tour became the Tour of the Year 2003.

2004 yielded yet another biggest record – the gigantic Gyllene Tider GT25 tour – which became the most successful tour in Sweden of all times. Almost half-a-million Swedes attented, saw and celebrated.

We are now in 2007 and can look forward to a glistening Gessle-summer with a new album and a new tour with new and well-known pop-pearls. With over 800 songs in his baggage, there is plenty to choose from…

Tickets will be released March 15 and are 370 SEK plus service charge.

Judith contributed to this article.

Read more…

"One Wish" goes up to #1 on LOGO's video chart, beating competition like Christina Aguilera and Josh Zuckerman. 

1. Roxette - One Wish
2. Josh Zuckerman - Out From Under
3. Christina Aguilera - Candyman
4. Mona Chatterjee - Move With Me
5. The Cliks - Oh Yeah
6. Deadlee - Good Soldier II
7. Brian Kent - I'm Not Crazy
8. Mooneystarr - Shrimp and Cookies
9. Klaxons - Golden Skans
10. Kelly - Shoes

Roxette thanks all the voters out there. "The sun is shining!" Per Gessle comments.
LOGO is owned by Viacom.

FORT MYERS - Written by Mark Marymont for NewsPress.com, Southwest Florida.

Roxette "Their 20 Greatest Songs" (Capitol/EMI)

This Swedish duo scored more than a dozen international hits between 1989 and '99. Featuring the strong vocals of Marie Fredriksson and the writing, producing and singing skills of Per Gessle, they specialized in glossy, danceable pop. This two-disc set includes 18 of their most popular songs — i.e. "The Look," "Joyride," "Listen To Your Heart" — and a couple of new works on one CD. An accompanying DVD sports 18 stylish videos. It's all a bit dated, but still a strong chronicle of their hit-making acumen.

Roxwriter contributed to this article.

HELSINGBORG - A reminder: The Rotary club of Helsingborg Landborgen has received a generous gift consisting of the following Gyllene Tider and Roxette album collections:

Gyllene Tider
Moderna Tider
Puls
The Heartland Café
Återtåget '96
Konstpaus
Finn 5 fel!
GT25 - Samtliga hits!
GT Live.

Pearls of Passion
Look Sharp!
Joyride
Tourism
Crash! Boom! Bang!
Have a Nice Day
Room Service
Roxette Hits!
The Rox Box

All records have been signed by Per, and in Roxette's case, also by Marie.
These two collections will be auctioned off by Helsingborgs auktionsverk March 11, 2007 on behalf of Rotary's doctors bank. The doctors bank ships out Nordic doctors and dentists for one to two months' unpaid work in Africa - so far more than 160 people! The organization is totally non-profit and the money needed is raised by sponsorships and different kinds of fund-raisers, this being one of them.

Bids can be made via telephone (+46-42-244 344), fax (+46-42-128 633) or the Internet.

CLEVELAND - Roxette's "One Wish" video has been playing quite frequently on the U.S.'s only gay network, named Logo. It has been in the channel's Top 10 (called the "Click List") for several weeks now. It is one of 50 videos in rotation at the channel.

This week it is at #2!

1. Josh Zuckerman - Out From Under
2. Roxette - One Wish
3. Mona Chatterjee - Move With Me
4. Brian Kent - I'm Not Crazy
5. Deadlee - Good Soldier II
6. Gwen Stefani - The Great Escape
7. The Cliks - Oh Yeah
8. Mika - Grace Kelly
9. Cascada - Miracle
10. Lily Allen - Smile

Vote for Roxette. It is, however, unclear to The Daily Roxette if this station has any impact outside the gay community in the US, or even if their site is up to date.

In Sweden, Roxette's latest single, "Reveal" entered the Swedish top 60 at #59 this week and the Swiss chart at #18!

STOCKHOLM -

According to Swedish newspaper Expressen Per Gessle is planning another Swedish summer tour. Their source claims that Per will play Örjans vall in Halmstad at the end of June, beginning of July. The tour will consist of Gyllene Tider and solo material, with musicians like Clarence Öfwerman, MP Persson and Anders Herrlin. Expressen's columnist Anders Nunstedt wonders what lies behind this, but hopes that a new album is in the works.

Per Gessle and Marie Dimberg have not been reached for a comment, but The Daily Roxette considers the rumor very likely to be true.