Olle Ljungström

A member of the new wave band Reeperbahn between 1979-1983, Olle Ljungström is a Swedish singer/songwriter who made his solo album debut in 1993 and hit the Top Ten of the albums chart with regularity in subsequent years. Born Lars Olof Gustaf Ljungström on August 12, 1961, in Vaxholm, Sweden, he began his recording career as a member of the new wave band Reeperbahn. Comprised of Dan Sundquist (vocals, bass), Eddie Sjöberg (guitar), and Peter Korhonen (drums), in addition to Ljungström (vocals, guitar), the band made its commercial recording debut in 1979 with the single "Havet Ligger Blankt" on Mercury Records. The eponymous album debut Reeperbahn (1979) followed shortly thereafter. The band's second album, Venuspassagen (1981), was its most successful, reaching the Top Ten, and fourth album Peep-Show (1983) was also particularly popular, reaching the Top 20. After Reeperbahn split up in 1983, Ljungström teamed up with Heinz Liljedahl to form the short-lived duo Heinz & Young, which existed long enough to release the English-language album Buzzbuzzboys... (1984) on Stranded Rekords. A decade later Ljungström embarked on a solo career as a singer/songwriter, making his eponymous album debut in 1993 on Warner Music subsidiary Telegram Records. While his debut was a modest hit, reaching the Top 40, his second solo album, Världens Räddaste Man (1994), vaulted him into the Top Ten. The follow-up albums Tack (1995) and Det Stora Kalaset (1998) were also Top Ten hits, while fifth album En Apa Som Liknar Dig (2000) came close, peaking at number 12. Then, following the best-of compilation Bäst (2001) and the album Syntheziser (2002), Ljungström took a seven-year sabbatical. His comeback album, Sju (2009), was his most successful release to date from a commercial standpoint, reaching the Top Five and spawning the single "Försökskanin." ~ Jason Birchmeier