The Cardigans

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The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden, in 1992, by guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson, with the line-up remaining unchanged to this day.

Their debut album Emmerdale (1994) gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life (1995) that an international reputation was secured. Their popularity rose when their single "Lovefool", from the album First Band on the Moon (1996), was included in the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet.
Other singles included "Erase/Rewind" and "My Favourite Game" from the album Gran Turismo (1998). After a five-year hiatus the band returned with Long Gone Before Daylight (2003) a mellower country-laden record. Their last album Super Extra Gravity (2005), a continuation of the country music infused by pop sensibility and further maturing in the band's sound, was the best-selling Swedish album of that year.[citation needed] After a 2006 tour, the band embarked on a long five-year break from musical activities, before reuniting in 2012 to play several concerts. Overall the band sold over 15 million albums worldwide.

Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson, both heavy metal musicians, formed the group on 31 October 1992 in Jönköping, Sweden, with drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson. Living together in a small apartment, The Cardigans recorded a demo tape with Persson providing lead vocals on only one of the songs towards the end of the tracklist. A&R man Ola Hermanson heard the demo and signed the band to his Trampolene imprint. In 1994, they released their debut album Emmerdale in Sweden and Japan; it was re-released internationally in 1997. The album included the Swedish radio hit "Rise & Shine", which was later voted the best of 1994 in a poll in Slitz magazine.

After working non stop for 6 years the band decided to take a break. During this break Nina Persson released an album as A Camp, and Peter Svensson and Bengt Lagerberg worked on the project Paus with help from Joakim Berg from Kent, and Magnus Sveningsson recorded as Righteous Boy.

The Cardigans returned in 2002 to record Long Gone Before Daylight (2003), a collection of songs mainly written by Persson and Svensson. Long Gone Before Daylight became one of the best selling albums in Sweden in 2003. After a 2-year hiatus from their last album, it was released in Japan on March 19, 2003 and in Europe on March 24, 2003. Later it was also released in Canada (April 22, 2003) and the United States (May 25, 2004).

riticism was generally mixed to positive. Some found the change of direction welcome, and felt the band had matured, making songs that were even better than other experienced country-pop styled artists. Others missed the old pop sound, and accused the band of possibly being ashamed of their former "happy" pop sound.

After their last album, the band had another break from recording and touring, which was albeit longer and bandmembers devoted to solo projects and running families. A Best of compilation album was released in January 2008.

Discography
The Cardigans discography

Emmerdale (1994)
Life (1995)
First Band on the Moon (1996)
Gran Turismo (1998)
Long Gone Before Daylight (2003)
Super Extra Gravity (2005)

Band members

Nina Persson – (lead vocals)
Peter Svensson – (guitar, vocals)
Magnus Sveningsson – (bass, vocals)
Bengt Lagerberg – (drums, percussion)
Lars-Olof Johansson – (keyboards, piano)