Jakob Hellman
Encyclopedia
Jakob Hellman, born October 20, 1965 in Vuollerim
, Norrbotten
, is a Swedish
pop
singer. Although his only album to date, ...Och stora havet, was released in 1989, he is still well-known in his native country.
act Clubland
.
In the lyrics of his first single, Hellman states that he was "born between the mirror and the grammophone" ("född mellan spegeln och grammofon"), attesting to his early pop star ambitions. At a young age, he played in a local band, Ampere, with his friends Anders Viklund, Ulf Johansson and Tommy Johansson. In a 2006 interview, the members recalled singing through a megaphone
at the start, since they did not have a proper microphone. At the start, the only song they could play was Smoke on the Water
. Later, Do You Wanna Dance?
and The House of the Rising Sun
were added to the repertoire.
Jakob Hellman's family later moved to Falun
, where he played with a band named Fortune. In the mid-1980s, Jakob Hellman moved to Stockholm
.
to ten different record companies in December 1987. Magnus Nygren, at the time A&R
at the Swedish division of EMI Music
, took interest and arranged a meeting. Much to his own surprise, Hellman soon had a record contract in his hand. Recordings started in the EMI studio in the Stockholm
suburb of Skärmarbrink in 1988. Hellman also spent some time touring, opening for the rock band Wilmer X
.
Session musicians included Per Hägglund from Imperiet
(keyboards), Eddie Sjöberg, ex-member of Reeperbahn (guitar), Werner Modiggård from Eldkvarn
(drums), and Wilmer X member Mats Bengtsson (piano). Titiyo
provided backing vocals for the song Avundsjuk på dej.
In a 2007 interview in a Jakob Hellman special on the Swedish public service
music radio show Musikjournalen (aired January 15, 2007 on SR P3), producer Dan Sundquist told the story of a rather strenuous recording experience, due to Hellman's unwillingness to compromise with his convictions on how the music ought to sound.
, Tåg (Train) was released in 1988. The same year Jakob Hellman won a Grammis
(the Swedish equivalent of a Grammy Award
) as Best Newcomer. The album
followed on February 13, 1989. Seven out of the nine songs featured on the demo were included on the album. The original release contained twelve tracks; a later reissue adds the single B-sides and a few other tracks for a total of 19. Although Hellman himself wanted to name the album De sista melodierna (The Last Melodies) it instead borrowed its title from one of the non-single songs, ...Och stora havet (...And the great sea).
Musically, most of the album's songs can be described as quite radio-friendly guitar-based music in the singer-songwriter
vein, although Hellman's syncopated singing style set him apart from most of the competition. In interviews, Jakob Hellman cited Elvis Costello
as his greatest influence, and although his music by no means could be called a carbon copy, similarities can easily be found. The lyrics, entirely in Swedish
, range from rather simple love song
s to more philosophical themes. They are characterized by inventive turns of phrase, often imitated by followers.
At the 1989 Swedish Grammis Awards Jakob Hellman won the Best Male Rock artist award, but not the Best Album one (it was given to Jerry Williams
). With the passing of time, however, the record has come to be regarded as one of the most influential Swedish pop records, and in 1997 it was voted the best Swedish record ever in Nöjesguiden
, a monthly entertainment magazine.
A few covers of Hellman's songs have been recorded. In 1997, the band Jumper had a minor hit with the single Hon har ett sätt. The track was also remixed by house music act Antiloop
. In 2006, singers Anna Stadling and Idde Schultz covered the B-side Vägar hem on an album named after the song.
As of 2007, ...och stora havet has sold a total of over 160 000 copies.
tribute album
and featuring in a duet
with folk-rock act Perssons Pack in 1991, he withdrew from the spotlight entirely. Reluctantly interviewed, he told journalists he had been studying different subjects at Lund University
and had no plans for a new record. In 1995, he briefly joined Brainpool
in the studio to provide backing vocals for the Painkiller album track We aim to please.
In the end of the 1990s Hellman started to occasionally appear on stage again. In recent years, Hellman has been playing several smaller venues and minor festivals, performing both old and unreleased tracks, fueling his fans' hopes for a return to recording. In 2005 Hellman did enter the studio for the first time in a decade, contributing two covers to an Olle Adolphson
tribute album. The following year, he appeared on a duet with Nina Ramsby
, Du min vän, on the Nina Ramsby & Martin Hederos album Jazzen. However, these episodes seem to be isolated events.
, speculated on "maybe" releasing a new album some day, although not in the immediate future. "Not in the next six months, anyway. If I found the right musicians to work with, maybe in another genre, it would be fun. I want to do simple songs, which is what I’m good at." The same year, he recorded two songs, Lenas Visa and Mina Båtar, for the Olle Adolphson
tribute album Dubbel trubbel.
In July 2006, his childhood band Ampere reformed to play at the Kulturkraft festival in Vuollerim. "It is fun to play in a band again. [...] Compared to being on my own, playing under my own name, it feels very relaxed," Hellman commented.
In the 2007 Musikjournalen Hellman special, Jakob Hellman spoke about feeling as if he were the album's "luxury wife", still partly living off its revenue. He said a new album felt "far away", and that he was focusing on writing one song at a time in order to be able to play live.
Vuollerim
Vuollerim is a locality situated in Jokkmokk Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 800 inhabitants in 2005.-Famous people:*Zemya Hamilton*Jakob Hellman*Jokkmokks-Jokke*Birgitta Svendén*Lars-Göran Nilsson-External links:*...
, Norrbotten
Norrbotten County
Norrbotten County is the northernmost county or län of Sweden. It borders Västerbotten County to the southwest, the Gulf of Bothnia to the southeast. It also borders the counties of Nordland and Troms in Norway to the northwest, and Lapland Province in Finland to the northeast.The name...
, is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer. Although his only album to date, ...Och stora havet, was released in 1989, he is still well-known in his native country.
Background
The son of two teachers, Jakob Hellman grew up in rural north Sweden, just south of the polar circle. In school, he was in the same class as Zemya Hamilton, later to be known as the lead singer of house musicHouse music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
act Clubland
Clubland (group)
Clubland was a house-music act assembled by Swedish producer Jan Ekholm and British musician Morgan King. Lead vocals were performed by Jamaican/Swedish singer Zemya Hamilton....
.
In the lyrics of his first single, Hellman states that he was "born between the mirror and the grammophone" ("född mellan spegeln och grammofon"), attesting to his early pop star ambitions. At a young age, he played in a local band, Ampere, with his friends Anders Viklund, Ulf Johansson and Tommy Johansson. In a 2006 interview, the members recalled singing through a megaphone
Megaphone
A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...
at the start, since they did not have a proper microphone. At the start, the only song they could play was Smoke on the Water
Smoke on the Water
"Smoke on the Water" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head. In 2004, the song was ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and in March 2005, Q magazine placed "Smoke on the Water"...
. Later, Do You Wanna Dance?
Do You Wanna Dance?
"Do You Wanna Dance?" is a song written by Bobby Freeman , and recorded by him in 1958. It is also popular in a version performed by the Beach Boys, which was released in 1965, and in a version recorded by Bette Midler in 1972...
and The House of the Rising Sun
The House of the Rising Sun
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans...
were added to the repertoire.
Jakob Hellman's family later moved to Falun
Falun Municipality
Falun Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Falun.The present municipality was formed at the time of the local government reform of 1971, when the City of Falun and six surrounding rural municipalities were amalgamated.- Localities...
, where he played with a band named Fortune. In the mid-1980s, Jakob Hellman moved to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
The recording of ...och stora havet
Without previous experience of the music business, Jakob Hellman sent his demoDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
to ten different record companies in December 1987. Magnus Nygren, at the time A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
at the Swedish division of EMI Music
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, took interest and arranged a meeting. Much to his own surprise, Hellman soon had a record contract in his hand. Recordings started in the EMI studio in the Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
suburb of Skärmarbrink in 1988. Hellman also spent some time touring, opening for the rock band Wilmer X
Wilmer X
Wilmer X is a Swedish rock band. Originally formed in 1977-1978 as Wilmer Pitt in Malmö, Sweden by Nisse Hellberg and Jalle Lorensson , the band was rebranded as Wilmer X at the time of the first recording.-Career:...
.
Session musicians included Per Hägglund from Imperiet
Imperiet
' were a Swedish 1980s rock band from Stockholm, that existed from 1983 to 1988. They were arguably the most influential band in Sweden of the period, but definitely dominated the new wave scene, which at the time was seen as the same as the punk rock scene....
(keyboards), Eddie Sjöberg, ex-member of Reeperbahn (guitar), Werner Modiggård from Eldkvarn
Eldkvarn (band)
Eldkvarn is a Swedish rock band formed in Norrköping in 1971, consisting of brothers Plura Jonsson and Carla Jonsson . The third original member is the bass player Tony Thorén, who has produced a number of albums by Eldkvarn, as well as other artists...
(drums), and Wilmer X member Mats Bengtsson (piano). Titiyo
Titiyo
Titiyo Yambalu Felicia Jah is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter, who has won four Grammis.-Early life:Titiyo was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Ahmadu Jah, a Sierra Leonean drummer, and Maylen Bergström. She is the half- sister of singer Neneh Cherry, and stepsister to Eagle-Eye Cherry...
provided backing vocals for the song Avundsjuk på dej.
In a 2007 interview in a Jakob Hellman special on the Swedish public service
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
music radio show Musikjournalen (aired January 15, 2007 on SR P3), producer Dan Sundquist told the story of a rather strenuous recording experience, due to Hellman's unwillingness to compromise with his convictions on how the music ought to sound.
The album's release
The first singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, Tåg (Train) was released in 1988. The same year Jakob Hellman won a Grammis
Grammis
The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
(the Swedish equivalent of a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
) as Best Newcomer. The album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
followed on February 13, 1989. Seven out of the nine songs featured on the demo were included on the album. The original release contained twelve tracks; a later reissue adds the single B-sides and a few other tracks for a total of 19. Although Hellman himself wanted to name the album De sista melodierna (The Last Melodies) it instead borrowed its title from one of the non-single songs, ...Och stora havet (...And the great sea).
Musically, most of the album's songs can be described as quite radio-friendly guitar-based music in the singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
vein, although Hellman's syncopated singing style set him apart from most of the competition. In interviews, Jakob Hellman cited Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
as his greatest influence, and although his music by no means could be called a carbon copy, similarities can easily be found. The lyrics, entirely in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, range from rather simple love song
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
s to more philosophical themes. They are characterized by inventive turns of phrase, often imitated by followers.
Reception
At the time of its release, Hellman's album got positive, although not jubilant, reviews, and the single Vara vänner (To Be Friends) became a major hit. The accompanying video is notable for its extremely minimalistic scenography.At the 1989 Swedish Grammis Awards Jakob Hellman won the Best Male Rock artist award, but not the Best Album one (it was given to Jerry Williams
Jerry Williams (singer)
Jerry Williams, real name Sven Erik Fernström, is a Swedish rock and roll singer and actor.In 1963, Jerry Williams toured with the Beatles through Sweden. He has been lead singer in many Swedish rock and roll bands, but is mostly known as a solo artist...
). With the passing of time, however, the record has come to be regarded as one of the most influential Swedish pop records, and in 1997 it was voted the best Swedish record ever in Nöjesguiden
Nöjesguiden
Nöjesguiden is a Nordic free-of-charge young adult monthly magazine, available in the major cities in Sweden, which was established in 1982. In Finland, the equivalent magazine is City-lehti and in Norway Natt og Dag....
, a monthly entertainment magazine.
A few covers of Hellman's songs have been recorded. In 1997, the band Jumper had a minor hit with the single Hon har ett sätt. The track was also remixed by house music act Antiloop
Antiloop
Antiloop was a Swedish electronic dance music group formed by Robin Söderman & David Westerlund from Lidingö. Their best-known songs include Beauty & The Beast, In My Mind, Trespasser, Believe, Start Rockin and Nowhere to Hide...
. In 2006, singers Anna Stadling and Idde Schultz covered the B-side Vägar hem on an album named after the song.
As of 2007, ...och stora havet has sold a total of over 160 000 copies.
After the album
Hellman made no attempt at following up the album's major success. After appearing on a Evert TaubeEvert Taube
Evert Axel Taube was a Swedish author, artist, composer and singer. He is best known for his folk songs, and is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians.-Biography:...
tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
and featuring in a duet
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with folk-rock act Perssons Pack in 1991, he withdrew from the spotlight entirely. Reluctantly interviewed, he told journalists he had been studying different subjects at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
and had no plans for a new record. In 1995, he briefly joined Brainpool
Brainpool (band)
Brainpool is a pop music group from Lund, Sweden. The band was most popular in the mid-1990s, mostly in the Swedish indie-pop scene together with other bands like Eggstone or Beagle.-History:...
in the studio to provide backing vocals for the Painkiller album track We aim to please.
In the end of the 1990s Hellman started to occasionally appear on stage again. In recent years, Hellman has been playing several smaller venues and minor festivals, performing both old and unreleased tracks, fueling his fans' hopes for a return to recording. In 2005 Hellman did enter the studio for the first time in a decade, contributing two covers to an Olle Adolphson
Olle Adolphson
Olle Adolphson was a Swedish writer, singer and songwriter. He released a range of books , LPs and CDs .Dubbel Trubbel, a homage to Olle Adolphson, performed by various Swedish artists, such as Håkan...
tribute album. The following year, he appeared on a duet with Nina Ramsby
Nina Ramsby
Nina Ramsby, born 1972, is a Swedish singer-songwriter and musician from Stockholm. During the 1990s she was the vocalist and guitarist for the alternative rock band Salt, She was also part of the bands Baxter and Grande Tone Music....
, Du min vän, on the Nina Ramsby & Martin Hederos album Jazzen. However, these episodes seem to be isolated events.
Recent interviews
In a 2005 interview (in Bo.stad, a magazine for the tenants of the Lund student housing foundation AF Bostäder), Hellman, at the time living in a shared flat in MalmöMalmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, speculated on "maybe" releasing a new album some day, although not in the immediate future. "Not in the next six months, anyway. If I found the right musicians to work with, maybe in another genre, it would be fun. I want to do simple songs, which is what I’m good at." The same year, he recorded two songs, Lenas Visa and Mina Båtar, for the Olle Adolphson
Olle Adolphson
Olle Adolphson was a Swedish writer, singer and songwriter. He released a range of books , LPs and CDs .Dubbel Trubbel, a homage to Olle Adolphson, performed by various Swedish artists, such as Håkan...
tribute album Dubbel trubbel.
In July 2006, his childhood band Ampere reformed to play at the Kulturkraft festival in Vuollerim. "It is fun to play in a band again. [...] Compared to being on my own, playing under my own name, it feels very relaxed," Hellman commented.
In the 2007 Musikjournalen Hellman special, Jakob Hellman spoke about feeling as if he were the album's "luxury wife", still partly living off its revenue. He said a new album felt "far away", and that he was focusing on writing one song at a time in order to be able to play live.
Compilations
- Tältet on Den flygande holländaren, a tribute album to Cornelis VreeswijkCornelis VreeswijkCornelis Vreeswijk , was a singer-songwriter, poet and actor born in IJmuiden in the Netherlands.He emigrated to Sweden with his parents in 1949 at the age of twelve. He was educated as a social worker and hoped to become a journalist, but became increasingly involved in music, performing at...
(1988) - Fritiof och Carmencita and Tango i Nizza on Taube, a tribute album to Evert TaubeEvert TaubeEvert Axel Taube was a Swedish author, artist, composer and singer. He is best known for his folk songs, and is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians.-Biography:...
(1990) - Lenas Visa and Mina Båtar on Dubbel trubbel, a tribute album to Olle AdolphsonOlle AdolphsonOlle Adolphson was a Swedish writer, singer and songwriter. He released a range of books , LPs and CDs .Dubbel Trubbel, a homage to Olle Adolphson, performed by various Swedish artists, such as Håkan...
) (2005)
Guest vocals
- Tusen dagar härifrån, duet with Per Persson, on the Perssons Pack on the album Äkta hjärtan (1991)
- We Aim To Please, backing vocals, on the BrainpoolBrainpoolBrainpool may refer to:* Brainpool , a German television production company located in Cologne* Brainpool , a Swedish pop group...
album Painkiller (1995) - Du min vän, duet with Nina RamsbyNina RamsbyNina Ramsby, born 1972, is a Swedish singer-songwriter and musician from Stockholm. During the 1990s she was the vocalist and guitarist for the alternative rock band Salt, She was also part of the bands Baxter and Grande Tone Music....
, on the Nina Ramsby & Martin Hederos album Jazzen (2006)
External links
- Unofficial fan page (in Swedish)
- [ Biography from allmusic.com] (English)
- 2005 interview in Bo.stad (in Swedish and English)
- Interview with Ampere in Norrländska SocialdemokratenNorrländska SocialdemokratenNorrländska Socialdemokraten is a daily regional newspaper published in Norrbotten, Sweden. It is the largest morning newspaper in the region, as well as the largest newspaper published north of Uppsala, with a daily circulation of 35,600 . It was founded in 1918, but was first published on 4...
, July 8, 2006 (in Swedish) - Journalist Simon Andrén talks about the Musikjournalen Hellman special in Norrländska Socialdemokraten (in Swedish)