Jonas Berggren
Encyclopedia
Jonas Berggren, a.k.a. Joker (born Jonas Petter Berggren, 23 March 1969, Gothenburg
, Sweden
), is a Swedish musician. He started writing
song
s when he was seven, and continues to write for the Swedish
band
Ace of Base
, as well as other bands.
", "The Sign
", and "Beautiful Life
". He also plays the guitar
and keyboards
. Working under the artist name of "Joker" (or, in some later works, JP), Berggren nowadays also has his own studio
, called The Barn. The former female members of Ace of Base, Linn
and Jenny Berggren
, are his sisters
.
Jonas was also the producer and composer for the album Pride by Swedish pop group Yaki-Da
in 1995.
to Norwegian
hairdresser Birthe Haugland (date of marriage 12 July 2000) whom he met during a cruise in Norway in the summer of 1996. Together they have four child
ren: Julia, born in 1999, and Gabriel, born in 2001, third child born in 2006 and fourth child born in 2008.
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
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....
), is a Swedish musician. He started writing
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s when he was seven, and continues to write for the 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....
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Ace of Base
Ace of Base
Ace of Base is a pop band based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Its original lineup consisted of Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg, and three siblings, Jonas "Joker" Berggren, Malin "Linn" Berggren and Jenny Berggren...
, as well as other bands.
Career
As the founding member of Ace of Base, Berggren has written all of their biggest hits, including "All That She WantsAll That She Wants
"All That She Wants" is a hit single of Swedish pop group Ace of Base. The song was produced by Denniz Pop. In early 1993, the song reached the top of the charts in many countries, including Denmark, the United Kingdom and Australia. The single was certified Platinum in the United States, where it...
", "The Sign
The Sign (song)
"The Sign" is a 1993 dance-pop song by the Swedish band Ace of Base. The song was an international hit, reaching Number two in the United Kingdom and spending six non-consecutive weeks as number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States...
", and "Beautiful Life
Beautiful Life (Ace of Base song)
"Beautiful Life" is a hit song by Swedish band Ace of Base, released in the Autumn of 1995. In North America it was the first single released from the band's The Bridge; in Europe it followed "Lucky Love"....
". He also plays the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
. Working under the artist name of "Joker" (or, in some later works, JP), Berggren nowadays also has his own studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, called The Barn. The former female members of Ace of Base, Linn
Linn Berggren
Malin Sofia Katarina Berggren is a former member of the band Ace of Base. Having been interested and involved in music since her childhood, she formed the band in 1987, along with her sister Jenny, her brother Jonas and their friend Ulf Ekberg. Before forming Ace of Base, Malin sang in her...
and Jenny Berggren
Jenny Berggren
Jenny Cecilia Berggren is a Swedish singer and former lead singer in the Swedish pop band Ace of Base. Since 1995, she has also been writing songs and performing solo. In 2010 she released her debut album My Story.-Early life:...
, are his sisters
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
.
Jonas was also the producer and composer for the album Pride by Swedish pop group Yaki-Da
Yaki-Da
Yaki-Da were a Swedish pop group consisting of singers Marie Knutsen and Linda Schönberg. They were put together by Ace of Base band member and producer Jonas "Joker" Berggren...
in 1995.
Writing for Ace of Base
Berggren has contributed to writing all Ace of Base's material, except the following:- "Don't Turn AroundDon't Turn Around"Don't Turn Around" is a popular song written by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond. It was originally recorded by Tina Turner as the B-side to the single "Typical Male" in 1986. Warren is said to have been disappointed that Turner's record company treated the song as a B-side and never included it on...
" (CoverCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
: Diane WarrenDiane WarrenDiane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
& Albert HammondAlbert HammondAlbert Hammond OBE is a British singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.-Birth and early success:Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew...
) - "Edge of Heaven" (Ulf, John Ballard, & StoneStream)
- "Strange Ways" (Malin)
- "Ravine" (Jenny)
- "Perfect World" (Ulf, John Ballard, & StoneStream)
- "Whispers In Blindness" (Malin)
- "Wave Wet Sand" (Jenny)
- "Que Sera" (Ulf, John Ballard, & StoneStream)
- "Just 'N' Image" (Malin)
- "Experience Pearls" (Jenny)
- "Mercy Mercy" (Ulf and John Ballard)
- "He Decides" (Jenny)
- "Everytime It RainsEverytime It RainsOriginally written for Annie Lennox, "Everytime It Rains" was the fourth single released from Ace of Base's Re-Release of Flowers in the UK. This song was written by Rick Nowels, Billy Steinberg and Maria Vidal....
" (B. Steinberg, R. Nowels, M. Vidal) - "I Pray" (Ulf and John Ballard)
- "Don't Go Away" (Ulf and John Ballard)
- "Cruel SummerCruel Summer"Cruel Summer" is a pop song originally written and performed by Bananarama that was a top ten hit in Britain in 1983. Singer Sara Dallin said the song "played on the darker side : it looked at the oppressive heat, the misery of wanting to be with someone as the summer ticked by...
" (Cover: S. DallinSara DallinSara Elizabeth Dallin is an English musician mostly noted for her membership of the group Bananarama, which she co-founded with her childhood friend Keren Woodward.Dallin was born in Bristol, England...
, S. FaheySiobhan FaheySiobhan Fahey is an Irish musician and founding member of the 1980s British girl group Bananarama, and later formed the BRIT Award and Ivor Novello award winning musical outfit Shakespears Sister.-Career:Fahey was born the eldest of three daughters to Helen and...
, S. Jolley, A. SwainJolley & SwainSteve Jolley and Tony Swain were a successful pop musician, songwriting and record production duo in the United Kingdom in the early to mid-1980s, producing some of the top artists and songs of the era....
& K. WoodwardKeren WoodwardKeren Woodward is an English pop singer and songwriter of British girl group Bananarama, co-founded by her long time school friend Sara Dallin and Siobhan Fahey....
) - "Wonderful Life" (Cover: Black)
- "Juliet" (Cover; Henry Bergström & Peter Bergström)
Personal life
He is marriedMarriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
to Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
hairdresser Birthe Haugland (date of marriage 12 July 2000) whom he met during a cruise in Norway in the summer of 1996. Together they have four child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren: Julia, born in 1999, and Gabriel, born in 2001, third child born in 2006 and fourth child born in 2008.