Ola Salo
Encyclopedia
Ola Salo, born Rolf Ola Anders Svensson on 19 February 1977 in Avesta, Sweden
, is the Swedish
rock
vocalist of the Swedish glam rock
band The Ark
. Salo lived in Rottne, Växjö Municipality
, in Sweden when he was a child. It was while living in Rottne, in 1991, that he and his friends Jepson and Leari officially started the band The Ark
. Salo is openly
bisexual.
Salo and the other members of the band had an international breakthrough in 2000 with the album We Are The Ark
, containing the signature song "It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane
" (for which Ola won a Grammis
for "Song of the Year"), a song Salo wrote after watching the Danish film Idioterne (The Idiots).
In October 2006 during a party celebrating the new Swedish embassy
in Washington
, The Ark was performing on stage. As a plane was flying very low overhead Salo said "In this country, you don't know where those planes are headed. Well, this one seems to be heading in the right direction anyway..." meaning the airport, but then suddenly adding "...to the White House
" which happened to be in the same direction. This caused controversy because many newspapers colored his words telling that Salo had "wished an airplane to crash into the White House". Salo later said that it was a bad joke, "totally unserious way of being cheeky toward the White House" and not a political statement. The band ended up cancelling almost all of its US tour.
On 10 March 2007, Salo and the band The Ark
won Melodifestivalen 2007
and went on to represent Sweden
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
with the song "The Worrying Kind", where, in which they came 18th with 51 points.
Salo has recently translated Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar
into Swedish for a performance in Malmö
this autumn in which he will play the title role of Jesus, and as a resultant he has stated that "2008 will be a very quiet year" for The Ark
after the hecticness of 2007 with the Eurovision Song Contest
and the release of Prayer for the Weekend
. In the 1990s he appeared in musical theatre productions Kristina från Duvemåla
and Fiddler on the Roof
.
In 2009 Ola Salo featured on the Empire Dogs record 'Come On You Preachers'.
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 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....
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
vocalist of the Swedish glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
band The Ark
The Ark (band)
The Ark was a Swedish glam rock band formed in 1991 by Jepsson Mikael , and Lasse Ljungberg, when Ola Salo and Leari were only fourteen years old. Martin Axén officially joined the band in 1997, and Sylvester Schlegel in 1999. In late 2005, Jens Andersson joined The Ark as an official member...
. Salo lived in Rottne, Växjö Municipality
Växjö Municipality
Växjö Municipality is a municipality in Kronoberg County in southern Sweden, where Växjö is the seat.The municipality was created in 1971 by the amalgamation of the City of Växjö with the surrounding municipalities...
, in Sweden when he was a child. It was while living in Rottne, in 1991, that he and his friends Jepson and Leari officially started the band The Ark
The Ark (band)
The Ark was a Swedish glam rock band formed in 1991 by Jepsson Mikael , and Lasse Ljungberg, when Ola Salo and Leari were only fourteen years old. Martin Axén officially joined the band in 1997, and Sylvester Schlegel in 1999. In late 2005, Jens Andersson joined The Ark as an official member...
. Salo is openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
bisexual.
Salo and the other members of the band had an international breakthrough in 2000 with the album We Are The Ark
We Are The Ark
We Are the Ark was released on 25 September 2000 and is the debut album from Swedish glam rock group The Ark. The album was both a critical and commercial success spawning four singles...
, containing the signature song "It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane
It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane
"It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane" is a song performed by The Ark on their 2000 album We Are The Ark. It was a hit in Sweden and Italy spending over four months in the Italian top 10. "It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane" was also awarded a Grammis for "song of the year"....
" (for which Ola 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....
for "Song of the Year"), a song Salo wrote after watching the Danish film Idioterne (The Idiots).
In October 2006 during a party celebrating the new Swedish embassy
House of Sweden
House of Sweden is a building in Washington, D.C. which houses the diplomatic missions of the Kingdom of Sweden, the Principality of Liechtenstein, and the Republic of Iceland to the United States of America. The building is located at 2900 K Street N.W...
in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, The Ark was performing on stage. As a plane was flying very low overhead Salo said "In this country, you don't know where those planes are headed. Well, this one seems to be heading in the right direction anyway..." meaning the airport, but then suddenly adding "...to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
" which happened to be in the same direction. This caused controversy because many newspapers colored his words telling that Salo had "wished an airplane to crash into the White House". Salo later said that it was a bad joke, "totally unserious way of being cheeky toward the White House" and not a political statement. The band ended up cancelling almost all of its US tour.
On 10 March 2007, Salo and the band The Ark
The Ark (band)
The Ark was a Swedish glam rock band formed in 1991 by Jepsson Mikael , and Lasse Ljungberg, when Ola Salo and Leari were only fourteen years old. Martin Axén officially joined the band in 1997, and Sylvester Schlegel in 1999. In late 2005, Jens Andersson joined The Ark as an official member...
won Melodifestivalen 2007
Melodifestivalen 2007
Melodifestivalen 2007 was the selection for the 47th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 46th time that this system of picking a song has been used. Five semifinals took place to select the ten songs for the final, in Jönköping, Gothenburg, Örnsköldsvik, Gävle and a...
and went on to represent 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....
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
with the song "The Worrying Kind", where, in which they came 18th with 51 points.
Salo has recently translated Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
into Swedish for a performance in Malmö
Malmö
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...
this autumn in which he will play the title role of Jesus, and as a resultant he has stated that "2008 will be a very quiet year" for The Ark
The Ark (band)
The Ark was a Swedish glam rock band formed in 1991 by Jepsson Mikael , and Lasse Ljungberg, when Ola Salo and Leari were only fourteen years old. Martin Axén officially joined the band in 1997, and Sylvester Schlegel in 1999. In late 2005, Jens Andersson joined The Ark as an official member...
after the hecticness of 2007 with the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
and the release of Prayer for the Weekend
Prayer for the Weekend
Prayer for the Weekend was released on April 11, 2007 and is the fourth album of the Swedish rock band The Ark. It is their first album with the sixth member, keyboard player Jens Andersson....
. In the 1990s he appeared in musical theatre productions Kristina från Duvemåla
Kristina från Duvemåla
Kristina från Duvemåla is a Swedish musical written by former ABBA members Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson , based on a series of four novels by Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg detailing a family's poverty-driven migration from Sweden to America in the mid-19th century: The Emigrants, Unto a Good...
and Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
.
In 2009 Ola Salo featured on the Empire Dogs record 'Come On You Preachers'.