The Cardigans

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 to the 1996 film version of Romeo + Juliet. Other singles included "Erase/Rewind" and "My Favourite Game" from the album Gran Turismo (1998). After a two-year hiatus the band returned recording and releasing their fourth album 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. 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.

Long Gone

Long Gone may refer to:

Long Gone Before Daylight

Long Gone Before Daylight is the fifth studio album by The Cardigans. After a long hiatus from their last album in 1998 (with members of the band experimenting with other projects) it was finally released in Japan on 19 March 2003 and in Europe on 24 March 2003. Later it was also released in Canada (22 April 2003) and North America (25 May 2004).

The album differs from the band's earlier works. Their familiar "happy" pop sound takes on a change to pop songs with more of an American country music influence. It is relatively a much darker album than their previous works, and more quiet than the noisier Gran Turismo. Even lead singer Nina Persson dyed her once light blonde hair to jet black, reflecting the band's change of mood.

Criticism 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.

Nina Persson

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Nina Elisabet Persson  audio  (born 6 September 1974) is the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish pop group The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and appearing on the tribute album to Serge Gainsbourg titled Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited. She has also worked with rock group Sparklehorse and is a member of The Cake Sale collective, which released an eponymously titled album in 2006 to raise money for the charity Oxfam Ireland and the Ireland Make Trade Fair campaign.

Persson made her acting debut in the movie Om Gud vill which was released in 2006.

She appears on the Manic Street Preachers song "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough", which reached #2 on the UK chart, on the album Send Away the Tigers. She also features on the 2009 Sparklehorse/Danger Mouse collaboration Dark Night of the Soul singing "Daddy's Gone".

Persson's first solo album released under her own name, Animal Heart, was released on February 10, 2014 on the independent British record label Lojinx Records.

Peter Svensson

Peter Svensson is a songwriter, producer and musician. He is the main songwriter and guitarist of the band, The Cardigans. He started playing guitar at the age of eight and in his teens, he went on to play with local bands. After hooking up with bass player Magnus Sveningsson, they formed The Cardigans in 1992. Peter Svensson is credited with writing the music and melodies for almost all of the group's original songs.

In 1998, he released a side/solo project called Paus. All songs were co-written together with Joakim Berg from the band Kent. The drums were played by The Cardigans' drummer Bengt Lagerberg. In 1999, the Paus album and Svensson’s work on The Cardigans' fourth album, Gran Turismo, earned him a Swedish Grammy as Composer of the Year.

Svensson co-wrote (again with Joakim Berg) Swedish singer Titiyo’s album, Come Along. The single, "Come Along", was a big hit in 2001 and was awarded a Grammy for Song of the Year in Sweden. Since the last album with The Cardigans, Super Extra Gravity, Svensson has written and produced songs for numerous international artists such as The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding and One Direction.