Roxette

Roxette is a Swedish pop duo formed in 1986 in Halmstad by Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson, both already established in the Swedish music scene. Per Gessle was known as the singer and main songwriter of the band Gyllene Tider, while Marie Fredriksson had launched a solo career before their collaboration.

Their first single, Neverending Love, from the album Pearls of Passion (1986), was successful in Sweden. Their international breakthrough came with the album Look Sharp! (1988) and its number one hits in the United States The Look and Listen to Your Heart. The ballad It Must Have Been Love, included on the soundtrack of the film Pretty Woman (1990), as well as the single Joyride (1991), also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

The album Joyride (1991) became their best-selling project, with approximately eleven million copies sold worldwide. The duo followed up with the albums Tourism (1992), Crash! Boom! Bang! (1994) and the compilation Don’t Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! (1995), each selling at least five million copies. The albums Have a Nice Day (1999) and Room Service (2001) received numerous gold and platinum certifications in Europe and Latin America.

In 2002, the diagnosis of a brain tumor in Marie Fredriksson led to a long hiatus for the duo. Roxette made their stage comeback in 2009 and embarked on a world tour that continued until 2016, during which the albums Charm School (2011), Travelling (2012) and Good Karma (2016) were released. Marie Fredriksson ended her touring career in 2016 for health reasons and died in December 2019.

With estimated worldwide sales of 75 to 80 million records, Roxette ranks among the best-selling Swedish artists. Since 2021, Per Gessle has been releasing music under the name PG Roxette and announced in 2024 a tour under the name Roxette with Lena Philipsson handling vocal parts.