John Martin

Known for his vocal contributions to hit singles by the DJ collective Swedish House Mafia, John Martin Lindstrom grew up in southern Stockholm. The son of a rally driver, he became interested in music at 13 when he formed a Nirvana covers band with school friends. By 15 he was fronting a group performing its own material, but later turned away from rock music and the band template in general after being signed and then dropped by a label.

His interest in electronic music increased after he befriended DJ and former boy-band member Michel Zitron. While Zitron was helping him record material at Stockholm’s Cosmos Studios, Sebastian Ingrosso of Swedish House Mafia overheard their work and invited the pair to contribute to his project. This led to Save the World, a summer 2011 anthem co-written by Lindstrom, Zitron, Swedish House Mafia, and pop artist Vincent Pontare. Lindstrom delivered the lead vocal on what was essentially a House track; it reached the U.K. top ten and sold around half a million copies in the U.S.

Following that success, Avicii (known as Avicii) contacted Lindstrom and Zitron, and the pair helped write the lyrics for his Swedish Top Five single Fade Into Darkness. While Lindstrom’s vocal on Save the World went uncredited, the next Swedish House Mafia single he co-wrote, Don't You Worry Child, included his name on the artwork. It charted in 32 countries, reaching number one in the U.K., Sweden, Australia, and Venezuela by the end of 2012.