Marie Serneholt is back with the pop single Thats The Way My Heart Goes.
But this time as a solo artist with loads of charisma, a new maturity of expression, and a pop album on the way. She has sold five million albums as a member of A Teens, and brings an enormous amount of experience into her new project, despite her modest age of 22.
And this is where it starts for real.
The energy and the positive pop feeling is still there, but the album reflects a broader spectrum of Marie's talent. The songwriter and producer Jorgen Elofsson is the common denominator throughout the album. And Jorgen has definitely gone all out. These days, when everybody sees themselves as capable of writing and producing pop, Elofsson proves his superiority in the field by presenting gems of songs that any international superstar would fight for. Which is fitting, considering Marie is about to become one. Every song needs a charismatic artist that thrives in the limelight. Every artist is dependent on good songs and production. The collaboration between Marie Serneholt and Jorgen Elofsson was meant to happen.
Now lets turn back the clock a bit.
Marie is a former member of A Teens, a group that sold five million albums during a mere five years of existence. They toured extensively and spent up to 300 days a year on the road. Many artists would have complained about the neck-breaking tempo. Marie, however, who is both a singer and a dancer, was born positive. She never hesitated, and realized from the start that she was where she wanted to be.
After a Greatest Hits album where each song has made it to the top 20 list in some country, the quartet decided to part company. Marie knew that she wanted to embark on a solo career, but wanted to absorb all the impressions of the past years first. She needed the right people to work with as well as the right material. She took advantage of this period to live a normal life with her family and friends, resume contact with friends she had not seen while touring abroad, and plan her next step.
Meanwhile, Jorgen Elofssons songs were taking the world by storm with the aid of artists such as Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Westlife and included more hits that could possibly fit onto this limited space. Recently he has been awarded for his involvement in over 100 million sold albums!
Marie first contacted Jorgen several years ago. At that point, however, Jorgen's schedule was full, and Marie wasn't yet sure in what direction to take her career.
A year or so later she felt she had a vision and called him again. This time, all the pieces fell into place. Elofsson had just started collaborating with two relatively young and unknown producers, Richard Brand..n and P..r Westerlund. Two young men who have, among other things, worked with Elofsson on Agnes (the winner of the Swedish Idol 2005) winning song Right Here, Right Now and Darin's "Who's That Girl".
Richard and P..r possess that energy and drive that comes from a hunger, a will to show ones full potential. The fact that they are extremely musical and highly trained multi-instrumentalists doesn't hurt either, smiles Elofsson.
They can really pick up any instrument whatsoever and play with ease, adds Marie. Elofsson felt that he wanted to work with a Swedish artist that wanted to reach out into the world, an artist he could really believe in and whose career he could be a part of from the start.
Without the right artist we have nothing. Theres a lot of talk about the Swedish music export, but in the Swedish pop world the focus is mainly on song writers and producers. There is a definite lack of Swedish pop stars. Many artists sing well, but they lack that special something. Marie has all the qualities that characterizes a star. She is talented, smart, positive, and attractive as well as extremely likable.
Elofsson was relieved when Marie said that she wanted to make a pop album. There are so many artists that suddenly want to start working with R&B with cool beats or riff-based rock.
Elofsson is listed as co-writer of every track on the album. Besides writing with his co-producers, he has also co-written with the legendary Nicky Chinn and Swedish colleague Andreas Carlsson among others.
Marie and Jorgen could work undisturbed and at their own pace, with no involvement of any record companies, media or outside opinions. Elofsson had saved choice tidbits, songs that would have been guaranteed hits with established artists.
The album includes songs with a modern edge, mid tempo pop with drive (Wasted Love), excruciatingly luxurious ballads (Oxygen), and an 80s inspired elegance (Calling All Detectives).
The overall idea was ABBA meets Gwen Stefani. Timeless melodies and a state-of-the-art production.
To sum it all up, Marie Serneholt is solo and she has the best possible support to back her up.
© PlanetSix/Sony BMG
