My Story
Behind the music
Stefan S
I've taken the time to explore who I am and strive to be unique and authentic as a singer, songwriter and artist. After a long journey I will tell my story. Welcome to my website on the Internet!
I mix influences like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, Simply Red, ABBA, Roy Orbison and Mozart to create something new and exciting. I particularly like immediate, melodic arrangements with many harmonies which is the kind of music I intend to make in the future.
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Your support means a lot! I would be nice to hear from you.
Feel free to send me an e-mail, post a message on Facebook or comment my videos on YouTube.
The singer
Welcome to my homepage. I try to stay true to who I am and express my values through my music. Find out more in my blog.
Solo artist
I have always enjoyed to perform my own songs and covers. I started to sing on smaller stages with friends. In later years there have been requests that I should make a serious effort as a musician. Instead of applying to a talent show and risk turning into a stereotype I have taken the time to discover who I am and how to express it in a way that suits me. I will start to publish original and cover songs online to see where it leads me. This is what I want to do.
I have decided to take the risk to show my true self to the world and be visible as an artist because I believe it will be worth it in the end. It is better to be in the arena than to be on the sideline. Vulnerability can sometimes be the greatest strength. Let's go!
Band member in the past
I started my musical journey as the lead singer and keyboardist in pop and rock bands in Stockholm, Sweden.
In 1991 a song that I co-wrote as a member of Yankee Rose was broadcasted nation-wide on the radio show “P3 Rock".
Choir member
For more than 20 years Mäster Olofskören (The Master Olof Choir) has been my musical home as a first tenor . The choir has a varied repertoire in many genres. In concerts all songs are performed by heart and it has a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere that I really appreciate.
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In 2014 I was accepted among 500 applicants to be a member of ABBA the Museum/the Choir as a first tenor. It was founded by ABBA The Museum’s CEO and Björn Ulvaeus to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ABBA’s victory in the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton in 1974. The choir originally had 50 members that made three official apperances: TV4 Nyhetsmorgon on national television and concerts outside ABBA The Museum and inside Tate Modern in London in front of thousands of hardcore ABBA fans.
That was exciting! In later years the choir has restarted as a permanent group with a smaller number of dedicated members.
I have also been a member of other choirs like Plica Vocalis, Stockholm Soul and Krona & Klav (Stockholm University).
Backup singer
I have at times performed as a backup singer, for example behind the artist Lars Häggström (Larsh) and the band Sonoride in Swedish music festivals. The picture on the right from 2015 says it all. I had a great time.
My time in ABBA the Museum/the Choir led to the fun assignment to anonymously sing the backing "lead" vocal in a cover of "Wake Me Up" by Avicii. It was professionally produced to be the official song of Team SCA used worldwide during the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race. The all female team covered around 39,000 nautical miles and endured nine months of one of the toughest endurance tests.
You can watch the team's music video below. They seem to have a really great time in the studio!
The songwriter
Since the age of 15 I have composed and recorded my own pop songs. That is something I really love to do.
The goal has always been to discover and express my own authentic and unique voice as a songwriter and singer.
To facilitate this I have studied arrangement of popular music at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (independent course, 2002).
I have participated in some international songwriting contests to get feedback and develop as a songwriter. Here are some results:
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Pretend: Semi-Finalist in the international UK Songwriting Contest and the Makeastar.com music contest.
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Shine: Semi-Finalist in the Makeastar.com music contest based on shared votes from music industry professionals and other listeners
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Remember, You Are Not Alone: Special Mention (UK Songwriting Contest)
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Seventh Heaven, Her World: Five star review, Commended Entry (UK Songwriting Contest)
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Listen When Your Heart Sings, Friend or the End: Higher Commended Entry (UK Songwriting Contest)
Pretend: Semi-Finalist with originality rating 10/10:
"Your vocal definitely sounds unique and the harmony track adds some keening emotional depth. You've come up with a formula that's very original and you don't really sound like you're imitating someone even though your influences are there to hear. The essence of originality is to take from what you've learned enough to build on depth but add your own elements, which you've done quite well..."
- Industry Review Board Member, Makeastar.com
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In 2009 I participated as a student at Carola Camp, a camp hosted by Carola Häggkvist. At the end of the camp I did a live performance of an original pop song about my experience. Very inspiring indeed!
As a songwriter I have collaborated with the artist WallOne in recent years. We have performed live together at the Herräng Dance Camp.
I compose, arrange, record and mix my original songs and cover songs. For the most part I'm self taught with the aim to stay authentic.
In 2014 I attended a professional mixing in studio course led by Bernard Löhr, arguably one of Sweden's most successful music mixers.
In case you are wondering: apart from my own voice all other sounds that you hear are generated by virtual instruments and sample libraries unless stated otherwise. It is great fun to try to discover how to create a certain mood that fits the song.
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I also make my own music videos. I film and edit my own song takes as a starting point. I am a member of online services where you can get licenses to discover, download and use high quality B-roll footage in your own projects. This saves me a lot of time and allows me to focus on the song performance parts of in the videos. It is inspiring to try to envision how a song can be visualised in a way that serves the story and then get to execute the plan afterwards. It's great fun to think about things like visual storytelling, composition, set lighting and which colors will match the mood that I want to convey! I hope you like it.