NRJ Music Awards 2015

This year's NRJ Music Awards took place last night in its traditional home in the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.  It was the 17th edition of the awards.  Over recent years the NRJ Music Awards has attracted international media attention, although this is entirely related to the high number of international A-list artists who turn up on the red carpet, rather than a sudden interest in French music.

But here on this blog I only care about the French music and couldn't care less about those overexposed artists whose songs turn up on NRJ and every radio station, everywhere in the world, every day of every year!!

This year's winners:

French Newcomer - Louane
French Male Artist - M Pokora
French Female Artist - Shy'm
French Duo/Group - Fréro Delavega
French song of the year - "Conmigo" - Kendji Girac

International Newcomer - Ellie Goulding
International Male - Ed Sheeran
International Female - Taylor Swift
International Group - Maroon 5
DJ - David Guetta
International Song of the Year - "See You Again" - Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth
International Video Clip - "Bad Blood" - Taylor Swift

Special awards - Sting, Adele, Charles Aznavour, Justin Bieber

The thing you notice straight away in the French winners' list is the dominance and popularity of "The Voice".  Unlike the UK version of the show which has failed to produce a commercially successful artist (apart from Becky Hill who has been the featured vocalist on a few dance hits), France's "The Voice, la plus belle voix" started off the career of 18 year old Louane Emera who then went on to appear in the hugely successful film "La Famille Bélier" which in turn kicked off a solo career which has made her one of the biggest selling artists of the past year in France with her debut album "Chambre 12".

Above: Louane shows off her award.

The next winners rose to fame on the 3rd series of The Voice which was won by a certain Kendji Girac.  Acoustic duo Fréro Delavega went on to release a very successful debut album of bright and breezy tunes.  Now as you know I've never really been a fan of the 'acoustic' style of music which has been popular over the last few years but I find Fréro Delavega very agreeable as they seem to follow a more upbeat musical style rather than the dreary acoustic ballads which have me reaching for the off switch.  And even better, they do it in the French language!  Just one thing though....you do not turn up to such a glamorous occasion dressed like that!

Above: Fréro Delavega, who didn't get the 'dress smartly' memo.

Finally, it was another successful night for Kendji Girac, the 19 year old who's taken French music by storm over the past couple of years with his flamenco-flavoured pop with a modern twist.  After winning best newcomer and song of the year awards at the 2014 NMAs, his song "Conmigo" was chosen in a public vote as French song of the year.  I do love Kendji's music but "Conmigo" IMHO isn't really one of his best songs as it's more generic r'n'b than the flamenco style which I prefer. Nevertheless I predict a lot more success for him in years to come.  Kendji has just released his second album "Ensemble" which is packed with more latin-flavoured pop bangers and will soon be making its way to my record collection.  

Above: Kendji on the red carpet.

Who knows - he might even go on to be as successful as this year's top French male artist M Pokora, who's been winning NRJ music awards since 2006.  Matt's another artist with a talent show connection; those of us with long memories (!) will remember him from the French version of Popstars The Rivals in 2003 as a member of Linkup.  

Above: Another in a long line of awards for Matt Pokora.

Finally, there was also a rare appearance at last night's awards by the legendary Mylene Farmer, whose latest album "Interstellaires" was released just a couple of days ago.  The first single to be released from it was a duet with Sting on a remake of one of his songs "Stolen Car".  Here's Sting and Mylene on the red carpet:

There was some disappointment though for the fans eagerly awaiting Mylene's first live TV performance in a long time, as a) she and Sting pre-recorded their performance of "Stolen Car" and b) the vocals weren't live but were playback.

Nevertheless though it is great to have her back.  I haven't had a chance to listen to clips of the new album yet - I'll approach this one with some trepidation as the last couple of her albums haven't done anything for me and came nowhere near the greatness of her classic older material, from Cendres de Lune up to and including Innamoramento.  Everything after that has been a disappointment for me, mainly because I have compared it to those older albums; but then again I guess that even a relatively disappointing Mylene release is still better than most of the overhyped junk passing for popular music these days.

Congratulations Bret!

As a long-time Flight of the Conchords fan I was delighted to see the lovely Bret McKenzie win an Oscar last night for his song "Man Or Muppet" from the latest Muppets movie.

Now that would definitely impress Murray at the band meeting :)))

Swedish Grammis 2012: the winners

The Grammisgalan took place last night, honouring many of Sweden's hottest artists of the moment. The big winners on the night were Veronica Maggio and Lykke Li.

Best Album: Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Best Artist: Lykke Li
Best Electronic/Dance: Rebecca & Fiona - I Love You, Man
Best Hip-Hop/Soul: Timbuktu - Sagolandet
Best Hardrock/Metal: Graveyard - Hisingen Blues
Best Jazz: Tonbruket - Dig It To The End
Best Songwriter: Veronica Maggio/Christian Walz - Satan I Gatan
Best Song: Avicii - Levels
Best Music Video: Gustav Johansson - Karl X Johan - "Flames (Uncompromised Cut)"
Best Newcomer: Aleks
Best Pop: Veronica Maggio - Satan I Gatan
Best Producer: Masse Salazar
Best Rock: Deportees - Islands & Shores
Best International Success: Swedish House Mafia
Best Lyrics: Veronica Maggio/Christian Walz - Satan I Gatan
Best Innovator: Avicii
Honorary Award - Björn Skifs

Check out the red carpet pics at http://stureplan.se/bilder/event/2012/02/14/grammis-2012

which include a few of this year's Melodifestivalen contestants.

P3 Guld 2012

The 2012 P3 Guldgalan took place at Lisebergshallen in Gothenburg last night. The presenter of last night's extravaganza was none other than Salem Al Fakir!

Here are the winners of this year's awards voted for by listeners to Swedish radio P3.

Årets grupp: Deportees
Årets pop: Syket
Årets artist: Kapten Röd
Årets hiphop/soul: Ison & Fille
Guldmicken: Kapten Röd
Årets dans: L-Wiz
Årets låt: "Vart jag mig i världen vänder" - Den Svenska Björnstammen
Årets rock/metal: Graveyard
Årets nykomling: Den Svenska Björnstammen

Of course the Guldgalan is as much about the live performances as the award winners, and as usual, they didn't disappoint. Fibes, Oh Fibes!, a long time favourite of this blog premiered their long-awaited new single "Apex of the Sun" in front of their home crowd.

Check out this link for all the live performances from last night: http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=3964&artikel=4922308

Oh and one more thing....there have been many memorable P3 Guld performances over the years and here's another one to add to the list. Despite stories before the show that Salem wouldn't be singing, well he surprised us and he did sing after all!!

Swedish Grammis 2012: the nominations

I was too busy before Christmas to post this, but (finally) here is the full list of nominees for this year's Swedish Grammis which will take place on 14th February. Information courtesy of www.grammis.se.

Årets album
ANNA TERNHEIM – THE NIGHT VISITOR
DEPORTEES – ISLANDS & SHORES
ISON & FILLE – FÖR EVIGT
LYKKE LI – WOUNDED RHYMES
VERONICA MAGGIO – SATAN I GATAN

Årets artist
DEPORTEES
LYKKE LI
MELISSA HORN
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA
VERONICA MAGGIO

Årets barnalbum
DOREEN MÅNSSON – DILEMMAN MED DOREEN
LEKISJAZZ – LEKISJAZZ
NASSIM AL FAKIR – UTE OCH CYKLAR
ORKESTER POP – MÄTA MED SKÄGG
OSCAR DANIELSON – DET KOSTAR PÅ ATT VARA BARN

Årets dansband
BENNY ANDERSSONS ORKESTER – O KLANG OCH JUBELTID
ELISA’S – DET HÄR ÄR BARA BÖRJAN
LARZ KRISTERZ – FRÅN ÄLVDALEN TILL NASHVILLE
LASSE STEFANZ – CUBA LIBRE
ZEKES – VI LYFTER IGEN

Årets elektro/dans
ADRIAN LUX – BOY / ALIVE
AVICII – LEVELS/FADE INTO DARKNESS
LITTLE DRAGON – RITUAL UNION
REBECCA & FIONA – I LOVE YOU, MAN
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA – SAVE THE WORLD/ANTIDOTE

Årets folkmusik/visa
CAJSASTINA ÅKERSTRÖM – VISOR FRÅN NÄR OCH FJÄRRAN
ERIC BIBB – BLUES, BALLADS & WORK SONGS
LASSE TENNANDER – EREMIT I ETT KOLLEKTIV
MERIT HEMMINGSON – EQ
SOFIA KARLSSON – LEVANDE

Årets hiphop/soul
ADAM TENSTA – SCARED OF THE DARK
ALEXIS WEAK – TILL MINNE AV
ISON & FILLE – FÖR EVIGT
MOVITS! – UT UR MIN SKALLE
TIMBUKTU – SAGOLANDET

Årets hårdrock/metall
GRAVEYARD – HISINGEN BLUES
HAMMERFALL – INFECTED
IN FLAMES – SOUNDS OF A PLAYGROUND FADING
OPETH – HERITAGE
THE HAUNTED – UNSEEN

Årets Internationella album
ADELE – 21
BEYONCÉ – 4
FRANK OCEAN – NOSTALGIA, ULTRA
JAMES BLAKE – JAMES BLAKE
PJ HARVEY – LET ENGLAND SHAKE

Årets jazz
FREDDIE WADLING – WITH A LICENSE TO KILL
GEORG RIEDEL, SARAH RIEDEL & NICOLAI DUNGER – CORNELIS VS RIEDEL
MAGNUS ÖSTRÖM – THREAD OF LIFE
NILS LANDGREN – THE MOON, THE STARS AND YOU
TONBRUKET – DIG IT TO THE END

Årets klassiska
ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER – BERLIOZ: LES NUITS D’ÉTÉ / HAROLD EN ITALY
GUSTAF SJÖKVISTS KAMMARKÖR – I VÅR TID
KUNGLIGA FILHARMONIKERNA/ESA-PEKKA SALONEN/ALAN GILBERT/SAKARI ORAMO – ANDERS HILLBORG – ELEVEN GATES
KUNGSBACKA-TRION – HAYDN: PIANO TRIOS
MALMÖ SYMFONIORKESTER/CHRISTOPH KÖNIG/MALENA ERNMAN – GÖSTA NYSTROEM – SINFONIA DEL MARE

Årets kompositör
ANNA JÄRVINEN – ANNA SJÄLV TREDJE
ANNA TERNHEIM – THE NIGHT VISITOR
LYKKE LI, BJÖRN YTTLING & RICK NOWELS – WOUNDED RHYMES
MELISSA HORN – INNAN JAG KÄNDE DIG
VERONICA MAGGIO/CHRISTIAN WALZ – SATAN I GATAN

Årets låt
AVICII – LEVELS
DEN SVENSKA BJÖRNSTAMMEN – VART JAG MIG I VÄRLDEN VÄNDER
ERIC AMARILLO – OM SANNINGEN SKA FRAM (VILL DU LIGGA MED MIG?)
ERIC SAADE – POPULAR
PETTER & SEPTEMBER – BAKSMÄLLA
SEPTEMBER – MIKROFONKÅT
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA – SAVE THE WORLD
TIMBUKTU – RESTEN AV DITT LIV
TOVE STYRKE – WHITE LIGHT MOMENT
VERONICA MAGGIO – JAG KOMMER

Årets musikvideo
GUSTAV JOHANSSON – KARL X JOHAN ”FLAMES (UNCOMPROMISED CUT)”
MAGNUS RENFORS – PETER JÖBACK, FILMEN TILL ALBUMET ”LIVET, KÄRLEKEN OCH DÖDEN – LA VIE, L’AMOUR, LA MORT”
MAX VITALI – ROBYN ”CALL YOUR GIRLFRIEND”
SLOBODAN ZIVIC – KRIGET ”SUBMISSION”
TED MALMROS/GUSTAF VON ARBIN – PETER BJORN AND JOHN ”GIMME SOME”

Årets nykomling
ADRIAN LUX
ALEKS
DEN SVENSKA BJÖRNSTAMMEN
NEWKID
REBECCA & FIONA

Årets pop
ANE BRUN – IT ALL STARTS WITH ONE
ANNA TERNHEIM – THE NIGHT VISITOR
JONATHAN JOHANSSON – KLAGOMUREN
LYKKE LI – WOUNDED RHYMES
VERONICA MAGGIO – SATAN I GATAN

Årets producent
CHRISTIAN WALZ
JOHAN ECKEBORN
MASSE SALAZAR
SHELLBACK
TOBIAS FRÖBERG

Årets rock
DEPORTEES – ISLANDS & SHORES
ELDKVARN – DE BERÖMDAS AVENY
KEBNEKAJSE – IDIOTEN
ME AND MY ARMY – THANK GOD FOR SENDING DEMONS
SAMLING – NÄR MULLRET DÖVAR VÅRA ÖRON BLIR VI RÄDDA

Årets svenska internationella framgång
AVICII
LITTLE DRAGON
LYKKE LI
OPETH
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA

Årets textförfattare
ANNA TERNHEIM – THE NIGHT VISITOR
JONATHAN JOHANSSON – KLAGOMUREN
MAURO SCOCCO – MUSIK FÖR NYSKILDA
MELISSA HORN – INNAN JAG KÄNDE DIG
VERONICA MAGGIO/CHRISTIAN WALZ – SATAN I GATAN

Årets innovatör
AVICII

DEPORTEES

ERATO

VERONICA MAGGIO

Rockbjörnen Live: 31st August!

Make a note in your diaries....Aftonbladet's annual 'people's music prize' is only a few weeks away. Rockbjörnen - a long-established awards ceremony, where the prizes are voted for by the readers of the top Swedish tabloid - will be broadcast in full from Gröna Lund in Stockholm at www.aftonbladet.se on Wednesday, 31st August 2011, and the highlights of the three hour ceremony will be broadcast on Kanal 5 at 23:00 Swedish time, on Thursday 1st September.

You have until 29th July to nominate your favourite Swedish artists every day at http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/rockbjornen2011/

Meanwhile, Aftonbladet's exclusive Livelöpet concerts are back for another series this summer:

11th July: Dead by April

18th July: Takida

6th August: Daniel Adams-Ray

15th August: September

Really looking forward to seeing Daniel and September!

NRJ Music Awards and P3 Guldgalan

I guess tonight was "big Saturday" with a couple of major music awards ceremonies, so firstly here are the results of the NRJ Music Awards, held (as ever) in Cannes tonight:

Francophone Revelation of the Year: Joyce Jonathan
International Revelation of the Year: Justin Bieber
Francophone Female Artist of the Year: Jenifer
International Female Artist of the Year: Shakira
Francophone Male Artist of the Year: M. Pokora
International Male Artist of the Year: Usher
Francophone Group/Duo of the Year: Justin Nozuka & Zaho
International Group/Duo of the Year: The Black Eyed Peas
Francophone Song of the Year: M. Pokora - "Juste Une Photo De Toi"
International Song of the Year: Shakira - "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)"
Concert of the Year: The Black Eyed Peas
Music Video of the Year: Lady Gaga & Beyonce - "Telephone"
Hit of the Year: Flo Rida feat. David Guetta - Club Can't Handle Me
NRJ Award of Honour: David Guetta

So...shamefully I've been out of the loop as far as French music goes, over the last couple of years so many of the nominees didn't really mean anything to me. However I'm very familiar with the names of the winners...Matt Pokora is still as popular as ever. Although "Juste Une Photo de Toi" is OK I guess, it doesn't excite me in the way that, say, "Elle Me Controle" or "Dangerous" did (and still do) but that's probably more to do with the fact that I'm really, really, REALLY fed up with landfill r'n'b - in any language - please make it stop! Although I'd probably take Matt over all the British rubbish if I had to choose.

Very happy for Jenifer though, even though she beat my all-time fave French female Mylene. Talking of whom, she made her long-awaited appearance tonight - but why did she have to spoil it by miming? At least Jenifer sang live!

Oh, and major points deducted for those awards to the Black Eyed Peas - a band I used to like, believe it or not, but now I hate them with a passion.

Meanwhile, over in Gothenburg it was time for the P3 Guldgalan - and (of course) it was Robyn's big night...

Here are the winners:

Guldmicken (Best live artist): Robyn

Best artist: Robyn

Best song: "Dancing on my own" - Robyn

Best group: Johnossi

Best newcomer: Tove Styrke

Best dance act: Skudge

Best hiphop/soul: CarlitoBest pop: This Is Head

Best rock/metal: Khoma

One of the more fascinating things about this award ceremony was Orup and the Spiderdogs' medley of the Best Song nominees - click on the link at http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=3964

Grammis 2011: it's all over, and here's who won.

Results courtesy of http://www.expressen.se/:

Årets album: Robyn: "Body talk"
Årets artist: Håkan Hellström
Årets låt: Robyn: "Dancing on my own"
Årets grupp: Johnossi
Årets kvinnliga artist: Robyn
Årets manliga artist: Håkan Hellström
Årets kompositör: Klas Åhlund och Robyn
Årets textförfattare: Håkan Hellström
Årets nykomling: Oskar Linnros
Årets producent: RedOne
Årets barnalbum: Orkester Pop
Årets dansband: Lasse Stefanz
Årets folkmusik/visa: Blandade artister - "Sonja Åkesson tolkad av"
Årets hårdrock: Watain
Årets jazz: Dan Berglunds Tonbruket
Årets klassiska: Zilliacusperssonraitinen
Årets specialutgåva: Peter LeMarc
Årets svenska internationella framgång: RedOne
Årets urban/dance: Familjen
Årets innovatör: Iamamiwhoami
Vinnare av årets hederspris: Dag "Dagge" Häggqvist
International artist breakthrough of the year: Donkeyboy.

Above: Oskar Linnros (and his new moustache) celebrate being named the year's best newcomer. And deservedly so!

So....I'll be posting my thoughts over the next couple of nights, as I don't have much time to write my full post just now.

Well, firstly, massive congratulations to Robyn - "Body Talk" was a truly ambitious and prolific experiment. To produce and release such a body of work over the space of a year deserved to be rewarded. Along with Shakira, Robyn is probably the most significantly talented female artist in the world today, yet her music doesn't receive the same level of hype or attention as the overrated and ubiquitous Rihanna and Katy Perry. But we all know by now - Sweden does it better! Well done Ms Carlsson :)

Of course anything I'm going to write about the Grammis will inevitably be clouded by my own taste and judgement, and regular readers will know what I'm going to say: no awards for Salem Al Fakir, which was incredibly disappointing for me, although I don't think the man himself will be too bothered as I remember a quote from him in the past that he "doesn't make music to win awards". But the recognition would have been nice nonetheless. At the time the nominations were announced, I was pretty stunned that there were only two nominations - for best male artist and best song. At the same ceremony 3 years ago, the same singer received a whopping 9 nominations and took home 4 awards. At that time he was critically acclaimed and reasonably well-known, yet not a household name.

When we fast-forward three years, something changed. Salem became that household name thanks to his "great experiment" i.e. appearing in Melodifestivalen. He released a reasonably experimental third album, but it would appear that the nominating committee took the advice of that album's title, "Ignore This" and did just that. The message here would appear to be, 'appear in Melodifestivalen and say goodbye to a Swedish Grammy'. So enjoy your moment, Lasse Stefanz, for it may not come again...!!

For like all music awards ceremonies, the Grammis would seem to be more about the critics' favourites rather than what's popular. Or indeed, what's "pop" - thank goodness we have the refreshing alternative of the Scandipop Awards for that!

Yet it's also an award ceremony full of contradiction. For all the bias towards the "credible" artists/lyricists, many of whom write and sing in Swedish, this year's big winner was an artist who writes and sings in English, and who is both commercially successful and a critics' fave. That's probably the big difference between Sweden and Britain: Sweden is proud to celebrate its artists' successes, particularly beyond Swedish borders - so that award for the ubiquitous RedOne is no surprise - whereas in Britain, when you become successful, the media turn against you.

Another artist who is loved by the critics and is hugely successful at the same time, is this year's triple-winning Håkan Hellström. Despite this, he has never really appealed to my taste although I can understand his crowd-pleasing popularity thanks to his anthemic rock singalongs.

A major shock in the 'best group' category, I thought - the seemingly unstoppable Kent, who made one of their best albums in years, being beaten by the relatively new but very promising Johnossi. I guess this is maybe a sign that the awards jury are looking to the future rather than the past?

Happy to see Donkeyboy win an award in the international category. I didn't know they had this category in the Swedish Grammis, as I thought it was just for Swedish artists and when I saw the result at first I was rather puzzled by this, as the last time I looked, they were Norwegian!

I would have liked to have seen Oskar Linnros win more than one award - and indeed, I'd have liked Daniel Adams-Ray to win one too. Oh well I guess there just weren't enough awards to go round :)) but seriously, the competition was very strong this year and whether or not you agree with the winners, you can't deny that Sweden has such a strong and varied music scene that there is something for everyone. So, even though my favourite artist didn't win anything, I was still very happy with most of the winners and almost all of the nominees. Congratulations to all the winners!

Swedish Grammis 2011 nominations announced today

The Swedish music industry's annual prizegiving ceremony takes place on 17th January at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. Today, the remaining nominations were announced following yesterday's announcement of the best single nominees. Here is the full list of categories and nominations (courtesy of www.musikindustrin.se):

Årets album (Album of the year)
HÅKAN HELLSTRÖM - 2 STEG FRÅN PARADISE
OSKAR LINNROS - VILJA BLI
ROBYN - BODY TALK
SÄKERT! - FACIT
THE RADIO DEPT. - CLINGING TO A SCHEME

Årets artist (Artist of the year)
HÅKAN HELLSTRÖM
JOHNOSSI
OSKAR LINNROS
PETTER
ROBYN

Årets barnalbum (Children's album of the year)
DAN BORNEMARK - LILLA TRAMS
JOHANNA OCH KÖKSKVARTETTEN - JOHANNA OCH KÖKSKVARTETTEN
KRÅKAN OCH BUSARNA - EN JÄTTELITEN LÅG HÖG
ORKESTER POP - STAVA MED SKÄGG
PELLE HÖGLUND OCH JOHAN SUNDSTRÖM - TORE BLAND AFRIKAS DJUR

Årets dansband (Dansband of the year)
LARZ-KRISTERZ - SMÅ ORD AV GULD
LASSE STEFANZ - TEXAS
ROLANDZ - JAJAMEN
THE PLAYTONES - ROCK 'N' ROLL DANCE PARTY
TITANIX - DRÖMMAR FÅR LIV

Årets folkmusik/visa (Folk music)
BLANDADE ARTISTER - SONJA ÅKESSON TOLKAD AV
FIRST AID KIT - THE BIG BLACK & THE BLUE
JONAS KNUTSSON - BLÅSLÅTAR
OLA MAGNELL - ROLÖS
TONI HOLGERSSON - IBLAND KALLAR JAG DET KÄRLEK

Årets grupp (Group/band of the year)
DUNGEN - SKIT I ALLT
HÄSTPOJKEN - FRÅN DÄR JAG ROPAR
JOHNOSSI - MAVERICKS
KENT - EN PLATS I SOLEN
THE RADIO DEPT. - CLINGING TO A SCHEME

Årets hårdrock (Hard rock)
GHOST - OPUS EPONYMOUS
KHOMA - A FINAL STORM
PASCAL - ORKANEN NÄRMAR SIG
SABATON - COAT OF ARMS
WATAIN - LAWLESS DARKNESS

Årets jazz
DAN BERGLUNDS TONBRUKET - TONBRUKET
GORAN KAJFES - X/Y
MAGNUS CARLSON & THE MOON RAY QUINTET - ECHOES
ODDJOB - CLINT
PETER ASPLUND QUARTET - ASPLUND MEETS BERNSTEIN

Årets klassiska (Classical)
ELIZABETH PITCAIRN & HELSINGBORGS SYMFONIORKESTER - TOMMIE HAGLUND: HYMNS TO THE NIGHT
GÖTEBORGS SYMFONIKER / MARIO VENZAGO - HILDING ROSENBERG: SYMFONI NR 3 & 6
HELEN SJÖHOLM, RUSSELL WATSON M.FL. - KRISTINA AT CARNEGIE HALL
MATS BERGSTRÖM & GEORG RIEDEL - SÅNGER UTAN ORD
ZILLIACUSPERSSONRAITINEN - WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: DIVERTIMENTO

Årets kompositör (Composer of the year)
ANNIKA NORLIN OCH HENRIK OJA - FACIT
HÅKAN HELLSTRÖM - 2 STEG FRÅN PARADISE
KLAS ÅHLUND & ROBYN - BODY TALK
OSKAR LINNROS - VILJA BLI
PERNILLA ANDERSSON - Ö

Årets kvinnliga artist (Female artist of the year)
ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF - SINGING FROM THE GRAVE
BRITTA PERSSON - CURRENT AFFAIR MEDIUM RARE
PERNILLA ANDERSSON - Ö
ROBYN - BODY TALK
SÄKERT! - FACIT

Årets låt (Song of the year)*
ANNA BERGENDAHL - THIS IS MY LIFE
DANIEL ADAMS-RAY - GUBBEN I LÅDAN
ERIC SAADE - MANBOY
ERIK GRÖNWALL - HIGHER
JOHNOSSI - WHAT'S THE POINT
MOHOMBI - BUMPY RIDE
OSKAR LINNROS - FRÅN OCH MED DU
ROBYN - DANCING ON MY OWN
SALEM AL FAKIR - KEEP ON WALKING
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA – ONE
* Vote at www.expressen.se

Årets manliga artist (Male artist of the year)
DANIEL ADAMS-RAY - SVART VITT OCH ALLT DÄREMELLAN
HÅKAN HELLSTRÖM - 2 STEG FRÅN PARADISE
OSKAR LINNROS - VILJA BLI
SALEM AL FAKIR - IGNORE THIS
THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH - THE WILD HUNT

Årets nykomling (New artist of the year)
ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF - SINGING FROM THE GRAVE
CEO - WHITE MAGIC
FIRST AID KIT - THE BIG BLACK & THE BLUE
OSKAR LINNROS - VILJA BLI
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA - UNTIL ONE

Årets producent (Producer of the year)
ADRIAN LUX
JOAKIM ÅHLUND & HÅKAN HELLSTRÖM
KLAS ÅHLUND
MAX MARTIN
RED ONE

Årets specialutgåva (Special award)
BLANDADE ARTISTER - SONJA ÅKESSON TOLKAD AV
MIKAEL WIEHE - ALDRIG BLI SOM NI - SÅNGER OCH SYNVINKLAR
NATIONALTEATERN - LÄGG AV! HISTORIEN OM NATIONALTEATERN
PETER LEMARC - STARKARE ÄN ORD - SAMTLIGA ALBUM 1987-2008 OCH MER DÄRTILL
THE ARK - IN FULL REGALIA

Årets svenska internationella framgång (Swedish international success)
DUNGEN
MAX MARTIN
RED ONE
ROBYN
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA

Årets textförfattare (Lyricist of the year)
ANNIKA NORLIN - FACIT
HÅKAN HELLSTRÖM - 2 STEG FRÅN PARADISE
OLA MAGNELL - ROLÖS
OSKAR LINNROS - VILJA BLI
PLURA JONSSON - KÄRLEKENS VÄG - EN MÄSSA

Årets urban/dance
BOEOES KAELSTIGEN - TANUM TELEPORT
FAMILJEN - MÄNSKLIGHETEN
PETTER - EN RÄDDARE I NÖDEN
PH3 - PH3 LÖSER ETT FALL
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA - UNTIL ONE

Årets innovatör
IAMAMIWHOAMI
JOHNOSSI
MAGNUS WEIDESKOG
NOMY
ROBYN

So...the river of creative musical talent continues to flow in Sweden, and the competition is tighter than ever as all the "big guns" released albums over the past year, whilst some new names arrived on the scene. One of those new names - 'new' as in 'new solo artist' anyway - Oskar Linnros, has seven nominations, as does Robyn, whilst Håkan Hellström has six nominations.

It's (almost) all good. There's just one thing wrong, and if you're a regular reader of this blog then it won't take long for you to guess what that is.

Only two nominations for Salem Al Fakir. Whilst I'm delighted that he was nominated at all, I am still very disappointed that he only received two nominations when he deserved so many more this year, after producing a stunning album, "Ignore This". I guess the jury just took the album title a bit too literally....or could it be that after his appearance in Melodifestivalen and reaching a whole new audience, maybe he's just not "cool" enough anymore to be nominated? Yet there are some very commercially successful acts in the list....oh well, let's just say I'm not happy, and I don't understand why he's been overlooked in the artist/album/lyricist/composer/producer categories.

At this point you're all probably saying "get over it!" but you know what I'm like by now.....and I just want to clarify that I'm very happy with most of the nominees - especially Oskar, Daniel, Robyn and Kent. One thing is for sure - Sweden can be very proud of its musical talent.

P3 Guld 2011: nominations announced

Årets artist
Daniel Adams-Ray – Svart vitt och allt däremellan
Håkan Hellström – 2 steg från paradise
Oskar Linnros – Vilja bli
Robyn – Body talk pt. 1
Säkert! ­– Facit

Årets grupp
Hästpojken – Från där jag ropar
Johnossi – Mavericks
Kent – En plats i solen
Swedish House Mafia – Until one
The Radio Dept. – Clinging to a scheme

Årets nykomling
Anna von Hausswolff
First Aid Kit
Jasmine Kara
Royal Republic
Tove Styrke

Årets låt
Daniel Adams-Ray – Gubben i lådan
Johnossi – What's the point
Oskar Linnros – Från och med du
Robyn – Dancing on my own
Salem Al Fakir – Keep on walking
Swedish House Mafia feat. Pharrell – One (Your name)

Guldmicken (tilldelas årets bästa liveakt)
Familjen
Hoffmaestro
Håkan Hellström
Melissa Horn
Robyn

Årets dans
Alexi Delano – Samlad produktion
Avicii/Tim Berg – Samlad produktion
Harald Björk – Bigfield
Skudge – Samlad produktion
Swedish House Mafia – Samlad produktion

Årets hiphop/soul
Carlito – Guldburen
Jasmine Kara – Blues ain't nothing but a good woman gone bad
PH3 – PH3 löser ett fall
Supersci – Timelines
Trainspotters – Dirty north

Årets pop
Anna von Hausswolff – Singing from the grave
Robyn – Samlad produktion
The Radio Dept. – Clinging to a scheme
The Tallest Man on Earth – The wild hunt
This is Head – 0001

Årets rock/metal
Ghost – Opus eponymous
Khoma – A final storm
Pascal – Orkanen närmar sig
The Baboon Show – Punk rock harbour
Watain – Lawless darkness

P3 Guldgalan 2011

Another date for your diaries - one of Sweden's hottest music award ceremonies will take place on Saturday 22 January 2011 at Lisebergshallen in Gothenburg. I refer of course to the P3 Guldgalan!

The nominees will be revealed at a press conference at the beginning of December, by which time we should also know about the artists performing at the ceremony. Of course there are always surprises too, like the January 2010 Guldgalan performance by Staygold featuring Spank Rock, Robyn and a certain Damien Adore....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA9UA3CSnms

More information at http://sverigesradio.se/cgi-bin/press/artikel.asp?artikel=4138656

Rockbjörnen 2010

The 31st annual Rockbjörnen awards ceremony, organised by the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, and voted for by the public, took place in Stockholm last Wednesday, 1st September. The focus of this year's awards was on live music, and included the recent series of virtual concerts - "Live-löpet" - which as you know I had mixed feelings about :) anyway this year's ceremony took place in a tent on Djurgården and had a little 'downmarket' feel to it, but, hey, rock n' roll!!

Only it wasn't really too rock n'roll: the ceremony should maybe have been renamed "Popbjörnen" as many of the acts, whether nominated, winners, or performers, were more on the 'pop' side.

The ceremony was presented by Linda Sundblad who brought the right amount of rock-chick glamour to the evening with a selection of costume-changes, some more bizarre than others!

My major problem with the show this year was that it was just far too long, at over three hours. The length of the show didn't justify the amount of awards being given out - and more time seemed to be spent on mingling/backstage interviews than actual 'awarding'.

Anyway, onwards to the first award of the evening, for Årets Svenska Låt - best Swedish song of the year. Of course you'll know which song I wanted to win in this category - "Keep On Walking" by Salem Al Fakir, which, for me, is the best Swedish song of the year. However, the public vote went to "Från Och Med Du" by Oskar Linnros, who launched his solo career earlier this year and has had a phenomenally successful summer. His debut album's been well-received by both critics and the public alike. If Salem hadn't won in this category, I wanted Oskar to win it so I was pretty happy with this result.

In any awards ceremony where the public vote is involved, it's inevitable that the acts with the biggest fanbase end up with the prize. And so it was for Årets Konsert - concert of the year. The award went to Tokio Hotel, who still have a massive fanbase, although personally speaking I'm not so keen on their music as I used to be. The award was presented by Aftonbladet's music columnist Markus Larsson, I wouldn't imagine Tokio Hotel would get much airplay on his CD player....anyway the band weren't there to pick up their award as they are touring at the moment so accepted their award with a video message.

The next award - Årets Utlandska Låt - international hit of the year - also went to Tokio Hotel with "World Behind My Wall" which I can't recall being such a big hit in the Swedish charts, but that's fan power for you, yet again.

This year's awards featured a few live interludes, the first being by the always-reliable and always-wonderful The Ark. Ola was as 'understated' as ever and had two costume changes. If I remember rightly, they played "Take A Shine To Me", "Superstar" and then "Calleth You, Cometh I", which, if I'm honest, overstayed its welcome a little. Or maybe I just wasn't in such a good mood, I don't know :)

As I said earlier, there was a bit too much time spent on backstage/mingling interviews but it wasn't all bad, as some of the celeb-spotting was fun - oh look, there's Måns Zelmerlöw looking very nice in a black coat! - and Sean Banan was, um, "bringing up the rear" (you wouldn't get that at the Brit awards would you!!).

But back to the awards: Årets svenska livegrupp - best Swedish live group - went to...Kent. Oh, quelle surprise. I do like them, but it does get a bit predictable with them winning all the time.

Årets kvinnliga liveartist - best Swedish female live artist next. And the award goes to....Robyn! Oh what a good choice! However she wasn't there to pick up her award as she is on tour, but sent a video message.

Next live act on stage was none other than Eric Saade, with "Masquerade", "Break of Dawn" and finally, the song which he'll always be remembered for - "Manboy". He performed a very professional set and gave a better live performance than I was expecting from him: very professional.

Mingle time again....and who should be interviewed next? Only Salem and Nassim Al Fakir, who looked as if they were both having a lot of fun. (Salem was also interviewed later by Linda Sundblad). It was nice to see Lina and Tess from Alcazar there too, but there was no sign of Andreas...

A word about some of the people presenting the awards - comedienne Nour El-Refai used some colourful language, whilst Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, accompanied by fellow politician Maria Wetterstrand, revisited Bildt's Grammisgalan 2008 comedy jacket fashion disaster :)))

The prize for - Årets festival - Festival of the year - went to the organisers of Peace and Love.

Then it was time for the second award of the evening for Swedish music's brightest new star, Oskar Linnros - Årets Genombrott - Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Well done Oskar!!

Next live act of the evening was Tove Styrke. The Idol 2009 runner-up is now launching her solo career with her debut single, the very catchy "Million Pieces". She has so much charm and charisma, but something seemed to go very wrong during her performance and it all went off-key. I wondered if she maybe lost her earpiece or was there another problem with the sound?

More mingling, then...

...the final award of the evening, the award for Årets svenska manliga liveartist - Swedish male live artist of the year. Again I'd hoped that Salem Al Fakir would win this one, he's had a fantastic year during which he has won the hearts of the Swedish people, and had a long, successful summer tour. However, it's another one of those categories where the presence of Lars Winnerbäck is enough to guarantee an award. I don't really understand Winnerbäck's appeal, but each to their own, I suppose.

The final live act of the evening was Hoffmaestro & Chraa. I'd heard of them, but hadn't heard their music before. It felt as if there was about 20 of them on stage (!) and they certainly provided a lively conclusion to the evening's proceedings.

OK, time for some photographs. These red-carpet and onstage shots are all courtesy of Swedish celeb-spotting website www.stureplan.se - enjoy!

Above: man of the moment, Oskar Linnros.

Above: Eric Saade.

Above: Måns Zelmerlöw.

Above: my vote for Årets svenska livegrupp....Salem, Adam, Jakob and Nisse!

Above: The Ark.

Above: Oskar Linnros and Linda Sundblad.

Above: Carl Bildt and Maria Wetterstrand's complementary comedy jackets.

Above: Eric Saade, on stage.

Above: Tove Styrke on stage.

Rockbjörnen Live: and the nominees are....

Nominations closed yesterday for all the categories in Aftonbladet's annual 'people's music prize' which this year has been given a "live" twist.

The final nominees were revealed today....of course I'm very very happy about some of them ;)

Of course with any poll which involves public voting, you don't always get a deserved winner, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Swedish public gets it right this time!

BEST SWEDISH MALE LIVE ARTIST:
Salem Al Fakir
Oskar Linnros
Lars Winnerbäck
Eric Saade
Ola Svensson

My choice: An entertainer, a showman, and an outstanding live artist with the potential to be a worldwide superstar. In other words...Salem Al Fakir!

BEST SWEDISH FEMALE LIVE ARTIST:
Robyn
Melissa Horn
Amanda Jenssen
Anna Bergendahl
Agnes

My choice: I can't really see past Robyn for this one, although Amanda is a strong challenger.

BEST SWEDISH LIVE GROUP:
Kent
Mando Diao
Hoffmaestro & Chraa
The Ark
In Flames

My choice: Again, good category - I'd be happy with The Ark, Kent or Mando Diao.

BEST SWEDISH SONG OF THE YEAR:
Från Och Med Du – Oskar Linnros
Keep On Walking – Salem Al Fakir
Unstoppable – Ola
Nothing Without You – Mando Diao
Manboy – Eric Saade

My choice: No contest - "Keep On Walking", which actually is the best Swedish song of this year. However, as with the Swedish Grammys, this can be one of those categories where you should never underestimate an artist's fanbase, which can often result in an inferior winner.

BEST INTERNATIONAL SONG OF THE YEAR:
Tokio Hotel - World Behind My Wall
Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
Justin Bieber - Baby
Lady Gaga - Telephone
Lady Gaga - Alejandro

My choice..."ra-ra-roma-ma.." however I fear the worst, thanks to the incomprehensible popularity of J***** B*****. But then I'm not a 10 year old. Even if I was a 10 year old, I'd still find his popularity incomprehensible...!

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ACT:
Oskar Linnros
Eric Saade
Anna Bergendahl
Justin Bieber
Andreas Grega

My choice: Oskar Linnros - he is totally deserving of this award. But once again, unfortunately I fear the worst, 'baby, baby, baby, oohhhh..' :(

BEST CONCERT
Tokio Hotel
Mando Diao
Lady Gaga
Kent
Lars Winnerbäck

My choice: He's not in this category :( so in his absence I'd be happy with either Kent, Mando Diao, or Gaga.

BEST FESTIVAL
Peace & Love
Getaway
Sweden rock
Metaltown
Arvika

My choice: Peace & Love. I seem to remember it had a pretty good line-up.

OK so those are my choices, I'll probably be wrong as usual with most (or all) of them! Good to see Oskar Linnros getting three nominations - that's a nice birthday present for him as he is 27 today (happy birthday Oskar!!) There's an interview with him in today's Aftonbladet: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/rockbjornen2010/article7622790.ab

Needless to say, Aftonbladet's Markus Larsson has his own views on the nominations: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/rockbjornen2010/article7623770.ab

NRJ Music Awards 2010: the results are in

The annual NRJ Music Awards ceremony took place in Cannes on Saturday night. As I've been so busy lately and not had much time to blog or keep track of all things European and musical, it kind of passed me by this year and I even forgot to vote!

Album français de l’année: Caféine - Christophe Willem
Album international de l’année: One Love - David Guetta
Artiste féminine française de l’année: Sofia Essaidi
Artiste féminine internationale de l’année: Mariah Carey
Artiste masculin français de l’année: Christophe Willem
Artiste masculin international de l’année: Robbie Williams
Chanson internationale de l’année: I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
Chanson francophone de l’année: L’Assasymphonie - Mozart
Groupe/Duo/Troupe français(e) de l’année: Mozart, L’opéra-rock
Groupe/Duo/Troupe international(e) de l’année: Tokio Hotel
Révélation française de l’année: Florent Mothe
Révélation internationale de l’année: Lady GaGa

Well done Christophe Willem, a well-deserved two awards for him. Glad that Sofia won best French female artist too. As I haven't paid too much attention to the French music scene over the last 12 months (with very few exceptions), the whole Mozart-thing has also passed me by, although I'm not surprised by its success if you bear in mind how well the likes of Cleopatre and Le Roi Soleil have done over the past few years.

I don't make new year resolutions, but one thing I must do over the coming year is rediscover French popular music, which was something I completely loved for so long: it's only over the past couple of years that I've drifted away from French music so I really need to get back there :)

Brits nominations announced.

Yawn. 2009 was for me one of the poorest years for British music in a long time, so I guess this nominations list is a pretty accurate reflection of it I suppose, whereas in some previous years it wasn't.

Probably the only redeeming feature is two nominations for Empire of the Sun, and a mention for Calvin Harris. As for that British single category...well it's like a British equivalent of musical torture at Guantanamo Bay. Only worse.

British Male Solo Artist:
Calvin Harris
Dizzee Rascal
Mika
Paolo Nutini
Robbie Williams

British Female Solo Artist:
Bat For Lashes
Florence And The Machine
Leona Lewis
Lily Allen
Pixie Lott

British Breakthrough Act:
Florence And The Machine
Friendly Fires
JLS
La Roux
Pixie Lott

British Group:
Doves
Friendly Fires
JLS
Kasabian
Muse

Mastercard British Album:
Dizzee Rascal - Tongue 'N Cheek
Florence And The Machine - Lungs
Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up

British Single:
Alesha Dixon - 'Breathe Slow'
Alexandra Burke ft. Flo Rida - 'Bad Boys'
Cheryl Cole - 'Fight For This Love'
Joe McElderry - 'The Climb'
JLS - 'Beat Again'
La Roux - 'In For The Kill'
Lily Allen - 'The Fear'
Pixie Lott - 'Mama Do'
Taio Cruz - 'Break Your Heart'
Tinchy Stryder ft. N-Dubz - 'Number 1'

International Male Solo Artist:
Bruce Springsteen
Eminem
Jay-Z
Michael Buble
Seasick Steve

International Female Solo Artist:
Lady GaGa
Ladyhawke
Norah Jones
Rihanna
Shakira

International Breakthrough Act:
Animal Collective
Daniel Merriweather
Empire Of The Sun
Lady GaGa
Taylor Swift

International Album:
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D.
Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
Lady GaGa - The Fame

British Producer of the Year:
Jim Abbiss
Paul Epworth
Ethan Johns
Steve Lillywhite

Critics' Choice Award:
Ellie Goulding

Outstanding Contribution to Music:
Robbie Williams

Brits Performance of 30th Year:
Bee Gees - 'Stayin' Alive' / 'How Deep Is Your Love' (1997)
Bros - 'I Owe You Nothing' (1989)
Coldplay - 'Clocks' (2003)
Eurythmics and Stevie Wonder - 'Angel' (1999)
Girls Aloud - 'The Promise' (2009)
Kanye West - 'Gold Digger' (2006)
Kylie Minogue - 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' (2002)
Michael Jackson - 'Earth Song' (1996)
Paul McCartney - 'Live And Let Die' (2008)
Pet Shop Boys - 'Go West' (1994)
Robbie Williams and Tom Jones - Full Monty medley (1998)
Scissor Sisters - 'Take Your Mama' (2005)
Spice Girls - 'Wannabe' / 'Who Do You Think You Are' (1997)
The Who - 'Who Are You' (1988)

Brits Album of 30 Years:
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Dido - No Angel
Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms
Duffy - Rockferry
Keane - Hopes & Fears
Oasis - What's The Story Morning Glory
Phil Collins - No Jacket Required
Sade - Diamond Life
The Verve - Urban Hymns
Travis - The Man Who

Swedish Grammis 2010 Results

This year's ceremony took place on Friday 15th January - here are the results:

Årets artist: Lars Winnerbäck
Årets album: Thåström: "Kärlek är för dom"
Årets låt: Mando Diao: "Dance with somebody"
Årets kvinnliga artist: Amanda Jenssen
Årets manliga artist: Lars Winnerbäck
Årets nykomling: Erik Hassle
Årets kompositör: Amanda Jenssen & Pär Wiksten
Årets textförfattare: Thåström
Årets producent: Kent & Joshua
Årets pop: Fibes, Oh Fibes!
Årets rock: Kent
Årets klubb/hip hop: Promoe
Årets hårdrock: Mustasch
Årets dansband: Larz-Kristerz
Årets folkmusik/visa: Sofia Karlsson
Årets jazz: Jeanette Lindström
Årets klassiska: Kammarensemble Sonanza
Årets barnalbum: Bröderna Lindgren: "Presenterar meningen med livet"
Årets specialutgåva: Olle Adolphson: "Tystnaden smyger som en katt... 1956–2004"
Årets hederspris: Jerry Williams
MTVs videopris: Timbuktu "Välj mej"

Particularly happy about Erik Hassle, Fibes, Oh Fibes! and Mando Diao winning; but disappointed (unsurprisingly) that Salem Al Fakir went away empty-handed. Still, there's always next year.....!

Grammis 2010: first list of nominations announced

I know I'm a bit late with these: they were actually announced yesterday. As usual there will be a short period of voting (go to www.grammis.se for more information) and then the nominees list for each category will be reduced and then voting will reopen for the final short list in each category.

Thanks to www.musikindustrin.se for the following list...

Årets artist
A Camp / Agnes / Amanda Jenssen / Caroline af Ugglas / Erik Hassle / Kent / Lars Winnerbäck / Mando Diao/ Takida /Thåström

Årets album
A Camp: “Colonia” / Amanda Jenssen: “Happyland” / Caroline af Ugglas: “Så gör jag det igen” / El Perro del Mar: “Love is not pop” / Erik Hassle: “Hassle” / Jenny Wilson: “Hardships!” / Kent: “Röd” / Lars Winnerbäck: “Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen” / Takida: “The darker instinct” / Thåström: “Kärlek är för dom”

Årets kvinnliga artist
Agnes / Amanda Jenssen / Anna Järvinen / Caroline af Ugglas / Jenny Wilson / Laleh / Melissa Horn / Miss Li / Pernilla Andersson / Sarah Dawn Finer

Årets manliga artist
Christian Walz / Erik Hassle / Freddie Wadling / John ME / Lars Winnerbäck /Markus Krunegård / Olle Ljungström / Salem Al Fakir / Thåström / Tingsek

Årets nykomling
Adiam Dymott / Dead By April / Erik Hassle / John ME / Jonathan Johansson / Larz-Kristerz / Lorentz & M Sakarias / Maskinen / Miike Snow / Name The Pet

Årets kompositör
Amanda Jenssen & Pär Wiksten / Anna Järvinen / Christian Walz / Deportees / El Perro del Mar / Joakim Berg & Martin Sköld (Kent) / Lars Winnerbäck / Nina Persson - Niclas Frisk & Nathan Larson (A Camp) / Salem Al Fakir / Thåström

Årets textförfattare
Amanda Jenssen / Anna Järvinen / Caroline af Ugglas / El Perro del Mar / Joakim Berg (Kent)Laleh / Lars Winnerbäck / Louise Hoffsten/Peter LeMarc / Melissa Horn / Thåström

Årets pop
A Camp / Asha Ali / BWO / Calaisa / El Perro del Mar / Fibes Oh Fibes / Jill Johnson / Melody Club / Miike Snow / Peter Bjorn & John

Årets rock
Ingenting / Bob Hund / Deportees / Dundertåget / Europe / Florence Valentin / Kent / Mando Diao / Takida / The Bear Quartet

Årets producent
A Camp / Amanda Jenssen & Pär Wiksten / Bloodshy & Avant (Miike Snow) / El Perro Del Mar/Rasmus Hägg Goran Kajfes (Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet) / Jenny Wilson / Kent & Joshua (Kent) / Laleh / Salem Al Fakir / Thomas Rusiak (Adiam Dymott).

Årets dansband
Arvingarna / Benny Andersson Band / CC & Lee / Drifters / Jannez / Larz-Kristerz / Lasse Stefanz / Scotts / Sten & Stanley

Årets hårdrock
Candlemass / Crucified / Barbara / Dead By April / Hammerfall / Hardcore Superstar / Lillasyster / Mustasch / Raised Fist / Renegade Five /Wolf

Årets klubb/hiphop
Andreas Tilliander / J-Son / Ken Ring / Lorentz & M Sakarias / Mange Schmidt / Maskinen / Mohammed Ali / Näääk / Promoe / Swingfly

I've got my own views on this list and as you can imagine I'm happy with some of it, but there are some other things I'm not happy about, which I'll be talking about over at Planet Salem...

P3 Guld 2010: nominations announced

Thanks to http://www.gp.se/ for the info:


BEST SONG
Agnes - Release me
Erik Hassle - Hurtful
Mando Diao - Dance with somebody
Markus Krunegård - Hela livet var ett disco
Promoe - Svennebanan


BEST POP
Taken by trees
Fever Ray
Fontän
Deportees
Miike Snow


BEST HIPHOP/SOUL

Lorentz & M Sakarias
Näääk
Mohammed Ali
Promoe
Stor


BEST ROCK/METAL
Switch Opens
Abramis Abrama
Gösta Berlings saga
Satan takes a holiday
Babian


BEST DANCE
Adan Beyer
Axwell
Dada Life
Fever Ray
Samuel L Session


BEST ARTIST
Miss Li
Amanda Jenssen
Jonathan Johansson
Markus Krunegård
Lars Winnerbäck


BEST GROUP
Mando Diao
Kent
Fibes oh Fibes!
Takida
Ingenting


BEST NEWCOMER

Erik Hassle
Miike Snow
Fever Ray
Maskinen
Lorentz & M Sakarias


BEST LIVE ACT

Jenny Wilson
Miss Li
Promoe
Takida
Lars Winnerbäck


I'm very happy to see Erik Hassle, Fibes and Miike Snow included in this year's list.

EUROPE music awards????

I didn't even bother watching the MTV Europe Music Awards last night and now that I've seen the results I'm pretty glad. What's the point of having a European Music Awards ceremony where the winners just duplicate the U.S. version? Apart from the best European act (maNga from Turkey) and best group (Tokio Hotel) and national act awards there is nothing to differentiate this. If it's a European awards ceremony then the nominees should only come from this continent.

Oh, and "Halo" - best single? I'm seriously worried about the musical taste of the MTV-viewers :(

Rant over!

Brits: OK I did say they were foolish predictions!!

Haven't seen tonight's show yet - will watch it tomorrow, although I couldn't resist a sneak peek at the Pet Shop Boys' medley which closed the show.

Anyway here's who won:

British Male Solo Artist: Paul Weller
British Female Solo Artist: Duffy
British Group: Elbow
British Single: "The Promise" - Girls Aloud
British Album: "Rockferry" - Duffy
British Breakthrough Act: Duffy
British Live Act: Iron Maiden
International Male Solo Artist: Kanye West
International Female Solo Artist: Katy Perry
International Group: Kings of Leon
International Album: "Only By The Night" - Kings of Leon
Critics Choice Award: Florence and the Machine
Outstanding Contribution to Music: Pet Shop Boys

A strange mix of unit-shifters and the critically acclaimed.

3 awards for Duffy? Huh? Is it just me?
"The Promise" as best single? Now I've long been a GA fan but it's ironic that they should finally win a Brit with (IMHO) their worst single.
Still it's not all bad. Scouting For Girls won zilch.

Well done PSBs though. I've always loved them, all the way from the original version of "West End Girls" and it's time they got the recognition they deserve which is long, long overdue.

EDIT 19.02.08: I watched the show tonight and drew the following conclusions:

1. Apart from Russell Brand - love him or hate him, but he was brilliant the year he presented the show - there is always a foregone conclusion that the presenters will be rubbish. Two people from some sitcom called "Gavin and Stacey" which I haven't watched, but if it's as funny as these two were, then I wouldn't anticipate cracking a smile. In fact I decided that James Corden - the one who used to be on "Fat Friends" back in the day - is possibly one of the unfunniest people I've seen in years.

2. Live Acts - I was impressed with the fairly high calibre of the live performances on offer, particularly the aforementioned Pet Shop Boys end of show medley which featured guest vocals from the lovely Brandon Flowers and Lady GaGa.

Coldplay - as usual they gave it their all, but I wonder how they must have been feeling - knowing that they were (unfairly) going home empty-handed?

Kings of Leon were also excellent on "Use Somebody" - what brilliant vocals.

Take That - well they always put on a show, although I think you'd say 'that was so not a good look' :)

My aversion to the Ting Tings prevented me from sitting through their 'who thought of this?' collaboration with Estelle. (I wish Kanye had been there instead - but he wasn't. Have to say his acceptance speech was quite funny though).

U2 opened the show with "Get On Your Boots", which - shock horror - I actually quite like - but live, it left me cold, because they always do now.

3. Shock winners: Iron Maiden - Best Live Act! Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1982.
Elbow - Critics' favourites of the last year, but Best British Group? A lot of people have never heard of them. (I have, although I've never really investigated their music).

As usual, with the Brits you should always prepare for disappointment, because disappointment's what you're gonna get :(