Marit Bergman

Marit Bergman once described her musical genesis as "Madonna > X-Ray Spex > Discharge > Sonic Youth > Roberta Flack > Mary J. Blige," which at very least points to her aural eclecticism if not the widescreen pop grandeur of her solo work and her rich, expressive voice. Born in a small town in central Sweden in 1975, Bergman started writing songs at the age of 12, and formed her first band at 17, the pop-punk group Candysuck, who made their recording debut with the witty but controversial hit "Kill Your Boyfriend." But it was when Bergman released her first solo album, Three A.M. Serenades, on her own Sugartoy label in 2002 (three years after Candysuck called it quits) that critics began to sit up and take notice. The album earned fine reviews and impressive sales for an independent release, and in 2003 she was signed to the Swedish branch of RCA/BMG, which promptly reissued the album. Bergman's next album, Baby Dry Your Eyes, was a major success and earned her two Swedish Grammy Awards as Best Female Artist and Best Songwriter. Her third album, 2006's I Think It's a Rainbow, was an ambitious collection embracing poignant singer/songwriter material, joyous '60s-style girl group sounds, smart, effusive contemporary pop, and much else; the album helped to spread Bergman's reputation outside the Nordic regions, though at this writing she remains unsigned in the United States and Europe. ~ Mark Deming