The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Scandinavian music in 2018.
(Go to last year in Scandinavian music or

next year "Next Year" is a song released as the last single from the third Foo Fighters' album ''There Is Nothing Left to Lose''. History A shorter version (running at just 3:21 compared to the original's 4:36) was released as a single in 2000 and wa ...

in Scandinavian music.)

Events

January

* 12 **Norwegian singer Sigrid is named winner of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

's "Sound of 2018" award. **The 22nd Folklandia Cruise starts in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, Finland, running until 13 January. * 13 – Composer Paavo Heininen, considered by many to be Finland's most influential musician, celebrates his 80th birthday with a concert at the Järvenpää Hall, Helsinki. * 19 – The 37th annual Djangofestival starts in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway, to run until 20 January. * 28 – Jazz guitarist Gustav Lundgren and his trio perform a tribute to Django Reinhardt at Stockholm Concert Hall, featuring Aurélien Trigo and

Antoine Boyer Antoine Bohier Du Prat (c. 1460 – 27 November 1519) was a French people, French Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Bishop (Catholic Church), bishop and Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal. Biography Antoine Bohier Du Prat was born in Issoire, ca. 1 ...

. * 30 – Danish composer

Hans Abrahamsen Hans Abrahamsen (born 23 December 1952) is a Danish composer born in Kongens Lyngby near Copenhagen. His '' Let me tell you'' (2013), a song cycle for soprano and orchestra, was ranked by music critics at ''The Guardian'' as the finest work of t ...

is awarded the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2019.

February

* 10 – The 38th

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix Dansk Melodi Grand Prix (), also known as Melodi Grand Prix or simply DMGP, is an annual music competition organised by the Danish public broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) since 1957, which determines the for the Eurovision Song Contest. The fe ...

is won by " Higher Ground", performed by Rasmussen. * 14 – Norwegian singer Sigrid wins Best New Artist at the NME Awards ceremony. * 22 – It is announced that

Agnes Obel Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel (born 28 October 1980) is a Danish singer, songwriter, and musician based in Berlin. Her debut album, '' Philharmonics'' (2010), was released by PIAS Recordings, and was certified gold in June 2011 by the Belgian En ...

has signed to Deutsche Grammophon, who will have a joint arrangement with Blue Note for North American releases.

March

* 3 – At Söngvakeppnin 2018,

Ari Ólafsson Ari Ólafsson () (born 21 May 1998) is an Icelandic singer who represented his country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Our Choice ''Our Choice'' is a 2009 book written by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and published ...

is selected to represent Iceland in the

2018 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the with the song " Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European B ...

, with the song "Heim". After winning the context, Ólafsson is criticised on social media for crying on hearing the result. * 7 – Fifteen-year-old cellist Birgitta Elisa Oftestad wins the Virtuos 2018 competition and is named Norway's representative at the Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 contest. * 9 – Finnish band

Nightwish Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Neva ...

begins a nine-month world tour titled '' Decades: World Tour'', accompanying a new 2CD compilation called ''Decades''. * 10 – The final of

Melodifestivalen 2018 Melodifestivalen 2018 was the 58th edition of the Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen, which selected Sweden's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. The competition was organised by Sveriges Television (SVT) and took place over a six ...

takes place in

Friends Arena Nationalarenan, currently known as Friends Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. Located next to the lake Råstasjön in Solna, just north of the City Centre, it is the biggest stadium in ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden. * 12 – The

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Finnish: ''Radion sinfoniaorkesteri'', Swedish: ''Radions symfoniorkester'') is a Finnish broadcast orchestra based in Helsinki, and the orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle). The orchestra prima ...

, under Hannu Lintu, begins a week-long series of concerts in Germany. * 25 ** Swedish House Mafia unexpectedly reunite for a performance at the 20th Anniversary of Ultra Music Festival in Miami, United States. **Greenlandic singer Nive Nielsen stars as "Lady Silence" in a new US horror series, '' The Terror'', her first international TV role.

April

* 27 –

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

announce that they have recorded some new songs, the first since 1983.

May

* 8 – In semi-final 1 of the

Eurovision Song Contest 2018 The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the with the song " Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European Broa ...

, Iceland's entry is eliminated, but Finland's Saara Aalto finishes 10th and makes it to the final. * 10 – In semi-final 2 of the Eurovision Song Contest, Norway's entry finishes in first place, Sweden 2nd and Denmark 5th; all three countries make it to the final. * 12 – In the Eurovision final, held in Lisbon, Sweden does best of the Scandinavian countries, finishing in 7th place. * 23 - The

Bergen International Festival Bergen International Festival ( no, Festspillene i Bergen) is an annual international music and cultural festival in Bergen, Norway. Biography The Bergen International festival is the largest festival in the Nordic countries in its genre and ha ...

opens in Bergen, Norway, running until 6 June. Guest performers include Meow Meow, Selene Muñoz and Helsinki Songs.

June

* 6 – The 26th

Sweden Rock Festival The Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, from southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to de ...

opens in Norje, running until 9 June. The Quill are forced to withdraw the day before the festival begins, because lead singer Magnus Ekwall is recovering from emergency surgery.

July

* 3 – The organizers confirm that the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, normally held after the awards ceremony in Oslo, will not take place in 2018. * 4 – The 19th

Folk music festival of Siglufjordur {{short description, Annual music festival in Iceland A five days music event is held annually at the Folk Music Center in Siglufjordur, northern Iceland. The festival commences on the first Wednesday of July every year. The main focus is on Icel ...

opens in Siglufjordur, Iceland, running until 8 July. * 5 – Gregory Porter guest stars at the 2018

Kongsberg Jazzfestival Kongsberg Jazz Festival or Kongsberg Jazzfestival is an international jazz festival that has been held annually in Kongsberg, Norway, since 1964. Artists Several worldwide great artists have visited Kongsberg during this festival; internation ...

in Norway. * 27 – The

Uppsala Reggae Festival Uppsala Reggae Festival is the largest reggae festival in Scandinavia. It has been active since 2001, with a number of notable artists performing. It was first held in 2001, but the name was used as early as 1995. Uppsala Reggae Festival attract ...

opens in Sweden, running until 28 July, headlined by

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...

September

* 5 – The Copenhagen World Music Festival opens, running until 9 September. * 6 – The

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...

Sibelius Festival opens, running until 9 September.

November

* 7 – The Iceland Airwaves music festival opens, running until 10 November. Guests include Blood_Orange, Cashmere Cat and Stella Donnelly.

December

* 6 – Icelandic Music Day is celebrated.

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Film and television scores

Films

*''

On Her Shoulders ''On Her Shoulders'' is a 2018 American documentary film. It was directed by Alexandria Bombach and produced by Hayley Pappas, Brock Williams and Elizabeth Schaeffer Brown under the banner of RYOT Films. The film follows Iraqi Yazidi human right ...

'' (United States), music by Patrick Jonsson *'' Ravens'' (Sweden), music by Peter von Poehl

Television

* '' Trapped'' (Iceland), music by

Jóhann Jóhannsson Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson (; 19 September 1969 – 9 February 2018) was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchest ...

with

Hildur Gudnadóttir Hildur is one of several female given names derived from the name ''Hild'' formed from Old Norse ''hildr'', meaning "battle". Hild, a Nordic-German Bellona, was a Valkyrie who conveyed fallen warriors to Valhalla. Warfare was often called Hild's G ...

and Rutger Hoedemaekers

Eurovision Song Contest

* Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 *

Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song " Monsters" written by Saara Aalto, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb and Ki Fitzgerald. The song was performed by Saara Aalto, who was internally selected by the Finnish broadcaster Ylei ...

Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Our Choice" written by Þórunn Erna Clausen. The song was performed by Ari Ólafsson. The Icelandic entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal was selected through the n ...

Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. The Norwegian broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final ''Melodi Grand Prix 2018'' in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portug ...

* Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018

Deaths

1 January January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. ...

- Teddy Edelmann, Danish singer, 76 *

18 January Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later. * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail. * 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chines ...

–

Javiera Muñoz Javiera Margarita Odija Ubal Muñoz (28 May 1977 – 16 January 2018) was a Swedish singer with Chilean-Spanish roots who participated in Melodifestivalen twice, in 2000 with ''Varje timma, var minut'', and in 2002 with ''No hay nada más''. S ...

, Swedish singer, 40 *

29 January Events Pre-1600 * 904 – Sergius III is elected pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher. * 946 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu'izz al-Dawla, ruler o ...

–

Asmund Bjørken Asmund Bjørken (19 August 1933 – 29 January 2018) was a Norwegian musician who played the accordion and saxophone in the genres of jazz and folk. He was self-taught. Career Bjørken was part of ''Harry Waagens Orchestra'', a central band on ...

, Norwegian jazz musician, 84 *

4 February Events Pre–1600 * 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrelling ...

–

Leif Rygg Leif Rygg (3 May 1940 – 4 February 2018) was a Norwegian hardingfele fiddle player and folk music instructor. Rygg was born in Voss and learned traditional fiddle playing from Sigbjørn Bernhoft Osa, Lars Skjervheim and Anders Kjerland. His al ...

, Norwegian folk musician, 77 *

5 February Events Pre-1600 * 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy. * 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion. * 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians ar ...

–

Ove Stokstad Ove Stokstad (9 August 1939 – 5 February 2018) was a Norwegian printmaker and jazz musician. He was born in Trondheim to Eva Prior Bergh and Rolf Colbjørnsen Stokstad, and was married to textile artist Gudrun Skeie Stokstad, who died in ...

, Norwegian artist and jazz musician, 78 *

9 February Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Zeno (emperor), Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. *1003 – Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia, Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Greater ...

–

, Icelandic film composer, 48 *

3 March Events Pre-1600 * 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Emperor Shōmu, Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japa ...

–

Kenneth Gärdestad John Charles Kenneth Gärdestad (9 May 1948 – 3 March 2018) was a Swedes, Swedish songwriter, best known for writing lyrics for the songs of his brother, Ted Gärdestad. He participated at Melodifestivalen 1979 as a songwriter for the winning ...

, pop songwriter, 69 *

5 March Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern ...

– Kjerstin Dellert, Swedish opera singer, 92 *

9 March Events Pre-1600 *141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. *1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. * 1226 – ...

– Ole H. Bremnes, Norwegian folk singer and poet, 87 *

25 March Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Italian city Venice is founded with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo di Rialto on the islet of Rialto. * 708 – Pope Constantine becomes the 88th pope. He would be the last pope to vi ...

– Jerry Williams, Swedish singer, 75 *

31 March Events Pre-1600 * 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. *1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the nec ...

– Frode Viken, guitarist and songwriter, D.D.E., 63 *

3 April Events Pre-1600 * 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul. * 1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. * 1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created ...

– Lill-Babs, Swedish singer ("

En tuff brud i lyxförpackning "En tuff brud i lyxförpackning" is a song written by Simon Brehm, Sven Paddock and Gösta Stevens, and originally recorded by Lill-Babs. Her version was released in August 1961 with the film ''Svenska Floyd''. The song also appeared on the 1976 ...

"), 80 *

20 April Events Pre-1600 *1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII. 1601–1900 * 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament. * 1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroys ...

–

Avicii Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...

(Tim Bergling), Swedish musician, DJ and record producer, 28 *

11 May Events 1601–1900 *1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. *1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across th ...

– Mikhail Alperin, Ukrainian-born jazz pianist, member of the

Moscow Art Trio Moscow Art Trio (established in 1990) is a Russian trio comprising Arkady Shilkloper (French horn & flugelhorn), Misha Alperin (piano & vocals) and Sergey Starostin (vocals, clarinet & folkreeds), performing in the Classical/Jazz/Traditional mu ...

, professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music, 61 *

26 June Events Pre-1600 * 4 – Augustus adopts Tiberius. * 221 – Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar. * 363 – Roman emperor Julian is killed during the retreat f ...

– Bo Nilsson, Swedish composer, 81 *

5 July Events Pre-1600 * 328 – The official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus (Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius. * 1316 – The Burgundian and ...

– Bjørn Lie-Hansen, opera singer, 81 *

9 July Events Pre-1600 *118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome. * 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodosi ...

– Stefan Demert, Swedish musician, 78 *

16 August Events Pre-1600 * 1 BC – Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs. * 942 – Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the Hamd ...

– Benny Andersen, Danish writer and pianist, 88 *

21 August Events Pre-1600 * 959 – Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège. * 1140 – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song Wars. *1169 – Battle o ...

–

Stefán Karl Stefánsson Stefán Karl Stefánsson (; ; 10 July 1975 – 21 August 2018) was an Icelandic actor and singer. He was best known for portraying Robbie Rotten, the antagonist of the children's television series '' LazyTown''. Career Stefán Karl's career s ...

, Icelandic actor and singer (b. 1975). *

9 September 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the Brahmi numerals, beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshat ...

– Frank Andersson, Swedish entertainer and wrestler, 62 (complications during heart surgery) *

23 September Events Pre-1600 *AD 38, 38 – Julia Drusilla, Drusilla, Caligula's sister who died in June, with whom the emperor is said to have an incestuous relationship, is deified. *1122 – Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, Hol ...

– Berth Idoff, Swedish musician ( Berth Idoffs), 77 *

30 September Events Pre-1600 * 489 – The Ostrogoths under Theoderic the Great defeat the forces of Odoacer for the second time. * 737 – The Turgesh drive back an Umayyad invasion of Khuttal, follow them south of the Oxus, and capture their b ...

– Kim Larsen, Danish rock musician ( Gasolin'), 72 (prostate cancer) *

29 November Events Pre-1600 * 561 – Following the death of King Chlothar I at Compiègne, his four sons, Charibert I, Guntram, Sigebert I and Chilperic I, divide the Frankish Kingdom. * 618 – The Tang dynasty scores a decisive victory over ...

– Erik Lindmark, vocalist and guitarist of Deeds of Flesh, 46 (sclerosis)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2018 In Scandinavian Music Scandinavian Scandinavian culture