Ainbusk ( Josefin Nilsson, Marie Nilsson Lind, Annelie Roswall and Birgitta Jakobsson) are a pop/

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

vocal group from Gotland, Sweden. Formed in 1983, Ainbusk are best known for their single "Jag mötte Lassie" ("I Met Lassie") – frequently referred to simply as "Lassie" – which was the Christmas chart-topper in Sweden in 1990. They have released four studio albums, one live album and one compilation. Their music mixes pop with traditional Swedish influences; they have also recorded Swedish versions of English-language songs. In 2008, they participated unsuccessfully in the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest selection, Melodifestivalen.

Early career and "Lassie"

Formed on the island of Gotland, Ainbusk first attracted attention in 1984 when they won a talent show, ''Talang-84'', in Stockholm. They spent the remainder of the 1980s touring and establishing their reputation. Their breakthrough came in 1990 when band member Marie Nilsson Lind collaborated with former

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 ...

member

Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, singer, composer and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma M ...

to write several songs, with Andersson providing the music for Lind's lyrics. The first single issued, "Jag mötte Lassie", with its touching lyrics about a lonely little girl, struck a chord with record buyers and became the Christmas/New Year #1 on the Swedish singles chart. The follow-up, "Älska mej", also sold well and both tracks remain popular.

Later career

Ainbusk spent the early 1990s honing their stage act – they became known for injecting elements of humour into their performances – and the result was a 1993 live album ''Från när till fjärran'' (''From Near and Far''), including a version of "

Every Breath You Take "Every Breath You Take" is a song by the English rock band the Police from their album ''Synchronicity'' (1983). Written by Sting, the single was the biggest US and Canadian hit of 1983, topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart for eig ...

". The group's first studio album, the self-titled ''Ainbusk'', was released in 1998, followed by ''Stolt'' (''Proud'') in 2000. A Christmas album, ''I midvintertid: En jul på Gotland'' came out in 2001 and included versions of "

Fairytale of New York "Fairytale of New York" is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their London-based band the Pogues, featuring singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a du ...

", "

Fields of Gold "Fields of Gold" is a song written and performed by English musician Sting. It first appeared on his fourth studio album, ''Ten Summoner's Tales'' (1993). The song was released as a single on 7 June 1993, reaching 16 on the UK Singles Chart an ...

" and " Forever Young". The group's fourth album, ''Skynda att älska'' (''Rush to Love'') appeared in 2002 and Ainbusk celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2003 with the release of ''En samling'', a career retrospective also featuring three new tracks.

Melodifestivalen

In 2008, Ainbusk were announced as one of the participants in Melodifestivalen with the song " Jag saknar dig ibland" ("I Miss You Sometimes"). They participated in the third semifinal, held in

Linköping Linköping () is a city in southern Sweden, with around 105,000 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church ...

on 23 February 2008, but a sixth-place finish meant they were eliminated from the competition.Eurovision Song Contest National Finals database – 2008
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Discography

Albums

* 1998: ''Ainbusk'' - SWE #21 * 2000: ''Stolt'' * 2001: '' I midvintertid, en jul på Gotland'' * 2002: ''Skynda att älska''

Live albums

* 1993: ''Från när till fjärran''

Compilations

* 2003: ''En samling'' (reissued in 2008 with additional track)

Singles

* 1998: "Min gud" - SWE #56 * 2008: "Jag saknar dig ibland" - SWE #36 * 2008: "Skynda att älska" - SWE #13

References

External links

Official website
(Swedish) {{Authority control Swedish pop music groups Swedish folk music groups Musical groups established in 1983 Folk-pop music groups Melodifestivalen contestants of 2008