Jens Martin Lekman (; born 6 February 1981) is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. His work is heavily influenced by

Jonathan Richman Jonathan Michael Richman (born May 16, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970, he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key acoustic a ...

and Belle & Sebastian, and he has been likened to

Stephin Merritt Stephin Raymond Merritt (born February 9, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the songwriter and principal singer of the bands the Magnetic Fields, the Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. He is ...

(of

The Magnetic Fields The Magnetic Fields (named after the André Breton/Philippe Soupault novel ''Les Champs Magnétiques'') are an American Band (rock and pop), band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocali ...

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

, and Scott Walker.

Early life

Lekman was born 6 February 1981 in Angered, Gothenburg, next to an Estrella chips factory. As a child, he was not particularly interested in music, but the age of fourteen he was asked to play bass in a friend's cover band. This sparked his own songwriting and he quickly came to write hundreds of songs. Gradually, he adopted the pseudonym Rocky Dennis, a name he borrowed from the protagonist in the movie ''

Mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...

''. Under this name, he began releasing limited edition CD-R discs, the first of which was 2001's ''The Budgie''. In the early 2000s, he sent a collection of the songs to the American record label

Secretly Canadian Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Secretly Canadian is a label included in Secretly Group, which ...

, who contracted him.

Music career

From 2000 to 2003, Lekman recorded and released much of his material privately on

CD-R CD-R (Compact disc-recordable) is a digital optical disc storage format. A CD-R disc is a compact disc that can be written once and read arbitrarily many times. CD-R discs (CD-Rs) are readable by most CD readers manufactured prior to the i ...

. Because one of his songs during this time was entitled "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song to the Blind Girl", inspired by the movie ''

'', Lekman was mistakenly referred to as "

Rocky Dennis Roy Lee "Rocky" Dennis (December 4, 1961 – October 4, 1978) was an American teenager who had craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, an extremely rare sclerotic bone disorder. The condition usually results in neurological disorders and death during ...

". Lekman says that it was a "mistake": "someone thought that was my real name cause I had a song about him, and then radio picked up on it, and I never had a chance to change it". He put the confusion to rest with his ''

Rocky Dennis in Heaven ''Rocky Dennis in Heaven'' is an extended play by Swedish indie pop musician Jens Lekman. It was released on 21 January 2004 on Service. The EP was later released as simply ''Rocky Dennis'' on 6 April 2004 on Secretly Canadian. The EP's songs w ...

'' EP (2004). In 2003, Lekman self-released a 7" vinyl EP, ''

Maple Leaves The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along the ...

''. When the same EP was released on CD by the Swedish independent label

Service Records Service was an independent record label formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in December 2001 by Ola Borgström together with Dan Lissvik. In 2012 Borgström announced that the label would stop issuing new material. He soon signed a contract with the American label

for releases outside of Sweden. Heavy touring and his debut album soon followed. Jens Lekman Accelerator 2004

His first album ''

When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog ''When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog'' is the debut studio album by Swedish indie pop musician Jens Lekman. His first full-length, the album was released on 7 April 2004 on Service, and later in the year was also released on Secretly Canadian ...

'' was released in 2004, and consisted of recordings made between 2000 and 2004 (some tracks had been previously released independently by Lekman). The album attracted attention among the alternative music press in both Europe and the U.S. The song "You Are the Light" was a successful radio hit, and a video received some rotation in the Nordic

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and ZTV. In

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, the album reached No. 6 on the national chart. Lekman was nominated for three Swedish Grammies, three P3 Guld and three Manifest awards, and the album was named the album of the year by Nöjesguiden. A concert film shot from Lekman's sold-out show with José González at Göteborg Concert Hall in December 2003 was broadcast by Swedish national television in 2005. In June 2005, a compilation CD of Lekman's first three EPs (plus extra tracks) was released as ''

Oh You're So Silent Jens ''Oh You're So Silent Jens'' is a compilation album by Swedish indie pop musician Jens Lekman. It was first released on Service on 8 June 2005, and later re-released on 22 November 2005 on Secretly Canadian. The album is composed of previously r ...

''. Lekman's cover of

Scout Niblett Emma Louise Niblett (born 29 September 1973), better known by the stage name Scout Niblett, is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Niblett debuted in 2001 with her first full-length studio album '' Sweet Heart Fever'', and ...

's "Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death" appeared on Secretly Canadian's ''SC100'' compilation. ''

Night Falls Over Kortedala ''Night Falls Over Kortedala'' is the second studio album by Swedish indie pop musician Jens Lekman. Described as "a collection of recordings 2004–2007" on Lekman's website and in the album's liner notes, ''Night Falls Over Kortedala'' was relea ...

'' was released in Sweden on 5 September 2007 and worldwide on 9 October 2007. The single "Friday Night at the Drive-in Bingo" preceded the album's release. Jens Lekman Williamsburg 01-2007-10-28

Live performances by Lekman have differed in style; at times he has performed alone with only a guitar and a CD player, sometimes doing

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

versions of his songs, while at other times he has been accompanied by a choir and string quartet. In 2008, he toured with an all-female back-up band (dressed mostly in white) that provided basic rock instrumentation as well as horns and backing vocals. In December 2008 Jens played a short China tour organised by

Split Works Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

. In 2010, Lekman released a free song entitled "The End of the World is Bigger Than Love" online. This was his first release in three years. On 19 March 2011, Lekman played a show in support of libraries during the widespread closures in the United Kingdom where he premiered a new song, "Every Little Hair Knows Your Name". Lekman's '' An Argument With Myself'' EP was released in September 2011 to generally favorable reviews. This was followed up by '' I Know What Love Isn't'' in September 2012, Lekman's first full-length album since 2007, also receiving favorable reviews. On 2 September 2014, Lekman released a 33-minute-long mixtape titled ''WWJD'', which included three unreleased songs: "WWJD", "I Remember", and "What's That Perfume That You Wear?" The mixtape has been described as being "one cohesive experience as intimate as writing a postcard, as pleasant as receiving one." All through 2015, Jens Lekman released a new song every week on his website for free. They are all titled ''Postcard'' with the number of the week, making 52 tracks in total. In parallel, he led a musical experiment called ''Ghostwriting'' where he translates into songs stories submitted to him by the public. The first installment was held in Stockholm and yield 5 tracks in Swedish. The second installment was held in Cincinnati and 11 English tracks came out of it. They bring the total of his 2015 output to 68 tracks and they can all be downloaded on his website. Lekman's 4th proper LP, ''

Life Will See You Now ''Life Will See You Now'' is the fourth studio album by Swedish indie pop musician Jens Lekman. The album was released on 17 February 2017 through Secretly Canadian. The album's title and release date were first announced on 4 January 2017, accom ...

'', was released on 17 February 2017, on the Secretly Canadian label. On 21 March 2022, Lekman's most popular and successful album, ''Night Falls Over Kortedala'', was removed from all streaming services and made unavailable to purchase. This move was met with shock by fans, with whom the album is very popular. Lekman cited legal issues as the main reason due to sampling issues. On 27 April 2022, Lekman announced the reissue of two of his albums that had previously been made unavailable: ''Oh You're So Silent Jens'' and ''Night Falls Over Kortedala''. They were reissued respectively as ''The Cherry Trees Are Still in Blossom'' and ''The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom''. The reissued versions of the albums are composed of re-recordings of all the original tracks, as well as entirely new tracks. ''The Cherry Trees Are Still in Blossom'' was released digitally on 27 April 2022, whereas ''The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom'' was digitally released on 4 May 2022. Both albums were released physically on 3 June 2022 via record label Secretly Canadian.

Discography

Albums

Compilations

*''

'' (Service Records, 8 June 2005; Secretly Canadian, 22 November 2005) – a collection of previously released singles, EPs, and compilation appearances

EPs

*''The Insect EP'' (self-released, 2000) – 20 copies *''7" Vinyl EP'' (self-released, 2003) – 250 copies *''

'' (Service Records, 1 October 2003; Secretly Canadian, 3 February 2004) *''

'' (Service Records, 21 January 2004; Secretly Canadian, 6 April 2004) *'' I Killed a Party Again'' (self-released, 29 May 2004) – 100 copies *''

Julie Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...

'' (Service Records, 28 July 2004) – 2000 copies *''

You Are the Light ''You Are the Light'' is an extended play by Swedish indie pop musician Jens Lekman, released on 17 August 2004 by Secretly Canadian Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New Y ...

'' (Secretly Canadian, 17 August 2004) *'' The Opposite of Hallelujah'' (Thievery; Evil Evil, January 2005) *'' Live at Stora Teatern'' (Secretly Canadian, 15 February 2005) *'' You Deserve Someone Better Than a Bum Like Me'' (self-released, May 2005) *'' USA October 2005'' (self-released, October 2005) *''

Kalendervägen 113.D ''Kalendervägen 113.D'' is a bonus EP included with the initial pre-order copies of Jens Lekman's 2007 album Night Falls Over Kortedala. It is a stripped-down 7-track medley of songs from ''Night Falls...'' as well as a Paul Simon cover from Gra ...

'' (Service Records, 2007) Bonus EP included with initial copies of "Night Falls Over Kortedala" *'' An Argument With Myself EP'' (Secretly Canadian, September 2011) *''WWJD'' (2014)

Singles

*''Jens Lekman/ José González'' (Service Records, January 2004) – 300 copies, contains "If You Ever Need A Stranger (To Sing at Your Wedding)" *''

El Perro del Mar El Perro Del Mar (literally "The Dog of the Sea" in Spanish) is a musical project that was founded in December 2003 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The sole member of El Perro Del Mar, Sarah Assbring(born 1977/1978), initially started as an MP3/CD-R art ...

/Jens Lekman'' (Secretly Canadian,30 October 2004) – contains " I Don't Know If She's Worth 900 Kronor" *''Jens Lekman/Blood Music'' (Insound, November 2006) – contains "A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill", with spoken word introduction *" Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo" / "Radio NRJ" (Service Records, 14 July 2007) – 800 copies *''The End of the World Is Bigger Than Love '' (self-released, 2010) *The Postcards series was released digitally throughout 2015: one song each week. Of the 52, #17 was released on ''Life Will See You Now''.

Collaborations

* ''Kajak'' – Benni Hemm Hemm (2007) – guest vocals on "Aldrei" * ''Något dåligt nytt har hänt'' –

Vapnet Vapnet (''the weapon'' or ''the coat of arms'') is a Swedish indie pop band from Östersund, signed by record label Hybris. Lead singer is Martin Abrahamsson, who is also active in the indie pop band Sibiria. Their single "Kalla mig" was a big sl ...

(2007) – guest vocals on "Håll ihop" * ''Kingdom Came'' – Kocky (2007) – guest vocals on "Be Part of It All" * ''Yeah! Oh Yeah!'' (2009) – Duet with

Tracey Thorn Tracey Anne Thorn (born 26 September 1962) is a British singer. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl from 1982 to 1999. She was a member of the band Marine Girls between 1980 and 1983 and since 2007 has been ...

for "SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: The Covers!" * ''Inside (The Corrections)'' – Duet with New Buffalo * ''Here Comes the Rain EP'' (2006)

The Ladybug Transistor The Ladybug Transistor is a Brooklyn-based indie pop group associated with The Elephant Six Collective. History Started in 1995 by Gary Olson, Edward Powers and Javier Villegas, The Ladybug Transistor released '' Marlborough Farms'' the sa ...

– Backing Vocals on "Here Comes the Rain" * '' Clocks/Pretender'' (2007) – Duet with Montt Mardie on "Castle in The Sky" * ''

Mena MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...

'' (2010) –

Javiera Mena Javiera Alejandra Mena Carrasco (born June 3, 1983) is a Chilean indie electropop musician living in Lavapiés, Madrid. She started her musical career in the Chilean indie music scene in 2001, and achieved wider success after the release of h ...

– guest vocals on "Sufrir" * ''Breakfast in America'' – Viktor Sjöberg (2010) – guest vocals on "A Million Bucks" * ''CORRESPONDENCE'' (2019) – Collaboration with Annika Norlin

Compilation appearances

* ''En Garde Fanzine'' CD-R (2003) – contains "F-Word" and "Sky Phenomenon" * ''Based on a True Story'' (2004) – contains "Be Good" * ''Accelerator Compilation'' (July 2004) – contains "The Wrong Hands" * ''Risky Dazzle: A Service Party Shuffle'' (January 2005) – contains "Maple Leaves", "And I Remember Every Kiss (Demo Version)" (previously unreleased), and "You Are the Light (Reprise)" * ''Rallye Cloak 02: Swim Sweet Swedish'' (24 August 2005) – contains "Boisa-Bis-O-Boisa" * ''SC100'' (24 April 2007) – contains a cover of Scout Niblett's songs "Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death" and "Shining/Burning" * '' Four Songs by Arthur Russell'' (20 August 2007) – contains "A Little Lost" * ''

Whip It! ''Whip It'' is a 2009 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Drew Barrymore in her directorial debut and written by Shauna Cross, based on her 2007 novel '' Derby Girl''. The film is co-produced by Barrymore and Barry Mendel. It stars Ellio ...

'' (29 September 2009) – contains "Your Arms Around Me" * ''Det ordnar sig'' (February 2014) – contains a cover of Peter Lunblad's "Ta Mig Till Havet"

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lekman, Jens Swedish multi-instrumentalists Swedish indie pop musicians Swedish pop singers Musicians from Gothenburg Living people 1981 births English-language singers from Sweden 21st-century Swedish singers Secretly Canadian artists Sonic Unyon artists