José González (singer)
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José Gabriel González (born 31 July 1978) is a Swedish
indie folk Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The genre has its ...
singer-songwriter and guitarist from
Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
. González is also a member of the band
Junip Junip is a Swedish folk rock band. The band is made up of the duo of José González (vocals, guitars) and Tobias Winterkorn ( organ, Moog synthesizer) with various accompanying musicians in recordings and in live gigs. Their songs "Far Away" an ...
, along with Tobias Winterkorn.


Early life and education

The González family – made up of González's father, a
National University of San Luis The National University of San Luis (in Spanish, ''Universidad Nacional de San Luis'', UNSL) is a public university in Argentina, with its seat in the city of San Luis, capital of the province of the same name, in the Cuyo region. It was created ...
psychology student, González's mother, a fellow student studying biochemistry, both of whom were politically active, and González's older sister, then an infant – fled
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
after the military coup d'état in March 1976, at the start of the "
Dirty War The Dirty War ( es, Guerra sucia) is the name used by the military junta or civic-military dictatorship of Argentina ( es, dictadura cívico-militar de Argentina, links=no) for the period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983 a ...
". Escaping to
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, they were granted asylum by the Swedish consulate in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, and relocated to
Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
in 1977. José was born a year later, in the Haga district of Gothenburg. He has a younger sibling. He commented, "It's a very small town. It has about a half-million people living there. It's a pretty good music city by the ocean. It rains a lot there, but it's beautiful in the summertime." González grew up listening to Latin folk and pop music and has named Cuban singer-songwriter
Silvio Rodríguez Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born 29 November 1946) is a Cuban musician, and leader of the Nueva Trova movement. He is widely considered Cuba's best folk singer and arguably one of Latin America's greatest singer-songwriters. Known for his int ...
as a favourite artist. He said the first concert he went to was
The Wailers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
. "I got their autographs and everything," he said in an interview. "I was about 12 or so. At the time, my favourite music was
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
and
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
." González was in a PhD program for biochemistry at the
University of Gothenburg The University of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs universitet) is a university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current Swedish universities and with 37,000 students and 6000 st ...
. In 2003, he stopped working on the PhD, as his musical career became a new focus.


Career

The first band he played in was Back Against the Wall, a Gothenburg
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
band influenced by Black Flag, The Misfits and the
Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk rock, punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, sa ...
. He later played bass guitar in another hardcore band, Renascence, between 1993 and 1998. Between 1997 and 1998 José played guitar with rock band Only if You Call Me Jonathan. In June 2003 González released his debut solo release, a two-track 7" single. The single was discovered by Joakim Gävert, co-founder of the then fledgling label Imperial Records who then signed González as their first official artist. In October he released his debut album, ''
Veneer Veneer may refer to: Materials * Veneer (dentistry), a cosmetic treatment for teeth * Masonry veneer, a thin facing layer of brick * Stone veneer, a thin facing layer of stone * Wood veneer, a thin facing layer of wood Arts and entertainment * ' ...
'', in Europe. The album was subsequently released in the UK on 25 April 2005, and in the United States on 6 September 2005. The album was made while González was a PhD student at the
University of Gothenburg The University of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs universitet) is a university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current Swedish universities and with 37,000 students and 6000 st ...
. González' trademark sound is solo classical guitar with soft vocal melody. His work, although mostly original, also includes acoustic covers of such hits as " Heartbeats" by his fellow Swedes The Knife, "
Love Will Tear Us Apart "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a song by English rock band Joy Division, released in June 1980 as a non-album single. Its lyrics were inspired by lead singer Ian Curtis's marital problems and struggles with epilepsy. The single was released the m ...
" by
Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...
, "
Born in the U.S.A. ''Born in the U.S.A.'' is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released by Columbia Records on June 4, 1984. It topped the charts in nine countries, including the US and UK, becoming his most commercially su ...
" and "
The Ghost of Tom Joad ''The Ghost of Tom Joad'' is the eleventh studio album, and the second acoustic album, by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released on November 21, 1995, by Columbia Records. It reached the Top Ten in two countries, and the Top Twenty ...
" by
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
, "
Hand on Your Heart "Hand on Your Heart" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her second studio album, '' Enjoy Yourself'' (1989), and released as its lead single on 24 April 1989. Much like her previous releases up to ''Let's Get to It'' (1991), the s ...
" by
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
, "
Smalltown Boy "Smalltown Boy" is a song by British synth-pop band Bronski Beat, released in May 1984 as the first single from their debut album, '' The Age of Consent'' (1984). The song was a big commercial success, reaching number three in the band's nativ ...
" by Bronski Beat, " Teardrop" by
Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album ''Blue Lines'' was release ...
and "Last Snowstorm of the Year" by Low. His second album, ''
In Our Nature ''In Our Nature'' is the second studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter José González. It was released on 24 September 2007 on Peacefrog Records in the UK and Imperial Recordings in Sweden. It was released on 25 September 2007 by Mute Rec ...
'', was released internationally on 22 September 2007. The album's lyrical content was in part influenced by his reading of books like '' The God Delusion'' by evolutionary biologist
Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An ath ...
and ''
Practical Ethics ''Practical Ethics'', a 1979 book by the moral philosopher Peter Singer, is an introduction to applied ethics. The book has been translated into a number of languages. Summary Singer analyzes, in detail, why and how beings' interests should be ...
'' by ethicist
Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a secular, ...
. In 2007, González won a
European Border Breakers Award The European Border Breakers Award (EBBA) was an annual prize awarded to recognise the success of ten emerging artists or groups who reached audiences outside their own countries with their first internationally released album in the past year. ...
Award. Every year the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA) recognize the success of ten emerging artists or groups who reached audiences outside their own countries with their first internationally released album in the past year. In 2010, a documentary about González called ''The Extraordinary Ordinary Life Of Jose Gonzalez'' was released. In December 2014, González performed at the sustainable lifestyle festival, Wonderfruit in Thailand. His album '' Vestiges & Claws'' was released in February 2015. It was critically acclaimed and received the IMPALA Album of the Year Award. On 17 February 2021, he released a single with Spanish lyrics, "El Invento". In April he released "Visions", the second single from his album '' Local Valley'', which was released on 17 September.


Television and other media appearances

González has performed on several television programs, including ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...
'' (29 March 2006 and 28 September 2007), ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'' (12 October 2007), the BBC's '' Later... with Jools Holland'' (9 June 2006), ''
Last Call with Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with ''Th ...
'' (21 June 2006),
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
's ''
Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...
'' (15 August 2007) and Canada's '' MTV Live'' (5 December 2007). The song "Crosses", from González's ''Crosses'' EP and the ''Veneer'' album, appeared on the finale of the second season of the popular American television
comedy drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple co ...
''
The O.C. ''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. "O.C." is an initiali ...
'', as well as on a trailer for a
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
programme. It also appeared in the video game ''
Life Is Strange ''Life Is Strange'' (abbreviated ''LIS'') is a series of primarily episodic graphic adventure games published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. Created by Dontnod Entertainment, the series debuted with the eponymous first installment, ...
''. Also taken from the ''Veneer'' album, "Stay in the Shade" was used in ''
The O.C. ''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. "O.C." is an initiali ...
'', midway through season three, in the episode ''The Pot Stirrer''. The song "Storm," also from ''Veneer'', was used in season 1 episode called "Best Laid Plans" in the Friday Night Lights'' TV series (12 December 2006). His cover of The Knife's " Heartbeats" has been used many times. It featured in a
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
BRAVIA Bravia (stylized as BRAVIA) is a brand of Sony Visual Products Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation, and used for its television products. Its backronym is "Best Resolution Audio Visual Integrated Architecture". All Sony high-defi ...
commercial featuring 250,000 coloured
bouncing ball The physics of a bouncing ball concerns the physical behaviour of bouncing balls, particularly its motion before, during, and after impact against the surface of another body. Several aspects of a bouncing ball's behaviour serve as an introd ...
s in San Francisco; in episode 409 and 505 of the CW's ''
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...
'' and is included on the album ''The Road Mix: One Tree Hill Volume 3''; it featured in season 7, episode 2 of '' Scrubs''; in season 1, episode 21 of '' Brothers & Sisters''; in season 4, episode 17 of ''
Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...
''; in ''
Stargate Universe ''Stargate Universe'' (often abbreviated as ''SGU'') is a military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient ...
''; in '' 90210''; in season 1, episode 21 of ''
Whitney Whitney may refer to: Film and television * ''Whitney'' (2015 film), a Whitney Houston biopic starring Yaya DaCosta * ''Whitney'' (2018 film), a documentary about Whitney Houston * ''Whitney'' (TV series), an American sitcom that premiered i ...
''; and in an episode of the British TV show; ''Sun, Sea and A+E''. '' Gone'', a 2007 film directed by Ringan Ledwidge, and '' Kyss Mig'', a 2011 film directed by Alexandra Therese Keining, both feature the track "Lovestain", from the ''
Veneer Veneer may refer to: Materials * Veneer (dentistry), a cosmetic treatment for teeth * Masonry veneer, a thin facing layer of brick * Stone veneer, a thin facing layer of stone * Wood veneer, a thin facing layer of wood Arts and entertainment * ' ...
'' album.'' Music from González' latest album has also been used in other television shows. His version of
Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album ''Blue Lines'' was release ...
's " Teardrop" was used in the fourth
season finale A season finale (British English: last in the series; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try to ...
of ''
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
'' entitled "Wilson's Heart" (the Massive Attack version is used as the show's theme music). It features in the fifth-season episode of ''
Numb3rs ''Numbers'' (stylized as ''NUMB3RS'') is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, for six seasons and 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton ...
'' entitled "The Fifth Man". The song can be heard at the end of '' Friday Night Lights'' season 4, episode "A Sort of Homecoming". González features prominently on the soundtrack to Ben Stiller's " ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty''", whether with
Junip Junip is a Swedish folk rock band. The band is made up of the duo of José González (vocals, guitars) and Tobias Winterkorn ( organ, Moog synthesizer) with various accompanying musicians in recordings and in live gigs. Their songs "Far Away" an ...
or by himself, including choir-backed opener "Step Out", "Stay Alive" and similarly lush John Lennon cover "#9 Dream". His original song "Far Away" appeared in the
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
video game ''
Red Dead Redemption ''Red Dead Redemption'' is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. A spiritual successor to 2004's ''Red Dead Revolver'', it is the second game in the ''Red Dead'' series. ''Red Dead Redempt ...
'' by
Rockstar Games Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...
. The song's Western music feel garnered "Best Song" at
Spike Video Game Awards The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 to 2013 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by ...
for its featured appearance, the game itself took home the award for "Game of the Year".


Collaborations

González plays in the band
Junip Junip is a Swedish folk rock band. The band is made up of the duo of José González (vocals, guitars) and Tobias Winterkorn ( organ, Moog synthesizer) with various accompanying musicians in recordings and in live gigs. Their songs "Far Away" an ...
with Tobias Winterkorn (and previously Elias Araya). To date Junip have released two EPs, '' Black Refuge'' and the free internet release ''
Rope and Summit ''Rope and Summit'' is an EP by Swedish band Junip Junip is a Swedish folk rock band. The band is made up of the duo of José González (vocals, guitars) and Tobias Winterkorn ( organ, Moog synthesizer) with various accompanying musicians in r ...
'', along with two full-length albums, ''
Fields Fields may refer to: Music * Fields (band), an indie rock band formed in 2006 * Fields (progressive rock band), a progressive rock band formed in 1971 * ''Fields'' (album), an LP by Swedish-based indie rock band Junip (2010) * "Fields", a song b ...
'' and ''
Junip Junip is a Swedish folk rock band. The band is made up of the duo of José González (vocals, guitars) and Tobias Winterkorn ( organ, Moog synthesizer) with various accompanying musicians in recordings and in live gigs. Their songs "Far Away" an ...
''. He collaborated with UK downtempo duo
Zero 7 Zero 7 are an English musical duo consisting of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. They began as studio engineers and in 1997 formed the group Zero 7. Their debut album, '' Simple Things'', was released in 2001 in which their song "Destiny" stayed ...
on their 2006 album, '' The Garden'', providing guest vocals on the album's tracks, along with Zero 7 regular
Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...
. González performs vocals on four songs: "Futures", "Left Behind", "Today" and "Crosses". His song "Crosses" is featured in the popular video game
Life Is Strange ''Life Is Strange'' (abbreviated ''LIS'') is a series of primarily episodic graphic adventure games published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. Created by Dontnod Entertainment, the series debuted with the eponymous first installment, ...
. González collaborated with Finnish house DJ
Jori Hulkkonen Jori Hulkkonen (born 28 September 1973), is a Finnish DJ and a producer of house music, originally from Kemi, Finland. Hulkkonen started his career in the early 1990s when he worked with Jukka Hautamäki, Tuomas Salmela and Ari Ruokamo for the ...
on the track "Blinded By The Numbers" from Hulkkonen's album ''Dualizm'', released in 2005, and his song 'Crosses' was sampled by British hiphop artist
Plan B Plan B typically refers to a contingency plan, a plan devised for an outcome other than in the expected plan. Plan B may also refer to: * Plan B, a brand name of levonorgestrel, an emergency contraception drug Film and television * Plan B En ...
for the song "Cast a Light" which appears on the ''Paint It Blacker'' EP. He has also collaborated with the Swedish hip hop DJ and producer
Embee Embee is a Swedish hip hop DJ and producer. He was born Magnus Bergkvist on February 24, 1977 in Badelunda, Västmanland, Sweden. He is best known for his work with Swedish hip-hop group Looptroop Rockers. His first solo album ''Tellings from ...
on the track "Send Someone Away", the album mixed by
Soundism Soundism is a group of music producers and sound engineers with music recording studios located in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Västerås in Sweden. They are part of the Swedish hip hop culture. Not only have new artists emerged, but also other ac ...
received a
Grammis The Grammis are music awards presented annually to musicians and songwriters in Sweden. The oldest Swedish music awards, they were instituted as a local equivalent of the Grammy Awards given in the United States. The awards ceremony is generall ...
. González's song "Crosses" was remixed in 2006 by popular Dutch DJ
Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was ...
. González can also be heard in the song "I want you Back" by the Swedish indie-rock group Niccokick. González collaborated with
The Books ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
on
Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...
's ''
Dark Was the Night Dark Was the Night may refer to: * ''Dark Was the Night'' (album), a 2009 compilation album * ''Dark Was the Night'' (2014 film), an American thriller film * ''Dark Was the Night'' (2018 film), an American drama film * "Dark Was the Night" (''Grey' ...
'' compilation album, fundraising for
HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
and AIDS awareness, which was released in February 2009. In 2011, he contributed to the organization's follow-up album "Red Hot+Rio 2" with the song "Um Girassol Da Cor Do Seu Cabelo," recorded with
Mia Doi Todd Mia Doi Todd (born June 30, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. She was described by ''Dusted Magazine'' as "one of those artists that seem to function not just as creators in their own right, but as connecting links between other musicians." ...
. González participated in The Göteborg String Theory project in 2009–2011, an experimental music and art project that involved artists from Göteborg (
Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
), Sweden and classical composers from
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, Germany. A new sound piece of his song "Cycling Trivialities" was arranged by composer Nackt for a classical orchestra. It was recorded and performed together with González, and finally released on the album The Göteborg String Theory (Kning Disk) in April 2010. González continued his collaboration with The Göteborg String Theory in 2011. Nackt wrote 11 new arrangement for González' songs, and in spring 2011 José González and The Göteborg String Theory went on a European tour in 19 cites.


Personal life

González is in a long-term relationship with his partner, Swedish designer Hannele Fernström, with whom he has a daughter born in 2017. González is an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
and a "flexible" vegetarian. A firm believer in
effective altruism Effective altruism is a philosophical and social movement that advocates "using evidence and reason to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible, and taking action on that basis". People who pursue the goals of effective altruism, c ...
, since August 2017, González has been a member of
Giving What We Can Giving What We Can (GWWC) is an effective altruism-associated organisation whose members pledge to give at least 10% of their income to effective charities. It was founded at Oxford University in 2009 by the philosopher Toby Ord, physician-in- ...
, a community of people who have pledged to give at least 10% of their income to charities.


Awards and honors

* Manifestgalan, Singer-songwriter of the year * Swedish Music Publishers Association (SMFF), Best Swedish songwriter of the year * 2004: Swedish Grammy, Best New Artist * 2006: European Border Breaker Award * 2007: Swedish government music export award for sales in 2006


Discography


Studio albums


Live albums


Extended plays


Singles


Notes


Other contributions

* ''Acoustic 05'' (2005,
Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...
) – "Broken Arrows" * '' Chillout Sessions 9'' (2006,
Ministry of Sound Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio. James ...
) – "Heartbeats" * '' The Acoustic Album'' (2006,
Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
) – "Heartbeats" * ''Acoustic 07'' (2007,
V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007 and sold to IASin 2013. In the Benelux, V2 operates separately from PIAS, as the label bought itself out from ...
) – "Lovestain" * '' Chillout Sessions 10'' (2007, Ministry of Sound) – "Down the Line" * '' Chillout Sessions XI'' (2008, Ministry of Sound) – "Teardrop" * ''
Dark Was the Night Dark Was the Night may refer to: * ''Dark Was the Night'' (album), a 2009 compilation album * ''Dark Was the Night'' (2014 film), an American thriller film * ''Dark Was the Night'' (2018 film), an American drama film * "Dark Was the Night" (''Grey' ...
'' (2009) – Featured on ''
The Books ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' cover of * '' Nick Drake's'' "Cello Song" * ''Uncovered'' (2009, Ministry of Sound) – "Love Will Tear Us Apart" * '' Red Dead Redemption Original Soundtrack'' (2010, Rockstar Games) – "Far Away" * ''Record'' (2010, Zero 7) – "Futures – Feat. Jose Gonzalez" * ''The Göteborg String Theory Album'' – Cycling Trivialities * ''
It All Starts with One __NOTOC__ ''It All Starts with One'' is the sixth studio album by Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic gr ...
'' (2011,
Ane Brun Ane Brun (; born Ane Brunvoll on 10 March 1976) is a Norwegian songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist of Sami people, Sami origin. Since 2003, she has recorded ten albums, eight of which are studio albums of original material (including a collecti ...
) – "Worship" * Soundtrack to ''
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1939) is a short story by James Thurber. The most famous of Thurber's stories, it first appeared in ''The New Yorker'' on March 18, 1939, and was first collected in his book '' My World and Welcome to It'' ( Ha ...
'' (2013) – "Step Out", "Stay Alive", "#9 Dream" * '' Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell'' (2014,
Yep Roc Records Yep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Nick Lowe, Paul W ...
) – "This Is How We Walk On The Moon" * ''
Life Is Strange ''Life Is Strange'' (abbreviated ''LIS'') is a series of primarily episodic graphic adventure games published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. Created by Dontnod Entertainment, the series debuted with the eponymous first installment, ...
'' (2015, with his song "Crosses.") * ''
Looking for Alaska ''Looking for Alaska'' is American author John Green‘s debut novel, published in March 2005 by Dutton Juvenile. Based on his time at Indian Springs School, Green wrote the novel as a result of his desire to create meaningful young adult fiction ...
'' (2019) – "Crosses"


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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Jose 1978 births Living people People from Gothenburg English-language singers from Sweden Musicians from Gothenburg Swedish folk musicians Swedish male singer-songwriters Swedish singer-songwriters Swedish atheists Mute Records artists Swedish indie rock musicians Swedish people of Argentine descent University of Gothenburg alumni 21st-century Swedish singers 21st-century Swedish male singers Love Da Records artists