Peter Arne Jöback (born 4 June 1971) is a Swedish singer, actor and
musical artist.
Jöback has acted in
musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...
, with lead roles in
West End productions of ''
Miss Saigon
''Miss Saigon'' is a sung-through musical theatre, stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madama Butterfly'', and similarly tells th ...
'' and ''
The Witches of Eastwick
''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008.
Plot
The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...
''. He is also known for his portrayals of
the Phantom
''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...
in West End and
Broadway productions of ''
The Phantom of the Opera''. More recently, Jöback took on the role of
Jean Valjean in a West End production of
''Les Misérables''. He will reprise the same role for ''
Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular World Tour''.
Biography
Early life and education
Peter Jöback was born on 4 June 1971 in Stockholm. He spent his childhood in
Värmland
Värmland () is a ''Provinces of Sweden, landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west.
Name
Several Latinized version ...
and
Östergötland.
As a student Jöback attended the
Adolf Fredrik's Music School in Stockholm.
1995–2000
Peter Jöback got his professional break through his collaboration with
ABBA
ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
's
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duve ...
and
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...
in their musical ''
Kristina från Duvemåla'' (''The Emigrants'') at
Malmö Opera and Music Theatre. Jöback created the role of Robert, whose theme song ("Guldet blev till sand") broke every record on the Swedish pop charts. The musical was seen by over one million Swedes, and the original cast's CD box became a triple-platinum album and received several Swedish Grammy awards. Jöback received his first Golden Mask for his role as Robert.
In 1997, Jöback released his album ''Personliga Val'', which reached no. 2 on the Swedish album chart. It featured 11 pop-oriented interpretations of songs from famous musicals.
Cameron Mackintosh discovered Jöback's talent and offered him the lead as Chris in ''
Miss Saigon
''Miss Saigon'' is a sung-through musical theatre, stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madama Butterfly'', and similarly tells th ...
'' at the Theatre Royal in London's West End in 1997. In 2000, at the same theatre, Jöback created the role of Michael in Macintosh's original production of ''
The Witches of Eastwick
''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008.
Plot
The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...
''.
2000–2005
In September of 2000, Peter Jöback released ''
Only When I Breathe'', his first studio album in English. The album reached no. 1 on the Swedish album charts.
Many of Jöback's stage performances and albums have been met with critical acclaim. On his Christmas album, released in 2002, Jöback teamed up with Norwegian singer
Sissel Kyrkjebø in a duet of the Irish folk song "Be Thou My Vision" in a Swedish translation titled "Gå Inte Förbi". The duo have since become frequent guests at each other's concerts.
In 2004, Jöback collaborated with the
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (GSO; ) is a Swedish symphony orchestra based in Gothenburg. The GSO is resident at the Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen. The orchestra received the title of the National Orchestra of Sweden () in 1997.
Ba ...
conducted by Nick Davies in a project called ''Storybook''. For the project, he performed classic songs in new arrangements. The orchestra and Jöback later released a CD that became a Gold Disc. They also performed two concerts in the
Globe Arena and Scandinavium Arena in Sweden. The album made Jöback a star in Norway, where his first solo tour in 2005 was a success with his audience and the media.
2006–2010
From 2006 to 2007, Jöback starred as the Emcee in a production of ''
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
'' in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
and
Gothenburg
Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
. He received critical praise as well as his second Golden Mask Tony Award. He had performed as the Emcee before in 2003 at the Gladsaxe Theatre in Copenhagen.
Jöback ended 2008 with a sold-out Christmas tour in arenas in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
following the release of a new 4× platinum-selling Christmas album. In 2007, he also toured Scandinavia with his platinum-selling studio album with original songs co-written by himself. In January of 2009, Jöback moved to New York City to get new inspiration and make new acquaintances. This resulted in an album entitled ''East Side Stories'', recorded in Woodstock, featuring prominent guests such as
Kate Pierson from
The B-52's,
Sia,
Gail Ann Dorsey and the group Betty.
Peter Jöback entered
Melodifestivalen 2010, the Swedish pre-selection for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2010. He received a wildcard from
SVT. His song, "Hollow", reached the final of the competition, ultimately finishing in 9th.
2011–present: Success in musical theatre
In 2011, Jöback performed in the finale of ''
The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall''. In 2012, Jöback starred as
The Phantom
''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...
in the
West End production of ''
The Phantom of the Opera'' taking over the role from
Earl Carpenter. He reprised the role in the
Broadway production in April 2013, taking over the role from
Hugh Panaro. His last performance as The Phantom on Broadway was on 24 August, 2013, when Panaro took over the role again. However, he has since returned to bring the Phantom to Sweden. The show premiered in September 2016 in Stockholm. In January 2018, Jöback took over the role of The Phantom from
Laird Mackintosh on Broadway for the 30th Anniversary, alongside
Ali Ewoldt and he left the production again on March 31.
From December 2013 to April 2014, he played
the title role in ''
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' at Stockholms Stadsteater.
On 26 January 2024, it was announced he’d have a month-long run in the West End production of ''
Les Misérables'' as
Jean Valjean from February 13 to March 9. In January and February 2025, he will reprise the role in Sweden as part of the Arena World Tour.
Jöback placed second in the final of the
fifth season of
Masked Singer Sverige, which was broadcast on
TV4.
Personal life
Peter Jöback is the son of singer Monica Lind.
On 25 June 2010, Jöback married his partner, Oskar Nilsson, at the
Cirkus Theatre in Stockholm.
Discography
Studio albums
Cast Recordings
Live albums
Compilation albums
Singles
* 1990: "En sensation"
* 1990: "Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)"
* 1991: "This Time"
* 1992: "
More Than a Game" (with
Towe Jaarnek)
* 1993: "Det ingen annan vet"
* 1993: "Du är min längtan"
* 1993: "Nu när jag funnit dig"
* 1996: "Guldet blev till sand"
* 1997: "En sång om oss"
* 1998: "Vem ser ett barn"
* 1999: "Hon ser inte mig"
* 2000: "
Higher"
* 2000: "Tonight"
* 2001: "Under My Skin"
* 2002: "She's Like A Butterfly"
* 2002: "Sinner"
* 2003: "Gå inte förbi", duet with
Sissel Kyrkjebø
* 2004: "Du har förlorat mer än jag"
* 2004: "Sommarens sista sång"
* 2006: "Jag blundar i solens sken"
* 2007: "
Stockholm i natt"
* 2007: "Han är med mig nu", featuring Annika Norlin
äkert* 2007: "Italy vs Helsinki", together with the band Laakso
* 2007: "Jag står för allt jag gjort"
* 2008: "Himlen är inget tak", with
Eva Dahlgren
* 2009: "Sing", with
Kate Pierson
* 2010: "Hollow"
* 2011: "Jag kommer hem igen till jul"
* 2022: "The River"
* 2023: "Får Jag Det Här Som Tack?!" (This Is The Thanks I Get?! from
Wish)
Musicals and other shows
*1982–83: ''Mio Min Mio''
*1982–84: ''
The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...
''
*1983–84: ''Snövit (Snow white)''
*1984–85: ''Kavallerijungfrun''
*1988: ''Här & Nu''
*1990: ''Melodifestivalen''
*1990: ''
West Side Story
''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents.
Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
''
*1991–92: ''
Grease''
*1993: ''
Aladdin
Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...
''
*1993–94: ''
Fame''
*1994: ''Djungelboken''
*1994–95: ''Musical Express 1 & 2''
*1995–98: ''Kristina Från Duvemåla''
*1997: ''
Miss Saigon
''Miss Saigon'' is a sung-through musical theatre, stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madama Butterfly'', and similarly tells th ...
, in London''
*1997: Peter Jöback – A Musical Voyage''
*1998: ''
Jesus Christ Superstar''
*1998: ''Personliga Val – Live''
*1998: ''Peter Jöback Show''
*1999: ''Där Regnbågen Slutar''
*2000: ''
Stuart Little''
*2000: ''
The Witches of Eastwick
''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008.
Plot
The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...
, in London''
*2003: ''
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
, in Copenhagen''
*2005: ''Concert tour in Norway''
*2005: ''Rhapsody in rock, Sweden tour''
*2006: ''
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
, in Stockholm''
*2007: ''
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
, in Gothenburg''
*2008: ''En julkonsert''
*2009: ''En julkonsert''
*2012-2013: ''
The Phantom of the Opera'', London and New York City
*2022: ''I Wish My Life Were a Musical''
*2023:
''Wish''
*2024: ''
Les Miserables'',
The Sondheim Theatre, London
*2025: ''
Les Miserables'', Gothenburg, Malmo and Stockholm, Sweden
References
External links
Peter Jöback's official site(English and Swedish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joback, Peter
1971 births
Living people
20th-century Swedish male singers
20th-century Swedish male actors
Swedish male musical theatre actors
Swedish male voice actors
21st-century Swedish male singers
21st-century Swedish male actors
Singers from Stockholm
Male actors from Stockholm
Swedish LGBTQ singers
English-language singers from Sweden
Swedish-language singers