Music scene
Nordic popular music
, also referred to as
Scandinavian popular music
, includes
pop
and
rock music
of the
Nordic countries
. The musical scene is known for its biggest bands like
ABBA
,
Roxette
,
A-ha
,
Michael Learns to Rock
,
Ace of Base
, and
Aqua
. These are by far the biggest non-metal acts to come out of
Sweden
,
Norway
and
Denmark
.
The popular music of the
Nordic countries
exhibits great diversity.
Denmark
,
Finland
,
Iceland
,
Norway
and
Sweden
[1]
have all had successful domestic record industries for many years. Because
Estonia
,
Latvia
and
Lithuania
were under Soviet control for several decades after World War II, at the time when recording technology and popular music spread around the world, those three countries have in the recent past had a more tenuous connection with the popular industries of Finland, Sweden and the rest. In the 21st century, however, Western popular music (particularly popular music from
United Kingdom
and
United States
, as well as more "local" music from other Nordic nations) has continued to gain audiences in the whole Nordic and Baltic region.
The Nordic
metal
scene is highly visible compared to other genres from the region. Many big names such as
Dimmu Borgir
,
Lordi
,
Mercyful Fate
,
Blind Channel
,
Skalmold
,
Hamferð
,
Mnemic
,
Opeth
,
Meshuggah
,
Children of Bodom
,
Amon Amarth
, Lamori from
Aland
and to an extent Estonia's
Metsatoll
?if considering Estonia as Nordic, hail from Nordic nations. Nordic or Scandinavian metal bands have had a long and lasting influence on the metal subculture alongside their counterparts in Great Britain and The United States.
Nordic number-one singles in the
UK
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]
Some notable artists by country
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Denmark
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Faroe Islands
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Finland
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Iceland
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Norway
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By 2016, Norway had the 20th largest global music market.
[2]
[3]
Currently four Norwegian artists have achieved a Top 10 placement on the
Billboard
Hot 100
, including A-ha's "
Take On Me
" which went to 1st place in 1985, Ylvis' "
The Fox
" which went to 6th place in 2013, Nico & Vinz's "
Am I Wrong
" which went to 4th place in 2014, and Kygo's "
It Ain't Me
" which went to 10th place in 2017.
Sweden
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Further reading
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]
- White, John David; Christensen, Jean, eds. (2002).
New Music of the Nordic Countries
. Pendragon Press.
ISBN
1-57647-019-9
.
- Holt, Fabian; Karja, Antti-Ville, eds. (2017).
The Oxford Handbook of Popular Music in the Nordic Countries
. New York: Oxford University Press.
References
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]