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Per Magnusson
When he was 13 years old, his friends in Sweden were listening to Abba, but Per Magnusson had different tastes. “That wasn’t the music that inspired me. I listened to the Beatles a lot, and a lot of other British music, groups like 10cc and the Alan Parsons Project.”
Magnusson, born May 30, 1969, in Stockholm, was a member of several different bands, and played almost every instrument. “Not very well, but I tried them all out,” he explains. “I never lasted a long time in a band because I was more interested in telling everyone what to play and not to play. So even back then, I assumed the producer’s role rather than being a member of the band.” One of the last things Magnusson tried was writing songs. “I was more into arranging, producing, and playing than writing songs. I think it was just a matter of finding people that I liked to write with and having the courage to come up with ideas.”
Magnusson met David Kreuger at a record store and struck up a friendship that led to writing songs together. Kreuger was a DJ, as was Cheiron Studios founder Denniz Pop, and that led to an invitation for Magnusson to work at Cheiron. Magnusson and Kreuger first worked with a Swedish female singer named Dede, and then with Dreamworld and E-Type. They also wrote for Leila K, Solid Harmonie, and LFO. In 1997 Magnusson and Kreuger wrote a song for the Irish boy band Boyzone. But Magnusson got his biggest break in 1998 from a 16-year old American singer. “We didn’t know much about her,” says Magnusson. “She was a shy little 16-year old. We thought it was just another girl getting some tracks. For some reason, we wrote some great songs and got some great performances out of her.” That shy girl was Britney Spears. Magnusson enjoyed working with her as a new artist. “The fun thing is having a newcomer who hasn’t released a single yet. From day one, you can adjust them to become part of the sound you’ve created from the beginning.”
In 1999, Magnusson continued his winning streak, writing for another Irish boy band, Westlife. But Magnusson’s biggest chart triumph was still to come. First, he would sign with a new publisher. “My friend Magnus Larkeryd, who is creative director at peermusic in Sweden, called me at Cheiron and asked if I would take a meeting. I met with him and managing director Hasse Skoog. I instantly liked them and the vibe of the whole organization, and the indie feel of it.”
No one had heard of the British “Pop Idol” TV series when Magnusson agreed to write songs for the winning contestant. For the show’s finale, the top three contestants sang his song “Evergreen,” originally recorded by Westlife. Ultimate winner Will Young released a single of “Evergreen,” which became the fastest-selling single in the history of the U.K. charts, with 1.1 million copies sold in its first week of release. Second-place Gareth Gates included “Evergreen” on his first single, which sold 1.1 million copies in three weeks. Gates also had a No. 1 single with Magnusson’s “Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake).”
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