Jens Lekman

  • Angered, Sweden
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  • Rock
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  • 2000
    started
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About Jens Lekman


Sweden's Jens Lekman emerged from relative obscurity to quickly establish himself as the darling of the global indie pop set, winning widespread acclaim from fans and critics for his uncommonly witty and well-crafted pop songs. Born February 6, 1981, in Gothenburg, Sweden, Lekman exhibited little interest in music as a child, but at 14 was recruited to play bass in a friend's cover band. Within weeks he was writing his own original material, quickly accumulating hundreds of songs. Assuming the alias Rocky Dennis (borrowed from the disfigured protagonist of the 1985 American film Mask), Lekman recorded and released a series of limited-edition CD-Rs beginning with 2001's The Budgie-Album.

A year later, he compiled a collection of highlights and mailed the sole copy to the U.S. indie label Secretly Canadian, but remained largely unknown until the 2003 EP Maple Leaves became something of a cause célèbre on Internet file-sharing services. The Swedish indie Service Records reissued Maple Leaves later that same year, and after abandoning his pseudonym once and for all with 2004's Rocky Dennis in Heaven EP, Lekman issued his acclaimed full-length debut, When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog, distributed in the U.S. via Secretly Canadian. The LP generated the Swedish Top Ten hit "You Are the Light," and in 2005 Lekman traveled the globe, issuing several tour-only EPs and collecting his previous singles, B-sides, and compilation tracks as Oh You're So Silent Jens.

Following this flurry of activity, he announced on his website plans for an extended hiatus from performing, scrapping a planned sophomore LP and reportedly accepting a position at a local bingo parlor; Lekman nevertheless quit after just two days on the job and fully rededicated himself to his musical pursuits. This dedication paid off with the release of 2007's stunning album Night Falls Over Kortadela. After touring for a year, moving to Melbourne, Australia for a couple years (where he worked on music and DJ'd a bit), then returning to Sweden, Lekman returned in the fall of 2011 with the EP An Argument with Myself. The record was comprised of five songs recorded for his next album but deemed not quite in line with the theme of failed romance.That album, I Know What Love Isn't, was recorded between 2009 and 2012 in Sweden and Brooklyn, and came out on Secretly Canadian in August of 2012. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

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Music

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  • Sipping on the Sweet Nectar
    jens-lekman
    Video
    Sipping on the Sweet Nectar
  • You Are the Light
    jens-lekman
    Video
    You Are the Light
  • 6198217
    SoundStream
    SoundStream
    song name
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    All the music you want, just 10 bucks a month. Try it free.
    • Sipping On the Sweet Water
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/7/9/8/2/8/115482897.mp3
    • Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/9/8/3/2/8/115482389.mp3
    • A Postcard to Nina
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/2/5/2/8/115482525.mp3
    • Shirin
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/6/0/8/2/8/115482806.mp3
    • The Opposite of Hallelujah
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/8/7/7/2/8/115482778.mp3
    • Erica America
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/7/5/4/3/4/970543457.mp3

Photos

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  • Jens Lekman
    Jens Lekman
    Jens Lekman
    Kristin Lidell
  • Jens Lekman
    Rasmus Hagg
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News

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  • Jens Lekman
    Listen: Download new Jens Lekman song
    www.drownedinsound.com
    that lasted me until the very last days of December 2008 when I finally sat down in my old teenage room at my parents house and I wrote this song. The...
    Read More
  • Jens Lekman
    Jens Lekman, The Olivia Tremor Control, Beach Fossils and More Added to Northside Festival Lineup
    www.jambands.com
    Sweden's Jens Lekman, The Olivia Tremor Control, Ultramagnetic MC's, The Thermals, Future of the Left, Beach Fossils are among the 100 bands just adde...
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  • Jens Lekman
    Jens Lekman: 'I Know What Love Isn't' (Video) | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman will be releasing his first new LP in five years in just a few weeks. Today, the indie crooner has release...
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  • Jens Lekman
    Jens Lekman, I Know What Love Isn't
    American Songwriter
    Jens Lekman I Know What Love Isn't Secretly Canadian Rating: 4 out of 5 stars A songwriter is often only as good as the stories he tells, and Jens Lek...
    Read More
  • Jens Lekman
    Weekend Listening: Gwilym Gold, Jens Lekman, Erol Alkan, Patrick Wolf + lots more
    drownedinsound.com
    doing that tittering thing that leads to little rainbow dots being spluttered onto the monitor. This sweet and not unfunny video co-stars The Big C's ...
    Read More
  • Jens Lekman
    Watch Jens Lekman's Video for "Become Someone Else's"
    Paste
    Jens Lekman's has unveiled his new video for "Become Someone Else's," a track off his latest album I Know What Love Isn't. Directed by Marcus Söderlun...
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  • Jens Lekman
    Watch Jens Lekman on Fallon
    Paste
    Sweden's Jens Lekman made his U.S. television debut last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He played the dreamy "I Know What Love Isn't," the tit...
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  • Jens Lekman
    Jens Lekman, Will Johnson Remember Jason Molina
    pitchfork.com
    Photo by Steve Gullick Jens Lekman and Will Johnson have posted remembrances for the late Jason Molina of Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co., who p...
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  • Jens Lekman
    Listen: New Jens Lekman: "Regarding a Package", About Getting a Dead Bird in the Mail From a Fan
    pitchfork.com
    Jens Lekman: "Regarding a Package" (via SoundCloud) Jens Lekman has shared a new song, "Regarding a Package", as Listen Before You Buy notes. The trac...
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  • Jens Lekman
    Jens Lekman's Newest Song Is About a Fan Sending Him a Dead Bird
    Paste
    They say songwriters can draw inspiration from anything. Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman often amazes us by taking this idea to the next level. ...
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Tour Dates

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  • Jul 23 Tuesday
    Henån, Sweden Slussens Pensionat
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  • Aug 1 Thursday
    Katowice, Poland Unknown venue
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  • Aug 30 Friday
    Salisbury, UK Unknown venue
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  • Aug 30 Friday
    Stockholm, Sweden Eriksdalsbadet
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  • Aug 31 Saturday
    Stockholm, Sweden Popaganda
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  • Sep 7 Saturday
    Oslo, Norway Chateau Neuf, Betong
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Discography

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  • I Know What Love Isn't (2012)
    Jens Lekman
    I Know What Love Isn't (2012)
    Secretly Canadian
  • Night Falls Over Kortedala (2007)
    Jens Lekman
    Night Falls Over Kortedala (2007)
    Service
  • When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog (2004)
    Jens Lekman
    When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog (2004)
    Secretly Canadian
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