Malou meetings Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle

40 million sold records. 3 million people saw and heard them on their last world tour. Roxette has been a hit from day one and Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson have become multi millionaires. But it's not the money which drives them, they say, but the music. And the feeling of being on stage in front of tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans... - I wish everyone would get to experience this some time. It's such magic. I don't know what to say. It's such a rush. A lot of feelgood... Malou Meets Roxette is back with a new album. Instead of a concert tour, they go on a PR tour. Per Gessle has lost 14 kgs and Marie Fredriksson is tight. Well aware of the expectations that they have to be personable, they also have to draw the line for their personal lives. The slightest slip of the tongue may end up in the news headlines. And this exact day there are headlines all over the country shouting that Roxette's new video has been banned from TV due to demeaning of women... "Sex scenes in Roxette's new video" One can say that if you wanted attention, you have gotten it. Today Expressen has "Women demeaning sex scenes in Roxette's new video banned from TV... - I think it's much ado about nothing. I think it's... I think it's interesting, it was shown on TV4, the morning show, And no one said anything about it. And then ZTV, I think, decides not to show it That's when Expressen jumps in blowing this up. I think it's rather silly. - But TV4 also received a letter from a woman writing exactly this after it was shown on Nyhetsmorgon who also addresses you Marie, would you accept getting tied up and spread your legs while being shot golf balls at? - Your hubby likes golf, doesn't he? - Yes! - That would have been fun to see! - Yes! - So there have been reactions. And I wonder... what was that...? - That's your next Christmas card! - Does sex sell everything? That's how the music business look like? It's not like you're the only ones. MTV is full of this. - Not to mention Expressen, they want to sell more copies with that fantastic headline. Ehm, no I don't think so. And we don't. We're a rather un-sexy band, don't you think? - Is this a good sort of attention? There are headlines today and attention around the video. Is all publicity good publicity? - We find this rather funny somehow. Because this shows how media works. And how easy it is... I mean, we're out marketing a new album So of course this doesn't hurt us. I don't think so. I honestly think it's rather funny. I laugh at Expressen mostly. Roxette is described as a band where Marie Fredriksson and especially Per Gessle have full control. Per Gessle is on 9 boards in companies which he owns, partially or fully. In financial and business magazines he's described as a skilled business man. This is a a huge export, Roxette. - Yes - Lots of money and lots of people. And I know that you are described as a business genius and business man and are very interested in everything that's going on around Roxette. - Yes, that's how they describe me! - And? - Well, I am who I am, I don't know what to add. I don't see me as... a business... - It's not entirely true. We are a whole bunch of people helping each other out. We have a manager, a record company. There are many of us making the decisions all the time. What we want do do. How to plan the PR tour. It's not just Per sitting behind the desk... "Go like this" "go like that!" - The managing director of Roxette... - We had, we have had an advantage in Roxette. It's that when we broke through in 1989 we were, Marie is much much older than me, but I was 29 and you were very much older. - 30... - 30 yes. But we had been at it for 10 years in Sweden already. So a lot of things we already knew. We knew the how the publishing business, the recording business worked when we broke through. And it's usually those things that new artists get screwed over you know. They are 22 years old or 19 years old and they have no clue and sign away everything. We made all our mistakes in Sweden so to speak. When we were younger. We had much use of that later on. Maybe that's... - You are both full owner or part owner in many companies where you are on many boards. This is another part. That's where music has gone these days, more like a business venture. - Yes definitely. - And recently I heard you say, almost deny that you're both interested in and good at this. - Yes but... - Does that not fit your image? - Sure it does, but I just don't think I'm very good at this. I mean I'm very dependent on the people Marie told you about. In these magazines I usually am portrayed as some sort of business yuppie, you know. And I'm very far from that. And that's what I'm laughing at. It's not the real me and the people who know me know that. But ehh... of course we are very eager to have good contracts and that things become how we want them to. But it's so hard to arrange these things according to color. The priorities. - I've recently interviewed Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, and he was very enthusiastic about this. This is his driving force. He thinks creativity is great, but it's the money that's the driving force. To see the money grow, to get new stores. But if you talk to people in your business it seems bad to make money, and use that as a driving force. - We don't think it's bad to make money. Of course it's a driving force. That's what I mean about nuances. Say if I said "money is a driving force" Then Expressen will write tomorrow "Per Gessle: Money is the ONLY driving force." Right? Of course money is a driving force. Money gives us an incredible freedom to lead a good life. But still, if you try to find the core in all this, the core is still the love for pop music and for music. That's where we're coming from. My relation to pop music is still the same as when I was 6 listening to the Hep Stars. - Is it nice to make money? - Yes of course! - Yes... - Kind of a dumb question I think. I still remember the times when I didn't have any money. How you had to turn each penny over and plan "I can't buy that now" "I have to decide against that." Now that has changed over the years, you've gotten a lot more careless, or I have at least. Speaking for myself, definitely not him! But I've gotten a lot more "oh fun!" and splurge a bit more. And maybe... So of course it changes one. You don't have as much respect for money as you used to. But on the other hand you also feel responsible for the money. I mean, invest them correctly and really take care of the companies and such. So they are managed correctly. It's important. - Yes, money is one thing that has changed your lives a lot. Another thing is this feeling standing on a stage, if you look at photos from your concerts, and especially from abroad, to be affirmed. I doubt one can be more affirmed by people than being what you are. Does that change one? It can become a compulsion of sorts to experience that? - Yes.... it does change your occupasional behavior. You get more self assured in what you do. But if it changes you as a person, I don't know. I've always felt that When you walk on a stage or go into the studio to sing you enter a role so to speak And in that role you get stronger and better, more self confident. But I don't think you change as much privately. I wish it would be more like that really. - What do you feel when you're standing there...? - That's just amazing. And incredible... I mean many times we've looked at each other on stage wondering if it's for real. Standing somewhere in a city you can't even spell in another part of the world playing The Look or It Must Have Been Love And 40,000 people sing it, know the lyrics better than Marie. It's fantastic. - You have described a feeling that you are two different people and when you walk on stage you become someone else. - It's amazing. It's hard to describe that feeling. I know I've said I want everyone to experience that feeling sometime because it's such magic. I don't know what to say, it's such a rush, a lot of feelgood. - And yet both of you have said that you wanted to take a break, and did, because it became too overwhelming. - Yes we had been traveling and releasing albums for 7 years in a row so we felt we needed a break. Plus I had Josefin and then Oskar and Per had Gabriel. The kids had to get room in the families. You had to sort of land that in peace and quiet. It was... necessary and very pleasant. Really. - And you have turned 40... - Marie is older. - Yes I know, she's much older than you... but this rock image is a lot being eternally young, tough, have sort of lots of ***, sex and rock'n'roll. You are now married with children... - ***, sex and rock'n'roll we leave to Jonas Åkerlund! - Yes we covered that... Is that a problem to keep this image on stage? There's a risk for becoming pathetic? You can't walk around on stage with a beer belly. - You have to start exercising then. Change your diet. - And you do? You've lost a lot of weight. 14 15 or so... - Yeah. - Is that because of that, you want to... - Yeah, no, you have to take care of yourself. I'm just barely younger than Marie so I have to mind my eating. - It doesn't suit Per being fat! It was really strange I think. - Isn't that typically me though, I think. I decided it and did it. - That's so cool with Per, because he just focuses on something and then he does it all the way, 100 %. And the results are always good. It's so nice to see. And that's how we work too. It's so easy and smooth. - But you must be rather goal oriented too? You've had your own career. - Yeees, but I'm more... ...it takes longer time for me and sort of I don't know, we're quite different. - Marie is much more like this... While I'm more like this.... You can be really down and out regarding your self confidence. And the next day you rule the world! You know. - And yours is always up, or...? - Naaaahhh... I mean... no not really like that, but I think you can be even more goal oriented than me when you're peaking, sort of. - Yes on stage, that's another thing. - I'm much more even, you know. A little lower and not quite as... - Marie, you have two children and I know when I interviewed you a few years ago you wished that Per would get a kid so he would understand. And you would get a little more equal and your wish came true! - Really great. No one was happier than me when I heard. - What happened then? Did you get more understanding? - Yes everything became much easier, and you saw things in a different light. You understand each other when one says "I can't do this, Oskar didn't sleep all night..." "Yes yes of course" or vice versa, then you understand it perfectly how Per feels if something has happened if they have been sick or so. Of course it makes it easier to understand each other. - You were rather cocky there in the beginning I remember. No changing diapers and Åsa will have to take care of everything. "I need my beauty sleep..." - That was a press thing... you know how they are. - No but I think, we talked about this the other day. I don't understand how Marie could do the "Crash!" tour and the "Crash!Boom!***!" promotional work as a mother to an infant. Josefin... - I was tired... - But I didn't understand that then! I just thought she was a pain in the ***... - I was just complaining. - when I told her what to do. It was a lot of whining. - Yes... - But now, now I mean I don't think I could have managed it, the things you managed. And you were a mother! So in that way it's... really good to have become a parent myself. - And you were quite sad I heard. You worked so hard and no one understood it. - I did feel lonely, really. In the beginning. But it got better. And before you get into your role as a parent. Before you realize what it means and sort of... Before you learn how to really say no. This is enough. This is more important. You think you can do everything in the beginning. And you think you have unlimited resources. But you don't. You have to say stop. Draw a line for what you can handle. - We've talked to someone close to you and they say you've changed a lot. - OK? - Has he? - Yes. Really he has. - Has he?? - Of course! You've become much more relaxed... calmer... more sensitive, more perceptive. And that's quite good. - Are you not even worried about Gabriel drooling in your Ferrari? You with your vacuum cleaner. - There is a sort of line there I think, which you don't cross. No I also feel you change a lot when you become a parent. You get a different perspective on life. You get softer somehow. You get a little more scared because you have more to lose. Before it was more... You think more about air travel, accidents, use the seat belt for gods' sake!, you know? Things like that, you haven't cared about before. - But when you started this recording then it was more adjusted to this, you didn't work around the clock? - No. We worked totally different this time. - Yes, in the olden days, I remember when we recorded "Look Sharp!" There was a song called "Soul Deep" where the vocals were added around 3.30 am! That would never happen today. You could never muster it. We worked 24/7. It would never work. - And then we called Café Opera around 2.15 and asked them to keep the bar open so you could grab a cold one on the way home. Around 3... - Totally different now. - Do you miss it? - No! I really don't. - Is working that way better? - No not at all, but that was the way of life back then somehow. - It was a hunger too... a... a... It was so nice to just be free and go for it. We had so much energy and dreams... - This winter Roxette got an award for "It Must Have Been Love" having been played over 3 million times on US radio. That's 24 years non stop playing and Per Gessle says it's being played on at least two American radio stations, 24/7. - Can you hear that this will be a... - Hit...? No... On our last album, "Wish I Could Fly" the first single and the biggest hit, was my 7th choice... Marie is much better. - You can hear it? - No I've been lucky. - You always pick the singles immediately... "Joyride"... - Yes... "Joyride"... - "The Look"... I didn't even want to release "The Look" at all because I was singing. I hated my voice. - Is that so? - And I was totally convinced that... - I thought it was god's punishment to me and very ironic that the song we broke through with was sung by me. I thought that was weird. - Your way to find the melodies, is that a way to listen to your thoughts and... store these melodies to... Because it's the melody that's so important in these songs, that it gets hooked. - Well, it's the way I write music, for better or worse. I mean, I can only write melodic music, with a clear melody. I'm a... Then I'm a big fan of that music. I really love Roxette and the music we make. I think I read something about Benny in ABBA, who said he was so happy everyone loved the same music as him: ABBA! I think that was a nice way of putting it. Because I feel the same about our music. It's for real so to speak. I can't write hip hop. - You two usually describe your lives very positively. Successful in every way it feels. You speak very highly about your partners, you about Micke and you about Åsa and that's... You lift them up. - Yes but they have gotten lots of... They have taken... a lot of... - Hard to live with your success? - No not at all. They've managed that greatly. But it's a lot thanks to them that we are great. That we can handle it. They are such good home support. Then we can be good at what we do. They have a HUGE part in Roxette's success - And what about the kids? How do they deal with this? It can't be easy with parents like everyone feels they have a relation to? - Gabriel and Oskar are too young so far, but Josefin gets sick of it now, when we are out shopping or so. People come up to me all the time and feel like "why can't we be left alone?" She feels it's a little annoying. - But you can choose not to live here? - Yes... - But you've chosen to stay here and get taxed here. I read you were taxed 29 million or something the other year. - Poor me! - Is that how you feel? - No! - There are a lot of others who do quite the opposite and flee the taxes in Sweden. - It's a choice you make. We feel good in Sweden. The only thing we don't like in Sweden is the long winter. The fingers get cracked. It's so dry. - You've never thought about living abroad? - Yes! A lot really! It's just a matter of time. One thing is clear; it's on stage these two people belong and not as walking poster boards. And it's also before the audience on stage it happens every time. That's where Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle from Halmstad turn into the world famous act Roxette. Subtitles: Thomas Evensson for TDR © 2013.