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Björn Skifs | |
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 Skifs in 2024 | |
| Born | Björn Nils Olof Skifs (1947-04-20)20 April 1947 (age 78) Vansbro, Sweden |
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| Years active | 1966–2025 |
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Musical artist | |
Björn Nils Olof Skifs (Swedish:[ˈbjœːɳˈɧɪfs]ⓘ; born 20 April 1947) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, actor, and screenwriter.[1][2][3] Skifs has represented Sweden twice in theEurovision Song Contest, in the 1978 contest and in the 1981 contest.
Björn Skifs formed his first musical group,Slam Creepers, in 1962. Slam Creepers split in 1969 and Skifs went on to form a new band, Blåblus (a farmer's or workman's shirt (blus, blouse) made from blue (blå, blue) fabric - a pun (blues)) in 1972. As the lead singer ofBlue Swede (another pun - blue + suede), the band had a No. 1 hit onBillboard Hot 100 in 1974 with a cover ofMark James's "Hooked on a Feeling".
Skifs embarked on a solo career after Slam Creepers broke up in 1969 and previously he had recorded the duetMed varann withAnni-Frid Lyngstad for his 1975 albumSchiffz!.[4] Skifs appeared as The Arbiter on the original studio album forChess, released in 1984. A single and video,The Arbiter (I Know the Score), was released in 1985. Skifs also recorded several demos for the album, includingOne Night in Bangkok, later performed byMurray Head. Skifs did not perform the role on stage (in the original London production the character was played by Tom Jobe).
Povel Ramel gave Skifs theKaramelodiktstipendiet award in 1984.
Skifs has represented Sweden twice in theEurovision Song Contest, in the1978 contest and in the1981 contest. In 2000, he hostedMelodifestivalen, the Swedish heat of the Eurovision Song Contest, along with nine other presenters.
In 2002, he scored a major hit with the song "Håll mitt hjärta" (Hold My Heart), which is a Swedish version ofPeter Hallström's songSame Ol' Story. It stayed onSvensktoppen from 27 April 2003 until 8 January 2006, for a total of 142 weeks.[5][6] In April 2020, Skifs performed at the Swedish live-showEn kväll tillsammans, broadcast onSVT, which aimed to bring in money to the SwedishCOVID-19 risk groups. Skifs performed the song "Håll Mitt Hjärta" at the end of the show.[7]
Skifs was the opening act of the final of theEurovision Song Contest 2024 on 11 May, performing "Hooked on a Feeling".[8]
On 17 July 2025, Skifs announced that he was ending his music career because he had been diagnosed withfrontotemporal dementia.[9]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| SWE [10] | ||
| Every Bit of My Life | 1969 | — |
| From Both Sides | 1970 | — |
| Opopoppa(English:"Up'n Pop") | 1971 | — |
| Blåblus(English:Blue Suede) | 1972 | — |
| Pinewood Rally(with Blåblus) | 1973 | — |
| Out of the Blue(with Blåblus) | 1974 | — |
| Schiffz! | 1975 | 2 |
| Watch Out! | 1977 | 2 |
| Split Vision | 1979 | ─ |
| Zkiffz(album artist "Zkiffz")[11] | 1980 | — |
| SPÖK!(English: "Haunting") | 1981 | 41 |
| If... Then...[A][12] | 1983 | — |
| Paris – Dakar – Köpenhamn(English:Paris – Dakar – Copenhagen) | 1984 | — |
| Chess | — | |
| Vild honung(English:Wild Honey) | 1985 | 21 |
| Zick Zack | 1987 | 31 |
| Back on track | 2001 | 8 |
| Ingen annan(English:Nobody Else) | 2002 | 19 |
| Decennier – Sånger från en annan tid(English:Decades – Songs from a Different Time) | 2005 | 1 |
| Andra decennier(English:Other Decades) | 2006 | 1 |
| i2i (Eye to Eye) | 2007 | 2 |
| Da Capo | 2010 | 3 |
| Break the Spell | 2011 | 1 |
| It's Christmas | 2021 | 4 [13] |
Media related toBjörn Skifs at Wikimedia Commons
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| Preceded by | Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981 | Succeeded by |
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