Lill-Babs | |
|---|---|
 Lill-Babs in 1961 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Barbro Margareta Svensson (1938-03-09)9 March 1938 Järvsö, Sweden |
| Died | 3 April 2018(2018-04-03) (aged 80) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1953–2018 |
Spouses | |
| Website | lill-babs |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
Barbro Margareta Svensson (9 March 1938 – 3 April 2018), known by her stage nameLill-Babs, was a Swedish singer, actress and television host. From the early 1950s until her death in 2018, she was one of Sweden's best-known and most popular singers. She represented Sweden in the1961 Eurovision Song Contest inCannes with the song "April, april". She was also well known for the song "Är du kär i mej ännu Klas-Göran?" ("Are You Still in Love with Me, Klas-Göran?").
Lill-Babs was born Barbro Svensson in Järvsö, 290 km (180 mi) north of Stockholm. She lived with her parents, Ragnar and Britta Svensson, for nine years in a small cottage without running water. She first sang in a church at age 11. Her first public appearance was with a colleague of her father accompanying her on the accordion.[1]
Svensson's first public performance was at Barnens dag inJärvsö 1953.[2][3] Soon after, she started singing with Lasse Schönning's orchestra. She was "discovered" when she sang on the radio programMorgonkvisten ("Early Morning") in 1954.Simon Brehm, a musician and record producer, liked her and took her to Stockholm where she made her professional singing debut at the Bal Palais restaurant.[4] Brehm was Svensson's manager until his death in 1967. He gave Svensson her stage name "Lill-Babs", a play on words as a connection to the older, and at that time better known, singerAlice Babs.[5] She released her first music album in 1954, a gramophone record with two songs: "Min mammas boogie" ("My Mamma's Boogie") and "Svar till 'Ung och kär'" ("Answer to 'Young And In Love'").[6] Soon afterwards, finding herself pregnant, she returned to Järvsö and gave birth to a daughter, Monica.[1]
Lill-Babs made her television debut in 1957 and her firstfolkpark show using her birth name in 1958.[6] She visited every folk park in Sweden during her long career[6][7]
In 1959, Lill-Babs performedStikkan Anderson's song "Är du kär i mej ännu Klas-Göran?" ("Are You Still in Love with Me, Klas-Göran?"); her recording of it became a major hit.[8] She made her theater debut in 1958 in the playFly mig en greve ("Fly Me a Count") at Nöjeskatten theater.[9] She also appeared in the filmsSvenska Floyd andEn nolla för mycket ("One Zero Too Many").[8][10]
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Lill-Babs representedSweden in the1961 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "April, april". It had been performed bySiw Malmkvist in thenational final, but Lill-Babs was selected to perform the song inCannes.[2][11] She participated inMelodifestivalen three times in1960,1961 (her own two songs did not win) andin 1973 without winning.[11] In 1969, she participated in the NorwegianMelodi Grand Prix without winning.[12] Soon after Eurovision, she launched a career in West Germany, where she acted in several films. She also released two English-language solo singles for the United States market.[13]
Lill-Babs metThe Beatles in 1963 when she was the main guest star on the teen music showDrop-In broadcast onSveriges Television (SVT). The then-unknown band asked for her autograph.[14] Lill-Babs performed several shows in bars at Berns in Stockholm, Trädgår'n inGothenburg and Kronprinsen inMalmö.[15]Björn Ulvaeus andBenny Andersson ofABBA wrote and produced her 1971 hit song "Welcome to the World". The four future members of ABBA sang on it.[1] Also in the 1970s she played in aKar de Mumma revue at Folkan, and playedAnnie Oakley in the musicalAnnie Get Your Gun atScandinavium arena[16] in Gothenburg.[15]
Lill-Babs was the main guest onHär är ditt liv (Swedish version of "This Is Your Life") on 26 December 1983 when the hostLasse Holmqvist surprised her in the studio with a long line of ex-boyfriends.[17]
She was the presenter on several TV shows likeHemma hos Lill-Babs (1987) ("At Home with Lill-Babs"),Morgonlust (1988) ("Morning Desire"),Vem tar vem (1990) ("Who Takes Whom"), andCocktail (1991) all on SVT.[18]
In 2010, she participated in the television showSå mycket bättre ("That Much Better"), broadcast onTV4.[19] In 2012, Lill-Babs appeared onStjärnorna på slottet ("Stars at the Palace"), broadcast on SVT, where she spoke about her career.[20] In 2017 and 2018, she acted as a lesbian character Gugge in two seasons of the SVT seriesBonusfamiljen; the series' script had to be changed following her death.[21]
A two-part documentary was broadcast on TV4 in 2017 calledLill-Babs, Leva livet ("Lill-Babs, to Live Life"), which presented her life and career.[22]
Lill-Babs died on 3 April 2018, followingcancer and heart failure.[14]
On the day of her death, both SVT and TV4 changed their programming so that programs about Lill-Babs could air. SVT broadcast the 2004 biographical documentaryLill-Babs i 50 år ("Lill-Babs for 50 Years"),[23] including the TV4 documentary from 2017.
Her funeral was atJärvsö Church on 28 May the same year and she was buried in the churchyard there.[24]
Lill-Babs was married to the singerLasse Berghagen 1965–1968.[25] She was then married to Norwegian footballerKjell Kaspersen 1969–1973.[26] She had three daughters: Monica Svensson (born 1955),Malin Berghagen (born 1966), andKristin Kaspersen (born 1969).[27] Her younger brother Lasse Svensson used to be the drummer for rock groupTages (and subsequently Blond) 1967–1969.[28]
She released her autobiographyHon är jag ("She Is I") in 1996.[29]
In 2017, she was inducted into the Swedish Music Hall of Fame.[6]
Lill-Babs was a known supporter ofAIK.[30]
(Source: Discogs artist page)[31]
(Source: Swedish Film Database)[32]
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| Preceded by | Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961 | Succeeded by |
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