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Tommy Nilsson | |
|---|---|
 Nilsson in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Erik Tommy Nilsson (1960-03-11)11 March 1960 (age 65) Solna, Sweden |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Member of | Easy Action |
| Formerly of | Horizont |
Spouse(s) | |
Erik Tommy Nilsson (born 11 March 1960) is a Swedish singer and songwriter.[1] He represented Sweden in theEurovision Song Contest 1989, coming fourth. He is also a member of the rock groupEasy Action.
In the late 1970s, Nilsson was the singer of the Swedish rock band Horizont. The group released two albums but a French producer, Yves Accary, contacted Nilsson and signed him to a French record company. The singer enjoyed his first big hit in France in 1981 with the song "No Way No How". The single sold one million copies and the album 200 000 copies.No Way No How, his first album, included disco tracks and ballads. A follow-up LPTommy Nilsson was released in 1982 and this time the songs were composed by Tommy Nilsson and Alex R Contanstinos. This was a rock album, recorded in Stockholm and Los Angeles, but it did not sell very well and after two years of travelling between France and the United States, Nilsson decided to go back to Sweden.
Nilsson later joined the hard rock groupEasy Action, and recorded one album with them,That Makes One. The group eventually split up and Nilsson started a solo career. He represented Sweden in theEurovision Song Contest 1989 with the balladEn dag (One day) and placed fourth. He has also made several Swedish hits in Sweden;Allt som jag känner (Everything that I feel) (a duet withTone Norum) in 1987,Öppna din dörr (Open your door) in 1994,Dina färger var blå (Your colours were blue) in 1996, andAmelia in 2005. In 1988, he was given an award for best Swedish male artist and in 1994 received a gold disc for his albumEn Kvinnas Man.
In 2001, a compilation of his songs,En samling 1981–2001, went platinum in Sweden. In 2005, his albumTiden före nu reached # 2 on the Swedish sales chart just after its release.
Nilsson took part in the Swedish nationalEurovision Song Contest selection again in 2007. He performed thepower balladJag tror på människan (I believe in man) inMelodifestivalen 2007's first semi-final inJönköping on 3 February 2007, and qualified for the final round, along withAnna Book. The song placed tenth and last in the final after failing to receive any points from the judges or thetelevoting audience. Nevertheless,Jag tror på människan reached number 9 on theSvensktoppen.
He has been back in the bandEasy Action since 2019.
Nilsson has also collaborated with Swedish television, dubbed cartoons, and acted in several plays.
In 1997, Nilsson co-starred withMary Wilson ofthe Supremes inSupreme Soul, the story of a black singer who arrives in Sweden to do a show with a white singer. The show consisted of music, as well as humorous moments that highlighted culture differences between Sweden and the United States.
Nilsson played the part of Captain von Trapp in the musicalThe Sound of Music that ran in Stockholm beginning 29 September 2007, ending with a tour and the last performance inÖrebro in May 2008.
In 2016, he participated inSå mycket bättre, which was broadcast onTV4. He also participated in the Swedish showStjärnornas stjärna in 2018, broadcast on the same channel.[2]
Nilsson is also known for hisdubbing work for animated films and series, includingBonkers,Top Cat,Batman: The Animated Series,The Busy World of Richard Scarry, the voice ofPatrick Star inSpongeBob SquarePants, among others. He dubbedMel Gibson's voice ofJohn Smith inPocahontas.
Nilsson was previously married to Swedish actressMalin Berghagen. Since 2017, he has been married to actressLinda Olsson.[3]
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWE [4] | |||
| 1982 | Tommy Nilsson | – | |
| 1988 | It! | 3 | |
| 1990 | Follow the Road | 11 | |
| 1994 | En kvinnas man | 8 | |
| 1996 | Så nära | 15 | |
| 1999 | Fri att vara här | 57 | |
| 2005 | Tiden före nu | 2 | |
| 2010 | I år är julen min | ||
| 2013 | Stay Straight on the Current Road | 52 |
| Year | Album | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| SWE [4] | ||
| 2001 | En samling 1981–2001 | 2 |
| 2006 | Det bästa med Tommy Nilsson | 38 [5] |
| Year | Song | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWE [4] | |||
| 1988 | "Allt som jag känner" (withTone Norum) | 1 | |
| "Maybe We're About to Fall in Love" | 1 | ||
| "Miss My Love" | 18 | ||
| 1989 | "En dag" | 3 | |
| "Time" (with Zemya Hamilton) | 19 | ||
| 1994 | "Öppna din dörr" | 2 | |
| 1995 | "Dina färger var blå" | 9 | |
| 1999 | "Här är jag nu" | 46 | |
| 2007 | "Jag tror på människan" | 12 | |
| 2016 | "Sommarnatt" | 75 [6] | |
| 2018 | "Om du ser mig"[7] | — | |
| 2019 | "Högre"[8] | — |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |