10 Best-Selling Swedish Music Artists

Sweden has emerged as a powerhouse in the global music scene. Its artists have climbed to the top of the international charts and have left a lasting mark on numerous musicians through their innovative songwriting and production skills.

To showcase this impact, we’ve put together a list of Sweden’s best-selling music artists. These artists show that Sweden is great at making music and that people across the world love what they do. They demonstrated this by making catchy tunes and good lyrics. From ABBA to Avicii and Europe, here are the country’s finest music exports in terms of sold records.

Table of Contents

Met The Best-Selling Swedish Music Artists

1. ABBA

Year Founded: 1972
Awards/Accolades: Eurovision Song Contest winner (1974); 5 Grammy nominations
Number of Studio Albums: 9
Records Sold: 150 million

ABBA is a famous pop group that started in 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden. The group’s name comes from the first letter of each member’s name: Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid. They are the top-selling Swedish artists ever and the largest-selling group in the history of recorded music, with about 150 million records sold all over the world.

The group became famous worldwide after winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden with their song Waterloo in April 1974. This was the first song on their second album, also called Waterloo. After this, they had many big hits like SOS, Mama Mia, Dancing Queen, Fernando, and Knowing Me, Knowing You in the UK, Australia, and the US.

ABBA has released 9 studio albums: Ring (1973), Waterloo (1974), ABBA (1975), Arrival (1976), The Album (1977), Voulez-Vous (1979), Super Trouper (1980), The Visitors (1981), and Voyage (2021). The Voyage album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 65th Grammy Awards in 2023. The song Don’t Shut Me Down from the same album was also nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year at the Grammys.

2. Roxette

Year Founded: 1986
Awards/Accolades: MTV Video Award, Grammis (Sweden), and WMA (World Music Awards)
Number of Studio Albums: 10
Records Sold: 75 million

Roxette has sold about 75 million records, making them the second most successful Swedish music act. The group started in 1986 with Marie Fredrikson and Per Gessle, who were already famous on their own. They released 10 albums, such as Pearls of Passion in 1986, Tourism in 1992, Have a Nice Day in 1999, Charm School in 2011, and Good Karma in 2016.

Their most famous songs include The Look (1989), Listen to Your Heart (1989), It Must Have Been Love (1990), and Joyride (1991).

Roxette has organized lots of concerts—557 in total—where they played for millions of fans in Europe, Australia, the USA, and South America. They’ve won many awards, like the Grammis in Sweden, the MTV Video Award, the Hungarian Music Award, and the World Music Awards.

Unfortunately, in December 2016, Marie died after battling cancer for 17 years.

3. Ace of Base

Year Founded: 1987
Awards/Accolades: 3 Grammy Nominations, 2 Grammis (Sweden), 3 Billboard Music Awards
Number of Studio Albums: 5
Records Sold: 50 million

Ace of Base, known for their infectious dance beats, is the third-best-selling Swedish act, with an estimated 50 million records sold. Started initially by 3 siblings, Jonas, Linn, and Jenny Berggren, and including Ulf Ekberg, in 1987, they rose to fame in the early 1990s.

Their debut album, Happy Nation (1992), which was later reissued as The Sign, became one of the best-selling debuts ever, with hits like The Sign, All That She Wants, and Don’t Turn Around.

They dominated charts worldwide, winning Billboard and American Music Awards. Their Eurodance sound blended reggae and pop with catchy melodies, influencing countless future artists.

4. Avicii

Awards/Accolades: 1 Billboard Music Award, 5 Grammis (Sweden), 2 Grammy Award nominations
Number of Studio Albums: 3
Records Sold: 30 million

Tim Bergling, known by the world as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ and record producer who revolutionized electronic dance music (EDM) in the early 2010s. Though his career tragically ended at the young age of 28, his impact on music is undeniable.

Avicii sold about 30 million records, making him a big name worldwide. His songs, Levels and Wake Me Up, were very popular all over the world. His first album, True (2013), mixed different kinds of music, like soul, country, and blues, with dance music. He won a lot of awards for his music, including Grammy nominations and Billboard Music Awards.

Even with his success, Avicii had health problems stemming from excessive touring and stress. He stopped performing live in 2016. Sadly, he died in Oman in April 2018, and it was ruled a suicide.

5. The Spotnicks

Year Founded:1961
Number of Studio Albums: 43
Records Sold: 18 million

In 1961, The Spotnicks started up, inspired by the excitement of space exploration. They were first called “The Rebels.” The group included Bo Starander on rhythm guitar, Björn Thelin on bass, and Bo Winberg as the lead guitarist, with Ove Johansson on drums. They stood out by wearing “space suits” and playing a new kind of rock music with just instruments.

The band sold 18 million records around the world. They didn’t win major awards, but they were very influential. Hits like Never Talk to a Stranger and Miles showcased their electrifying blend of rock and roll with surf rock, influencing many musicians who came after them.

Over their career, they put out 43 albums. Their last show was in 2019, right around the time Bo Winberg celebrated his 80th birthday. The Spotnicks may not be widely known everywhere, but they are an important part of Swedish music history.

6. Dr. Alban

Awards: World Music Award and the Echo Award
Number of Studio Albums: 7
Records Sold: 16 million

Dr. Alban emerged as a defining figure in the 90s Eurodance genre, making waves internationally. Born in Nigeria’s Oguta, Imo State, and raised in Sweden, he ingeniously merged his dental profession with his love for music, adopting the moniker Dr. Alban.

With an estimated 16 million records sold, he firmly established himself in the Eurodance scene. His unique fusion of reggae and dancehall rhythms, coupled with memorable tunes, captivated listeners around the globe. Hits such as Sing Hallelujah (1992) and It’s My Life (1992) soared to the top of the charts across Europe and other regions. His debut album, Hello Africa (1991), set the stage for his rise to fame, which was further propelled by his subsequent album, One Love (1992), and its standout track, It’s My Life.

Dr. Alban’s acclaim extended beyond the music charts, as he was honored with esteemed accolades like the World Music Award and the Echo Award.

7. The Cardigans

Years Founded: 1992
Awards/Accolades: 1 BMI Pop Award, 1 Danish Music Award, 4 Grammis (Sweden)
Number of Studio Albums: 6
Records Sold: 15 million

The Cardigans, a band with sad but catchy tunes, started in 1992 in Jonkoping. The band had Nina Persson singing, Magnus Sveningsson on bass, Peter Svensson playing guitar and writing songs, Bengt Johansson on drums, and Malin Lindgren also on guitar.

They sold 15 million records worldwide, which is quite a lot, though not as much as some other Swedish pop bands. They became famous with their song Lovefool in 1995, which was in Baz Luhrmann’s movie Romeo + Juliet (1996). They also had other popular songs like Erase/Rewind and Crushed.

They released six albums, and two of them, Gran Turismo (1994) and First Band on the Moon (1996), became famous all over the world. They won 4 Swedish Grammis, including Best Song in 1997 for Lovefool.

8. Alcazar

Best-Selling Swedish Music Artists — Alcaraz (Image Source)

Year Founded: 1998
Number of Studio Albums: 3
Records Sold: 12 million

Alcazar, the dazzling disco-pop group, came into existence in 1998, featuring Andreas Lundstedt, Tess Merkel, and Annika ‘Annikafiore’ Kjærgaard as its founding members.

The group achieved remarkable success, selling over 12 million records worldwide and establishing themselves as significant figures in the dance music industry. Chart-toppers like All the Small Things and Crying at the Discotheque became global dance anthems. These hits, together with Love in June, were central to their most acclaimed album, Casino, released in 2000.

9. Vikingarna

Year Founded: 1958
Number of Studio Albums: 50
Records Sold: 11 million

Vikingarna, a titan of the Swedish dansband genre, embarked on their musical voyage in 1958. The band was formed by a quintet: the vocalist and accordionist Xpjan Eklund, saxophonist and clarinetist Kjell-Erik Berglund, drummer Christer Bergsten, bassist Nils “Nitro” Nilsson, and trumpeter Kenth Lundqvist. Despite not garnering major international accolades, their influence on the Swedish music landscape is unmistakable.

With sales of over 11 million records, Vikingarna’s resonance with the Swedish populace is clear. Their music, from the soul-stirring ballad Lejonhjärta (Lionheart) to the festive hits Om Himlen Skulle Fall Ned (If the Heavens Should Fall Down) and the Swedish rendition of Can’t Stop Loving You, became household favorites. Over their illustrious career, they released more than 50 albums, frequently leading the Swedish music charts.

10. Europe

Year Founded: 1979
Awards/Accolades: 2 Rockbjörnen (Sweden), 1 Grammis (Sweden)
Number of Studio Albums: 11
Records Sold: 10 million

Formed in Stockholm in 1979 as “Force,” the band Europe, with members Joey Tempest, John Norum, Peter Olsson, and Tony Reno, became one of Sweden’s top rock acts with 10 million records sold.

Their 1986 album, The Final Countdown, skyrocketed them to global stardom. The title track, with its signature synth lines, captivated audiences worldwide, leading the glam metal wave. Their energetic tracks, Rock the Night and Carrie, combined infectious tunes with powerful vocals and robust guitar work, further cementing their status in rock history.

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Europe produced several hit albums, such as Wings of Tomorrow (1984), Out of This World (1988), and Prisoners Paradise (1991). After a pause in 1992 due to internal issues, they made a comeback in 2003. They’ve been honored with a Grammis Award (Sweden) and Sweden’s Rockbjörnen Award.