Pop and schlager singer and songwriter Lena Philipsson was born Maria Philipsson in Vetlanda, Sweden on January 19, 1966. Her career began in 1982 when she appeared as a contestant on the talent show Swedish New Faces. Lena Philipsson released her first single, “Boy,” in 1984, which was followed by her debut album, Kärleken är evig, in 1986. The album’s title track was an entry on that year’s Melodifestivalen, which is a televised song competition that decides which song will be submitted as Sweden’s entry for that year’s Eurovision Song Contest. “Kärleken är evig” was also a chart hit, reaching number 6 on the Swedish Singles chart. The title track of her second album Dansa i neon (1987) was also an entry on Melodifestivalen in ’87 and reached number 9 on the chart. In 1988, she appeared for the third year in a row on Melodifestivalen, performing the song “Om igen,” which was taken from her album Talking in Your Sleep (1988). She continued to release a series of albums, but after the failure of 1997’s Bästa Vänner, Lena Philipsson stepped away from recording music for the next seven years. Lena Philipsson returned in 2004 with “Det Gör Ont,” which was an entry for that year’s Melodifestivalen. The song was a huge success, and, for the first time, she won the contest. However, the song came in fifth place during that year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Regardless, the single sailed to the top of the Swedish charts and revived her career in a miraculous way. Her 2004 album, Det gör ont en stund på natten men inget på dan, sailed to number 1 on the Swedish Albums chart. Her career revival continued with hit albums including Jag ångrar ingenting (2005), Lena and Orup: Dubbel (2008), Världen snurrar (2012), Jag är ingen älskling (2015), and Maria Magdalena (2020). After a three-year break, she returned with the holiday-themed single “I December.”
