Friðrik Karlsson (born April 24, 1960) is an Icelandic guitarist and songwriter from Reykjavík. Karlsson began his professional career at age 16 and studied at the Fjölbrautaskólinn in Breiðholt. In 1977, he co-founded the funk-fusion group Mezzoforte, which released the single “Garden Party” in 1983. The track reached number 20 in the United Kingdom. Karlsson performed as a session musician for the musicals Jesus Christ Superstar and Saturday Night Fever. He contributed to the soundtracks of the films Evita and Hercules. Karlsson performed on recordings by Boyzone, Cliff Richard, and Westlife, and accompanied vocalists including Madonna, José Carreras, and Tom Jones. In 1992, he participated in the Eurovision Song Contest as a member of the group Heart2Heart. Karlsson lived in London between 1996 and 2012 before returning to Iceland, where he released the relaxation music series The Feel Good Collection. In 2014, he performed 22 dates for the Kate Bush residency Before the Dawn.
