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Writer's pictureAdriana Galán

Some famous Swedish people you should know if you are thinking of moving to Sweden.

Updated: Jan 24, 2023

The first famous person to know are the members of the royal family, as Sweden is a Monarchy:

The Swedish Royal Family. Photo taken from the Swedish Royal Court.

King Carl XVI Gustaf was born on April 30 1946, and in 1973, at 23 years old, he became king of Sweden.

Queen Silvia, Silvia Sommerlath, was born in Germany on December 23 1943, without a royal or noble origin. She got married to King Gustaf in 1976.

The King and Queen have three children:

First-born and heir to the throne, Crown Princess Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée, Duchess of Västergötland, was born on July 14 1977. She married Daniel Westling, H.R.H. Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland. Together they have two children: Princess Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary, born on February 23, 2012, and Prince Oscar Carl Olof, born on 2 Mars, 2016.

The second oldest, Prince Carl Philip Edmund, Duke of Värmland, was born on May 13 1979. He got married on 13 June 2015 to Sofia Hellqvist, H.R.H. Princess Sofia. They have three children: Prince Alexander Erik Hubertus Bertil, born on April 19 2016; Prince Gabriel Carl Walther, born on August 31, 2017; and Prince Julian Herbert Folke, born on March 26 2021.

The third of the three siblings, Princess Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, was born on June 10 1982. She got married on June 8 2013, to the British-American businessman Christopher O'Neill (he denied a royal title, and therefore he is not officially part of the royal family). They have three children: Princess Leonore Lilian Maria, born on February 20 2014; Prince Nicolas Paul Gustaf, born on June 15, 2015; and Princess Adrienne Josephine Alice, born on March 9 2018.


Sweden is substantial in the music business as it is the third biggest music exporter in the world after the UK and the US, thanks to music producers like Max Martin. He is the man with the most one hit-songs after Paul McCartney and John Lennon. His songs include Baby one more time, sung by Britney Spears in 1998, and Blinding Lights, sung by The Weekend in 2020.

Famous Swedish Bands/Artists:

Abba was a supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Their first worldwide famous song was Waterloo in 1974.


Roxette was a pop-rock duo formed in 1986 and conformed by Marie Fredriksson (Born: May 30, 1958- Died: December 9, 2019) and Per Gessle (Born: January 12, 1959). Four of his songs reached number 1 on Billboard: It Must Have Been Love (included in the movie Pretty Woman), The Look, Joyride, and Listen to your heart. They became the first non-English speaking band to record an unplugged for MTV.


Ace of Base was a pop group formed in 1990; the band was formed in 1987 by Malin Sofia Katarina Berggren (known as Linn), her sister Jenny Cecilia Berggren, his brother Jonas Petter Berggren (known as Joker), and their friend Ulf Gunnar Ekberg (known as Buddha). Their success began with the release of their Happy Nation album in 1992.


The cardigans were formed in 1992 in Jönköping by Nina Persson (lead vocals, keyboards), Lars-Olof Johansson (keyboards, piano, guitar.), Bengt Lagerberg (drums, percussion), Magnus Sveningsson (bass, voice) and Peter Svensson (guitar, voice). The band today is well known abroad for their single Lovefool from the album First band on the moon (1996). This single was included in the film Romeo + Juliet soundtrack by director Baz Luhrmann, ensuring popularity for the band members.


Avicci was a DJ, remixer and music producer named Tim Bergling (Born: September 8 1989- Died: April 20 2018). When he was 16, he shared his remixes on electronic music forums, which led him to sign a music contract. In 2011 he became famous around the globe with his Levels single.


Swedish House Mafia, abbreviated as SHM, is a group of DJs and producers Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello. Their first famous single was One, which later featured a vocal version —One (Your Name)— for which rapper Pharrell collaborated. In 2012 they won a Grammy Award for their hit Save The World with singer John Martin.


Other personalities that probably you heard about them:

Ingmar Bergman was born in 1918 in Uppsala and became the most famous Swedish filmmaker in history. His filmography includes titles such as Summer Games, The Seventh Seal or Cries and Whispers. His last work for the big screen was "Fanny and Alexander" in 1982.

Fanny & Alexandre movie cover. Photo from Unifrance.

Astrid Lindgren is one of the most beloved literary authors by the Swedish people. She stood out as the author of children's works, with her famous characters as Pippi Longstocking from 1945. Her works were translated into 72 languages.

Pipi Longstocking or better known in Spanish as Pipi Calzaslargas.

Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg, better known as Greta Thunberg, is a Swedish environmental activist focused on the risks posed by global warming.

Greta Thunberg, Photo taken from twitter official account @GretaThunberg

They achieved fame in their fields and times, but they all left their mark in the Swedish country, where in some cases, it is possible to visit the places they moved.


Being part of a country like Sweden and belonging to the great legacy of personalities that have passed and will continue to pass through the country's history is more than a challenge that you can achieve by developing your ideas and starting your journey with Iknal Semikan.

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