Jens Lekman
| Jens Lekman | |
|---|---|
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Jens Lekman at Popaganda 2013 in Stockholm, Sweden
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jens Martin Lekman |
| Born |
6 February 1981 Angered, Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Origin | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | jenslekman.com |
Jens Martin Lekman (pronounced [jɛns mɑrtɪn lekman]) (born 6 February 1981) is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. His work is heavily influenced by that of Jonathan Richman and Belle & Sebastian, and he has been likened to Stephin Merritt (of The Magnetic Fields), David Byrne, and Scott Walker.
Lekman was born February 6, 1981 in Angered, Gothenburg. As a child, he was not particularly interested in music, but the age of fourteen he was asked to play bass in a friend's cover band. This sparked his own song writing and he quickly came to write hundreds of songs.
Gradually, he adopted the pseudonym Rocky Dennis, a name he borrowed from the protagonist in the movie Mask. Under this name, he began releasing limited edition CD-R discs, the first of which was 2001's The Budgie. The following year, he sent a collection of their songs to the American record label Secretly Canadian, who contracted him.
From 2000 to 2003, Lekman recorded and released much of his material privately on CD-R. Because one of his songs during this time was entitled "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song to the Blind Girl", inspired by the movie Mask, Lekman was mistakenly referred to as "Rocky Dennis". Lekman says that it was a "mistake": "someone thought that was my real name cause I had a song about him, and then radio picked up on it, and I never had a chance to change it". He put the confusion to rest with his Rocky Dennis in Heaven EP (2004).
In 2003, Lekman self-released a 7" vinyl EP, Maple Leaves. When the same EP was released on CD by the Swedish independent label Service Records later that year, he was a well-known name. The songs "Maple Leaves" and "Black Cab" were heavily played on Swedish national radio. He soon signed a contract with the American label Secretly Canadian for releases outside of Sweden. Heavy touring and his debut album soon followed.
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