Linn Berggren

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Malin Sofia Katarina Berggren was born on October 31, 1970 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Having been interested and involved in music since her childhood, she formed the band Ace of Base in 1990, along with her sister Jenny, her brother Jonas, and their friend Ulf Ekberg. Before becoming a singer, Malin studied to become a teacher at the Chalmers University of Technology in her native Gothenburg, and sang in her church's choir.^[1]

When Ace of Base was signed to Danish label Mega Records in 1990, Malin, or Linn as she became known, chose to put her teaching career on hold. But while her sister Jenny has stated she would like to be a singer forever, Linn has never said anything similar. On the contrary, in 1997 Linn said: "I wanted to sing; I never wanted to be a singer".

Contents 1 Linn's role in Ace of Base 2 2003-present 3 Sense of Humour 4 Trivia 5 Contributions to Ace of Base music 5.1 Vocals 5.2 Song writing 5.3 Song production 6 Footnotes 7 External links

[edit] Linn's role in Ace of Base

Linn is an artistic and somewhat unusual person. She was the lead singer of the band from 1990 to 1997. She was the front image of the group, and at that time Ace of Base was one of the biggest names in the music world. This situation was something new and strange for Linn, a girl who abandoned University for music.

Since 1997 she has appeared at her band's concerts only to perform in the dark or from behind objects such as curtains or pillars. In the band's music videos, her image is often blurred or missing altogether. Linn frequently appears unhappy, upset, or even ill in pictures taken of her. Speculation has abounded amongst fans since 1997; Linn has not granted an interview since that year. The other band members, too, have been somewhat reluctant to explain what has happened to Ace of Base's former lead singer. Linn frequently avoids cameras.

The band's management and record companies have explained Linn's odd behaviour variously over the years. In 1997 when Linn did not perform at the World Music Awards, Claes Cornelius at Mega Records said it was because she did not wish to wear the heavy make-up the performance would have required. The band performed "Ravine" with Linn pretending to play keyboards in the far background of the stage. In 1998 when Linn walked off the set of the "Cruel Summer" video in Rome, her agent said it was because she did not wish to appear in the foreground of the video. Director Nigel Dick later revealed she would not have appeared at all, were it not for his insistence. Jenny ended up singing both her own and Linn's parts in the video. Bravo magazine claimed later that year that Linn was seriously ill, a claim which appeared to be true, based on Linn's odd, shaking appearance on Germany's television spot The Dome, and photos appearing in Bravo. Ulf Ekberg once claimed Linn had a "camera phobia", but other sources have cited her long-time fear of flying as the reason she doesn't appear at the band's concerts. Yet Linn also did not appear at events in Gothenburg and Copenhagen, where she would not have had to fly. Agoraphobia has been offered as one theory on why Linn has become so reclusive, due to the lack of official statements by her or the band.

In Linn's last interview, from 1997, she states her wish to simply remain in the background, and the eight videos filmed after this interview (mostly) comply to her wishes. Other promotional materials, such as album covers and inserts, also feature blurred, unsmiling, distinctly unhappy photographs of her. The Flowers album uses the infamous 'blue lines' photograph, where Linn's unhappy image is bizarrely hidden behind the booklet's blue line design.^[2]

In stark contrast to the other members of the band, other details of Linn's life, such as any detail of her life outside the band, are completely unknown. Whereas the other band members have been open about their relationships (Jonas is married and has two small children, Jenny is married and has a son and is expecting a second child, and Ulf has two boys with his long-time girlfriend), Linn has never spoken about her private life, including if she is married or if she has children.^[3]

Linn has written a number of songs, some of which have been released as Ace of Base songs, and some of which have never been released to the public. During the mid-1990s, Linn wrote and produced several songs, among them "Just 'N' Image", "Whispers in Blindness", and "Strange Ways" for the band's The Bridge album. Some fans believe Linn's odd behaviour is explained in the lyrics of "Strange Ways".

[edit] 2003-present

In Spring of 2005, interviews with Linn's sister Jenny seemed to indicate Linn's desire to return to the spotlight again, but as of September 2006, Linn still remains hidden from the public and has not granted an interview with any news agency or media organization. The public has not caught a glimpse of her in several years. The last glimpse was during the promotion of the "Da Capo" album in 2003, where she oddly showed up to a German television performance, but did not sing or appear on stage. A fan snapped a picture of a calm, smiling Linn outside the studio.

In October and November of 2005, the band made appearances at a series of fifteen concerts at the Night of the Proms in Belgium; as usual, Linn was unable to attend, and only Jonas, Ulf, and Jenny made appearances at these concerts.^[4][5]

According to recent interview given by Ulf on June 20, 2006, Malin has returned to the University and she will record vocals on the new band's album. ^[6]

[edit] Sense of Humour

Linn was once well-known for her sense of humour and quick wit. When a Canadian interviewer once asked her when the band would be 'all over Canada', she quickly replied, "When we gain a lot of weight." These spontaneous off-the-cuff remarks are typical of interviews with Linn during the early and mid-1990's.

[edit] Trivia

• Linn speaks many languages: her native tongue is Swedish, but she speaks fluent English and German; she has also found it useful during tours to speak Spanish, Russian, and French.
• The "Dr. X-Ray" credited in Linn's song, "Whispers in Blindness", and whom Linn thanks in the acknowledgements for The Bridge, was her father, Göran Berggren, who played flute for the song.
• She's currently studying Hebrew at the university in her hometown (Gothenburg, Sweden).

[edit] Contributions to Ace of Base music

[edit] Vocals

Linn has contributed vocals for all released Ace of Base songs except:

• Fashion Party (Jenny, Ulf, & Jonas)
• My Mind (Jenny & Ulf)
• Dimension of Depth (Instrumental)
• Ravine (Jenny)
• Experience Pearls (Jenny)
• Wave Wet Sand (Jenny)
• Mercy Mercy (Jenny)
• I Pray (Jenny & Ulf)
• Don't Go Away (Jenny)
• Unspeakable (Jenny)
• Remember the Words (Jenny)
• World Down Under (Jenny)
• The Juvenile (Jenny)
• Show Me Love (Jenny)

[edit] Song writing

Linn's writing credits for Ace of Base tracks:

• Hear Me Calling (with Jonas & Jenny Berggren and Ulf Ekberg)
• Strange Ways
• Whispers In Blindness
• Just N Image
• Lapponia
• Love In December (with Jonas & Jenny Berggren and Ulf Ekberg)
• Beautiful Morning (with Jenny & Jonas Berggren)
• Change With the Light (with Jenny & Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg)
• What's the Name of the Game (with Jenny & Jonas Berggren, Harry Sommerdahl, and Jonas von der Burg)

[edit] Song production

Linn's production credits for Ace of Base tracks:

• Strange Ways
• Whispers In Blindness
• Just N Image
• Lapponia

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Official Ace of Base website
• SmiLinn! The Ultimate Malin Resource (incl. fanlisting)