The Ark (band)

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The Ark
Ola Salo, pictured at the Arvika Festival in 2005
Background information
Origin	Rottne, Växjö, Sweden
Genre(s)	Glam rock Pop rock
Years active	1991 – present
Website	thearkworld.com
Members
Ola Salo Sylvester Schlegel Martin Axén Mikael Jepson Lars Ljungberg Jens Andersson

This article is about the glam rock band. For the metal band, see ARK (band).

The Ark is a Swedish glam rock band formed in 1991 by Ola Salo, Mikael Jepson, and Lasse "Leari" Ljungberg, when Ola Salo and Leari were only fourteen years old. Martin Axén officially joined the band in 1997, and Sylvester Schlegel in 1999. In late 2006, Jens Andersson joined The Ark as an official member. He had at that point played live with the band for several years.

Generally written in a collaborative effort by the band, the Ark's lyrics are sometimes controversial. For example, the 2002 single "Father of a Son" is about homosexuals' right to have children. In October, 2006, the band and Ola Salo were criticized by members of the U.S. public due to some controversial comments referencing 9/11 that were apparently part of the joking banter between songs as the band performed at the opening festivities for the new Swedish embassy in Washington, D.C. [1] This was unfortunate timing, as the free concert was the kick off for the band's U.S. tour.

The Ark participated in the Swedish Melodifestivalen 2007 with the song "The Worrying Kind". The song, which won the contest after capturing both the popular vote and the jury's vote, was written by Ola Salo. The song will be Sweden's Eurovision 2007 entry, and will also be included on The Ark's fourth album Prayer for the Weekend, which will be released in April 2007. "Absolutely No Decorum", the first single from the album, was released in January of 2007.

The Ark has collaborated with artists such as The Darkness and The Cardigans.