Ulf Ekberg

Ulf Ekberg

Ulf Ekberg in December 2012
Background information
Birth name Ulf Gunnar Ekberg
Also known as Buddha
Born (1970-12-06) December 6, 1970
Gothenburg, Sweden
Genres Pop
Occupation(s) Keyboardist, songwriter, singer, businessman, television producer, film producer
Instruments keyboard, voice
Years active 1983–present
Associated acts Ace of Base

Ulf Gunnar Ekberg (born December 6, 1970), also known as Buddha, is a founding member of the Swedish pop group Ace of Base, along with siblings Jonas Berggren (Joker), Linn Berggren and Jenny Berggren.

Life and career

Ace of Base released its debut album in 1992 and went on to attain major chart success throughout the 1990s.

Ekberg has produced several artists, TV productions, films and events and has sold over 40 million records world wide.

Ulf restarted Ace of Base in 2006, touring the world with them from 2007 to 2009. In 2009, he started a new music production/publishing and management company together with Jonas Berggren based in LA, London and Stockholm.

After Ekberg experienced the tsunami in Phuket, Thailand, he founded the Surin Relief Fund to support affected children by providing facilities to educate children and care for orphaned children.[1]

Neo-Nazi activities

In its 27 March 1993 edition, the Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that Ekberg had once been a member of a band called "Commit Suiside" [sic], which sang songs with explicit racist lyrics.[2] Ekberg claims that the cited lyrics were not recorded by Commit Suiside, but says he regrets this past part of his life as a big mistake.[3] Commit Suiside was a neo-Nazi band active in Gothenburg from 1983 to 1986, when Ulf was between the ages of 13 and 16. Other media outlets reported that Ekberg had been a neo-nazi skinhead.[4][5][6] In 1988 he was a part of the leadership of the Sweden Democrats in Gothenburg.[7] In 1998 some of his old songs were released on the compilation album Uffe was a Nazi!. Including songs like Rör inte vårt land (Don't touch our land), Vit makt, svartskalleslakt! (White Power, black head slaughter) and a cover of Skrewdriver's "Smash the IRA", with the lyrics changed to refer to the VPK.[2]

In the 1997 documentary Our Story, Ekberg said: "I told everyone I really regret what I've done. I closed that book. I don't want to even talk about it, that time does not exist in me any more. I closed it and I threw the book away 1987. I took the experience from it, I learned from it. But that life is not me. It's somebody else."

Personal life

Ekberg dated the Swedish super model/actress Emma Sjöberg from 1994 to 2000. He currently lives in London with his girlfriend Johanna Aybar and their three children Viggo, Vincent and Valentina.

Writing

He has written and produced the following songs:

With Jonas Berggren

With Jonas, Jenny, & Malin Berggren

With StoneStream & John Ballard

With John Ballard

With Jonas Berggen & Jonas Saeed

With Jonas Berggren, Ari Lehtonen & D. Massy

Vocals

Ulf has contributed vocals to the following songs:

References

  1. ↑ Surinrelieffund.com
  2. 1 2 http://noisey.vice.com/blog/ace-of-bases-secret-nazi-past
  3. ↑ "Ace of Base Responds To Nazi Allegations". Huffington Post. 24 April 2013.
  4. ↑ Toronto Sun: Swedish stars holding Aces
  5. ↑ The Boston Phoenix: How Swede It Is
  6. ↑ Jörgen Holmstedt (17 June 1998). "Jag är på väg ut ur mörkret". Aftonbladet (in Swedish).
  7. ↑ Larsson, Stieg (2001). Sverigedemokraterna: den nationella rörelsen. Ordfront. p. 111. ISBN 91-7324-877-0.
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