Scandinavian Rock/Pop

While many Scandinavian rock and pop acts follow American and European music trends, a handful have turned the pipeline around and crossed over outside of their prospective homelands. Sweden's Abba attained worldwide success during the 1970s and early '80s with their hook-laden songs and gleaming studio production. Ace of Base's ultra-catchy dance pop picked up where Abba left off, but it was primarily embraced by younger listeners during the early '90s. Iceland's Sugarcubes were a postmodern, overtly arty, guitar band. Their iconoclastic lead singer, Bjork, went on to become a solo star and a leading figure in the global alternative rock and dance scenes. In the late '90s, the Cardigans kept all the gloss of past Swedish acts, but fronted the glacial smiles with an underlying melancholy edge.