Photo: Colinvdbel / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
To me, Per Gessle is one of those songwriters whose work you've absolutely heard even if the name doesn't ring a bell. As the male half and chief writer behind Roxette, he built that glossy late-80s pop-rock sound with Marie Fredriksson, and the partnership only ended with her death in 2019, which I find genuinely moving. What strikes me is that he's Swedish to the core yet wrote hooks that felt universal. The Grammis wins and the King's Medal tell me his home country never stopped claiming him. I also like that he kept a solo identity going. A craftsman, not just a hitmaker.
Overview
Per Håkan Gessle (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈpæːr ˈhôːkan ˈɡɛ̂sːlɛ] ; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was disbanded after her death in 2019.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Per Gessle
- Name (Japanese)
- ペール・ゲッスル
- Reading
- ぺーる・げっする
- Born
- January 12, 1959 (age 67)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Boar
- Origin
- Halmstad parish, Sweden
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter / guitarist / singer / businessperson / recording artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1988 Grammis
- 2003 Grammis
- 2003 Grammis
- 2003 Rockbjörnen
- 2003 H. M. The King's Medal
- 2005 Lisebergsapplåden
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång | — | |
| Notable work | Flickorna på TV 2 | — | |
| Notable work | Sommartider | — |
6. Links
Singer-songwriter — see all → · Guitarist — see all → · More people from Sweden →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.