Harpo

Few Swedes have missed Moviestar, one of the biggest hit songs in Sweden’s history. But Jan “Harpo” Svensson has many other hits to his name, including Honolulu and Sayonara.

In the early 1970s, Harpo signed a record deal with EMI and began working with Bengt Palmers—a collaboration that turned out to be a perfect match. Together, the songwriting duo went on to produce numerous top-ten singles.

The biggest of them all was Moviestar, which topped the charts in Sweden, Norway, West Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, while also reaching high positions in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. This success led to countless TV and radio tours across Europe. Even today, Harpo maintains a strong following abroad, especially in Germany and Switzerland.

In recent years, Harpo has released several singles in both Swedish and English. His most recent album was the self-titled Jan Harpo Svensson (2005). Now, in the 2020s, he has returned to writing lyrics in English and is currently working on a new studio album, Songwriter.