Roxette to reunite with Lena Philipsson for performance at Pori Jazz festival next July

Swedish band Roxette will perform at the Pori Jazz festival next July. Roxette’s songwriter and co-founder Per Gessle is reassembling the band, which includes original members Clarence Öfwerman and Jonas Isacsson. The band’s original singer, Marie Fredriksson, passed away from cancer in 2019.

“We will perform my Roxette songs, which span a vast catalog accumulated over three decades. Roxette is a band; I am not establishing a new duo. Marie Fredriksson is irreplaceable,” said Gessle.

Joining Roxette as the lead vocalist will be Swedish megastar Lena Philipsson. “I am lucky to have found the incredible singing talent Lena Philipsson as the new Roxette singer. She is also a fantastic performer. I am happy she is joining us, allowing us to continue Roxette’s music and legacy together,” Gessle added.

Roxette was formed in 1986 and rose to worldwide fame in the late 1980s and 1990s. Some of the band’s most famous hits include “The Look,” “Listen to Your Heart,” “Joyride,” and “It Must Have Been Love,” which is also remembered for its association with the film “Pretty Woman.”

Additionally, the line-up for next summer’s jazz festival in Pori includes American singers Gregory Porter and Jazzmeia Horn, Iiro Rantala’s new international HEL Trio, and The Five Corners Quintet, which will make a temporary return this summer. Other performers include British-Brazilian singer-songwriter Liana Flores and New York-based brothers saxophonist Dana and drummer Alden McWayne, who will perform as Dana & Alden, blending soft and acid jazz. The UK group MRCY, featuring producer Barney Lister and singer Kojo Degraft-Johnson, will also perform, offering timeless music influenced by artists like Marvin Gaye. Finnish singer-songwriter Arppa will bring his expanded Summer Sextet to Pori this summer.