Photograph: Ibl/Shutterstock
In producer Denniz Pop’s old studio in Stockholm, above the mugs of coffee and overflowing ashtrays, sat a cherry red light that he would trigger when he knew he had made a hit. In the mid to late 90s, thanks to songs for the likes of Backstreet Boys, Robyn, 5ive, ‘NSync and Ace of Base, that light was rarely off. A well-known DJ on the Swedish music scene, the perpetual joker born Dag Krister Volle helped turn Sweden into a global pop powerhouse, recruiting a gaggle of young songwriters and producers, including a certain Max Martin, that would continue to define pop’s sound – think playful, funk-heavy R&B fused with very Swedish major-chord choruses – even after his sudden death in 1998 aged just 35.
Recruited by Pop in 1993, Martin has since created 25 US No 1 singles, second only to Lennon and McCartney. “When he first invited me to work with him, I don’t know what he saw in me,” the interview-shy Martin tells me. “I didn’t know my way around a studio, but I guess he saw something.” His legacy lives on not just through his mentee, but also via Sweden’s annual Denniz Pop awards, which celebrate their 10th year this June. Under the stewardship of producer and songwriter Jacob Schulze, and an 11-person jury that also includes Martin and pop star Tove Lo, the awards aim to support the next generation of Swedish talent. Past winners have included newcomers Winona Oak and Oscar Stembridge, while everyone from Avicii to Mabel to Snoh Aalegra have scooped the night’s biggest award, the Grand Prize, which celebrates Swedish success on an international stage.
