Nordic popular music, also referred to as Scandinavian popular music, includes pop and rock music of the Nordic countries. The musical scene is known for its biggest bands like ABBA, Roxette, A-ha, Michael Learns to Rock, Ace of Base, and Aqua. These are by far the biggest non-metal acts to come out of Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
The popular music of the Nordic countries exhibits great diversity. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden[1] have all had successful domestic record industries for many years. Because the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were under Soviet control for much of the 20th century, when recording technology and popular music spread around the world, those three countries have a more tenuous connection with the popular industries of Finland, Sweden and the rest. However, since the fall of the Soviet Union, Western popular music in general has gained audiences in the Baltic states; this includes popular music from the other Nordic nations, as well as the United Kingdom, United States and elsewhere.
The Nordic metal scene is highly visible compared to other genres from the region. Many big names such as Dimmu Borgir, Lordi, Mercyful Fate, Blind Channel, Skálmöld, Hamferð, Mnemic, Opeth, Meshuggah, Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth, Lamori from Åland and to an extent Estonia's Metsatöll—if considering Estonia as Nordic, hail from Nordic nations. Nordic or Scandinavian metal bands have had a long and lasting influence on the metal subculture alongside their counterparts in Great Britain and The United States.
| Year | Artist | Song | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Blue Swede | "Hooked on a Feeling" | Sweden |
| 1977 | ABBA | "Dancing Queen" | |
| 1985 | A-ha | "Take On Me" | Norway |
| 1989 | Roxette | "The Look" | Sweden |
| "Listen to Your Heart" | |||
| 1990 | "It Must Have Been Love" | ||
| 1991 | "Joyride" | ||
| 1994 | Ace of Base | "The Sign" |
By 2016, Norway had the 20th largest global music market.[2] [3] Currently four Norwegian artists have achieved a Top 10 placement on the Billboard Hot 100, including A-ha's "Take On Me" which went to 1st place in 1985, Ylvis' "The Fox" which went to 6th place in 2013, Nico & Vinz's "Am I Wrong" which went to 4th place in 2014, and Kygo's "It Ain't Me" which went to 10th place in 2017.