Uppsala, Sweden

1981

Born in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1981, Britta Persson's smart, engaging pop songs about the ups and downs of romance suggest that sometimes boys do make passes at girls who wear glasses, even if the results aren't always happy for everyone. Her debut album, the airy and enigmatic Top Quality Bones and a Little Terrorist, arrived in 2006 and became a major critical success in Sweden and received similar buzz throughout Europe. Her sophomore outing, 2008's Kill Hollywood Me, found the singer/songwriter adopting a grittier, more idiosyncratic persona that resulted in considerable radio play for the single "Cliffhanger." 2010's Selective Notes-issued Current Affair Medium Rare earned Persson a Swedish Grammy Award nomination. It was followed in 2013 by If I Was a Band My Name Would Be Forevers, her fourth long-player. ~ Mark Deming