Peter Jöback Talks About ‘Atlas’ Album, Discovering Musical Theatre and Life After Fifty

One of Sweden’s biggest stars, Peter Jöback has lived a career which has seen him work with some of the biggest names in music, including Sia, the B52’s Kate Pierson, Gale Ann Dorsey and the legendary Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.

His career has seen him receive several Swedish Grammy nominations, including a nomination for the esteemed Artist of the Year Award, and he has sold over one million concert tickets in Scandinavia in recent years.

Earlier this, Peter released his new album, Atlas, an album which features a stunning duet with hitmaker Sophie Ellis-Bextor, as well as Mercury Prize nominee Ed Harcourt, recorded at the legendary RAK Studios in London. On September 22nd, UK fans will be able to see Peter perform songs from the album and more from his career when he performs at London’s Bush Hall.

Recently, V13 sat down and chatted to Peter about Atlas and what is next in his incredible journey…

You’ve just released Atlas. When you sat down to write it, what was your vision?

Peter Jöback: “My vision for Atlas, I wanted to do an album that was going to feel very organic. I like that organic sound. I wrote it together with Ed Harcourt and Kathryn Williams. I had done an album with Kathryn before called Humanology. I wanted to write with Kathryn and Ed in a very traditional songwriting style.

I wanted an album that was full of reflections on human feelings. About revenge, sorrow from breakups or longing for a better day and always hoping for a better day. Like with the song “Surrender To This Love,” this final song of the album so hopefully we’ll be able to focus on the fact that love conquers all in the end. It’s a little bit about modern man but we did that song about mental health. I thought it was fun because I’m gay singing with Ed who’s straight and it’s a modern love story it’s not an ordinary love story but I love your man because I think it’s important for us men too. Women are so much better at showing feelings and I think that gay men are maybe better at that but we’re men and I think it’s important to talk about feelings.

I was abused when I was a child and I came out late as gay because there were a lot of issues in my family but I’ve done my journey. I’ve done rehab and I’ve done everything so I’m on the other side and I think the way I do my concerts, I want to inspire other people to follow their dreams and to be true to themselves.

“Women are so much better at showing feelings and I think that gay men are maybe better on that but we’re men and I think it’s important to talk about feelings”

Especially being gay, I came out on TV when I was 32. I’ve been around in Sweden since I was 10 years old as a child actor so my sexuality was a big thing in, the business but I just finally felt that I had to come out because I realized that a bird cannot fly if it’s in a cage. My love couldn’t fly if it was locked in. A lot of that helped me. It also was good for me both as an actor and as a musician to be free.”

How different is the actor to the musician?

“For me, it’s no different, it’s the same. I started my big break in Sweden was actually with a musical with Bjorn and Benny, the Abba guys. They did a musical called Christina. My identity for a lot of people became musical theatre but, for me, I always thought of doing different things. I’ve done a show then I’ve done my pop music and it’s gone back and forth. I think today it’s more acceptable to do different things. So, for me, when I do a musical, I’m an actor, I use maybe sometimes another kind of voice to do it. I’m trying still to be authentic to my own, the sound I have but, some of the notes I have to sing in another way but still give my flavour to it.

Then, when I do my music, I tell my story. So, that’s the difference for me otherwise it’s music or it’s storytelling. There’s no difference. Because I’m a theatre kid, I love being in an ensemble. I love work together for some purpose and, even though I love to stand in the front, I know I’m nothing if I don’t have great company around me. That helped me a lot with my music as well. Having a good band with me it’s important to me to have great people around me, wherever I am, what I do.”

What was your introduction to theatre as a child?

“Some people ask me why I did musical theatre. I was brought up in a very dysfunctional family, my father was a heavy drinker so, at the weekends when when my father was hungover, my mum was cleaning up the house she would put me in front of the telly and every weekend in the 70s they showed MGM movies so my best friends and the people who helped me through these moments were Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland. They became my babysitters and my best friends.

I think for me musical theatre became something other than just the work. It became something emotional for me. I’ve always done. It has meant so much more to me than just the job. I feel like I owe that genre a lot. I’ve been lucky because although I haven’t done that many roles, I’ve done really good roles.I did Christina. Miss Saigon when I was 24. That was my first job in London. I did Drury Lane. I was in the original cast of The Witches of Eastwick.

I played the juvenile lead, Michael, and after that, I did Cabaret in Scandinavia. Here I did the MC, which was a great role. It was a very, very perfect part of my life. A very outgoing period of my life. I did Sweeney Todd in Sweden but then Cameron called me. Cameron MacKintosh was the one who found me when I was 24 in Sweden. He brought me back to play Phantom in 2012/13 at the 25th anniversary in London. Then he brought me to Broadway. I was picked to do it on Broadway and then they called me again and I did Broadway. I played the Phantom on the 30th anniversary on Broadway. I was handpicked by Andrew Lloyd Webber. I also did Les Miserables.

“My mum would sit me in front of the telly and the people who helped me through these moments were Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland. They became my babysitters, and my best friends.”

I’ve also done movies, and 13 albums and I’ve collaborated with amazing people. I lived in New York in 2009, that was after rehab. I had to go away from home for a while. I met Sia, and I met Kate Pierson from B52, and Gale Ann Dorsey, the bass player of David Bowie in the last years. We did an album together called These High Stories, where I sang with them and played with them.

On this album, I’m doing a song with Sophie Ellis Bextor. I don’t know what it is, but I seem to attract fun people when I work. This is gonna be my first solo gig with my music in London, and I’m so excited about it because it gives me a chance to show the other side of me to the people who have seen me doing the musicals.

I decided, that when I turned 50, I did a biography. I wrote my own life story. For me, that was to end the first chapter of my life. I felt that when I turned 50 I finally put the last rock on the stone ground where you call my house. I now want to build the walls and the towers and all the fun things of my life. Atlas is the first step of that. In a way, this album feels like my debut album.”

Peter Joback ‘Atlas’ Album Artwork

When you were writing it, where did the title fit into that, Atlas?

“Atlas came from me and Kathryn. We were working on another project sat in London, somewhere in Soho, Palace Theatre or somewhere. I was talking about how, in my personal life, I’ve learned to embrace my life story finally. All the good things and the bad things. I wear it like a crown on my head instead of hiding things, I wear it with pride all the things that happened to me, all the good things and the bad things.

Katheryn said ‘That’s like Atlas, you know, he was carrying the world on his shoulders, but that was with heaviness whereas you are carrying your life and your world on your shoulders with lightness and with proudness.’ I’m Atlas with my world on my shoulders, and I’m feeling so timeless, I just want to get older. I feel when you are connected with your story and can embrace it, you’re not afraid of getting older because you don’t have to meet the monsters anymore. I’m done with them. I just have 50 more years, hopefully, with just something new to look forward to.”

What have you learned as a person in the fifty years up to this point? What is the most important lesson you’ve learned?

“To ask for help and dare to be vulnerable, you know? As an artist, I think the best artists have their hearts at stake. You have to be vulnerable and open, but you still have to have integrity.”

“I’ve learned to embrace my life story finally. All the good things and the bad things. I wear it like a crown on my head instead of hiding things, I wear it with proudness…”

One of the things you said about Atlas was that you wanted to continue inspiring others with your music. When someone puts the record on, what do you hope they take away from it?

“That’s a big question. I think there are a lot of things to find in the lyrics that you can feel can comfort you. ‘Little by Little’ is one of those songs that asks are you used to the darkest days? Sometimes it’s like you maybe have to dare to go out of the darkness and little by little go fly away to somewhere else where it’s a place that is more forgiving.

I want people to give hope. The end song is called ‘Surrender to This Love.’ I think love is the key to healing. I think it’s easier to show love than to receive love. It’s important to learn to love yourself. Self-love is the best. If you can teach yourself how to love yourself then you can love others.”

When you listen to the record, given the personal nature of it, what do you get out of it?

“Atlas is a reflection of me. I’ve always been on a journey and, and, I’m proud of this record because, just recording it in England and London and with the musicians on the album, was amazing.”

Looking back you’ve had highs and lows in your life. It’s taken you on a journey which has brought you to where you are now. You’ve said you feel like Atlas is the foundation so what about the future? What do you hope for the future?

“I love meeting new people. I love to challenge myself. I also want people to challenge me.”

To find out more about Peter, and his career or to get more information on his exclusive London show next month, head over to his Official Website.