Pairing a love for retro soft rock and dance styles with a colorful modern aesthetic, Sweden's
Olsson emerged out of Gothenburg in the late 2000s, making his name with the pop band
Fibes, Oh Fibes! before launching a dual career as a hitmaking producer/songwriter for mainstream pop acts like
Charli XCX and releasing vibrant solo albums like 2017's
Millions and 2019's Tropical Cologne.
Christian Olsson began his career in 2001 fronting the Gothenburg soft rock outfit
Fibes, Oh Fibes!, whose soulful, piano-led pop was inspired by acts like
Phil Collins,
Lionel Richie, and
Fleetwood Mac. As singer and chief songwriter,
Olsson led the group through a handful of well-received independent releases before Universal signed them and they broke into the Top Ten with their 2009 album 1987. The release yielded a number of
Olsson-penned hits and netted them a Swedish Grammy Award for Pop Album of the Year.
Fibes made another go of it with 2012's Album, after which
Olsson transitioned into the role of industry hitmaker, producing and writing songs for acts like
Charli XCX,
Jacob Banks,
Daniel Adams-Ray, and
Mapei.
Billing himself simply as
Olsson, he made his solo debut in 2016 with the gritty dance anthem "Hold On," which featured
Mapei on guest vocals. The song appeared the following year on
Millions, his full-length debut for Universal. A mix of dark-hued soul, modern dance pop, and indie rock,
Millions marked a new creative phase for
Olsson and he followed up two years later with the sleeker-toned Tropical Cologne. ~ Timothy Monger