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Artist
Di Leva
12+ albums
swedishpopflower popsinger-songwriterNeed to Rate
about
Growing up in the medium-sized town of Gävle, Thomas Magnusson took on his mother's maiden name, Di Leva, thus creating one of Sweden's most peculiar stage personalities. Mixing an extremely flowery and theatrical stage show with smart and inventive pop, Di Leva soon won the hearts of critics. Musically, he borrowed airy synthesized harmonies from new age music, lyrical skill from singer/songwriters, and effective choruses from mainstream pop. But his new age-inspired message of kindness and universal love also spurred negative reactions, from people dismissing him as silly or fake to actual fights at concerts. Conservative religious groups also had a hard time accepting lyrics like "Everyone is Jesus". At the end of the '90s, his first big creative period seemed to be over, but record sales were still on the rise and Di Leva's mainstream appeal was growing. Di Leva started his career in acting, but as music took over in 1980, he released the single 4 Visitors with the band Pillisnorks. A brief period with Modern Art ended when Di Leva acquired a contract with Adventure and released his solo debut, Marginal Circus. With På Ett Fat, he reached a bigger audience, but didn't get a big hit until 1985 when the single "Kom Till Mig" recorded together with the experimental string quartet Fläskkvartetten, was released. By now Di Leva's charismatic, whimsical, and friendly appearance had given him free tickets into a number of spheres in addition to music, and in the late '80s he app
