José González during one of his rare performances in Sweden. Photo: Pauline Benthede/Rockfoto

González seems almost shy as he quickly takes his place on stage. He is greeted by polite, sober but sustained applause. The audience is a mixed bunch — from smartly dressed women in their fifties to trendy teenagers with black slanted fringes and drainpipe jeans.

González picks softly at his guitar and starts to sing. His presentation is low-key but the songs are all the more beautiful — evocative, subdued and without choruses. His voice is an instrument in its own right that winds through the songs in melancholy cycles without any dramatic highs or lows.

Following the success of his first album, Veneer, the excitement surrounding González shows no sign of abating. In the autumn of 2007, he released his second album, In Our Nature, and it dispelled any lingering notion that he may have been a one-hit wonder. On this album, the guitar is more intense and the sound fuller, more rounded.

Sales figures for Gonzalez's second full-length album In Our Nature signal continued success for the Swedish singer-songwriter.

“I wanted to use classic song structures on the new album, with verse and chorus,” González says. “On Veneer, I tried to avoid ordinary singer-songwriter numbers — instead of verse and chorus, they were more like song sketches based on repetition.”

From academic to musician

González was born in Gothenburg in 1978, the son of Argentine parents. As a teenager he was an avid skateboarder with a keen interest in music, and soon played guitar in a succession of local hardcore punk groups — tough, uncompromising punk rock. So quite a few eyebrows were raised when his new, intimate approach began to make itself felt.

“While my university studies were taking up a lot of my time there was not much going on with the other bands I was involved with,” González says. “But I wanted to keep playing, so guitar and song seemed the way to go.” 

In 2001, the Kakofon record label released a solo single, Hints and Deadweight on Velveteen — now a rarity much sought after by record collectors. 

González did not hesitate when choosing between the life of an academic and musician. Photo: Fredrik Egerstrand

His university studies led to postgraduate work in biochemistry, and soon González stood at a crossroads — should he become an academic or a musician? He says this was a fairly simple choice as he foresaw a more fun lifestyle working with music. In 2003, an EP, Crosses, and then Veneer were released in Sweden. His performances were soon demanding more of his time than the laboratory, and Veneer was unanimously acclaimed by the critics. Two years later, the record appeared in other parts of Europe and in the United States.

Television aid

José González admits that part of his success can be explained by the fact that one of his songs was used in a Sony commercial.

“For me, it was important that the commercial was aesthetically pleasing and that my music would be used in a tasteful, harmonious way,” he says. “And I think it was. As a relatively unknown indie artist, I was also glad to see that they chose me instead of some artist from their own label.”

As it turned out, his poignant, thoughtful songs were perfect for emotional moments in American TV series such as The OC and One Tree Hill.

Gonzalez's gentle melodies are appreciated by audiences world-wide. Chances are he will not simply retrace his steps and resume his embryonic but dormant career as a molecular biologist anytime soon. Photo: Fredrik Egerstrand

González feels there is a marked difference between being involved in commercials and being involved in TV series.

“Which TV series I take part in is not a big thing for me — I wouldn’t mind being involved in one that wasn’t among my favorites,” he says. “Commercials, on the other hand, are a bit sensitive, depending on what’s being advertised. I think there are so many commercials for things you don’t need, so generally speaking perhaps the world would have been a better place without advertising.”

Affection for covers

José González’s version of The Knife’s Heartbeats is far from being his only successful cover song. Early in his career, Love Will Tear Us Apart and Born in the USA were regular concert numbers. Later, he swathed Kylie Minogue’s Hand on Your Heart in winding, dreamlike guitar lines. Kylie was so delighted with it that she joined him for a duet, Can’t Get You Out of My Head. And the first single on the new album is a cover version of Massive Attack’s billowing ballad Teardrops.

“I suppose it’s the entertainer in me that enjoys doing covers,” he says. “They lighten the mood tremendously when you’re performing live. Also, I’m an extremely slow songwriter,” he adds with a laugh.

“I feel that Heartbeats is an important part of my history. I play it at every gig because you can see it’s a favorite with the audience and I still think it’s a really great song.

“The lyrics have always been important to me when deciding if I want to do a cover or not. And I’ve always tried to avoid covering numbers that are simply guitar and song.”

At the Cirkus concert, González’s gentle melodies are backed by a conga player and a female singer. Still, his simple, unaffected guitar landscape is what you notice most. González is living proof that you can swim against the current, that you can transcend the confines of modern pop.
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The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.

Translation: Stephen Croall

Classification: A238EN

Aleksander Kovacevic

Aleksander Kovacevic is a freelance journalist based in Stockholm. He works for the Swedish public service broadcaster SVT as well as a dozen of glossy magazines. Aleksander is supposed to be a secret fan of José González's side project, Junip.