Hannes

For Hannes, no more than two years went by between his debut EP, “Summer 3000” (2019), and his Swedish Grammy nomination for its follow-up, “When the City Sleeps”. Word of mouth made the unassuming singer–songwriter a sought-after name in the Scandinavian music scene, where he had just completed a few gigs in and around Stockholm. Playful and with an unmistakable understatement, songs such as “Sugar” and the immensely successful and catchy tune “Stockholmsvy” are proof that even in the new 2020s, it’s possible to be successful without effects, overloaded production, or flashy videos. Quite the contrary: Hannes takes a step back, keeps his music down to earth, and thus forms a wonderful antithesis to the much faster, shorter, cheaper TikTok mainstream. At festivals in his home country, this approach has been more than rewarded: When the man leaves the stage, tears stream and voices cheer.