Authenticity, atheism key to Swedish songwriter's success

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — In an age when even hard-up musicians can create studio quality from a bedroom, and producers like Timbaland and Mark Ronson are becoming stars of the industry, successful Swedish songwriter Jose Gonzalez stands out for his raw simplicity.

Gonzalez's indie/folk came to the world's attention in 2005 when his cover version of "Heartbeats" by fellow Swedish band "The Knife" was used in a commercial by Sony BRAVIA which involved the release of 250,000 bouncing balls in the streets of San Francisco.

The exposure helped sales of his debut album "Veneer," to achieve platinum status in Britain and Sweden, gold in Australia and New Zealand, and double platinum in Ireland.

But the singer, whose Argentinian parents fled to Sweden to escape from Jorge...